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Augmented reality (AR) technology is expanding into the restaurant industry, yet the use of AR menus has not been investigated yet. The purpose of this research is to study consumers’ perceptions of the use of AR menus in restaurants. A research model grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used for the study. After 368 responses were collected through an online self-administered survey, multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the impact of factors on customer intention. The results of the study indicated that perceived usefulness, perceived innovativeness, subjective norm, perceived enjoyment, and perceived benefit influenced customer intention. In addition, it was found that there are gender differences in consumer intention. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed; limitations and recommendations for future study are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to do a bibliometric analysis of the literature available on the organic menu at a restaurant to extract insights into the study area and provide direction for future research. Fifty-nine documents were extracted using the Scopus scientific database published in the restaurant's organic menu area. VOSviewer and R-based Bibliometric software have been used for conducting bibliometric analysis. The trending themes are food aesthetics, alternative food networks, food quality, sustainability and acceptability. The four clusters identified in the organic menu literature identified the behavioral intention of consumers, sustainable development, marketing management and procurement of organic food for the restaurant. The study will first conduct a bibliometric analysis to discover the trending themes and clusters in the organic menu literature. Based on the review, the customer organic menu adoption framework has been developed to understand the study topic better. The study's findings will help managers and practitioners easily understand the trend in the literature on organic menus at the restaurant, which will help formulate marketing strategies and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of menus is a strategic part of the marketing mix of restaurants and the way they can (or can not) create a competitive advantage and attract the customer's attention. In particular, restaurant menus communicate the restaurant unique selling proposition through its unique understanding of terroir. In this sense, the role of restaurants in the protection of local food identities and the promotion of local food heritage has become a topic of increasing interest. From a qualitative study based on a discourse analysis, the aim of this article is to understand the role of food in dining experiences through the storytelling embedded in the menus of the 8 restaurants awarded with the Michelin Green Star in Catalonia. While results show the pivotal role of products with a local origin, the narrative derived from the menus display meaningful relationships between local and global, old and new culinary techniques. Results also show the preoccupation of restaurants toward the protection of the linkages between the products and the territory, and the promotion of a zero-waste cuisine. Theoretical and practical implications are outlined to create both business and destination marketing strategies based on a "green" storytelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Abant Social Sciences / Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Journal of Abant Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since May 2018, federal restaurant menu labeling regulations have required large U.S. chain restaurants to disclose calorie counts on menus. This study estimates the share of U.S. adults who notice calorie information on fast-food and sit-down restaurant menus and identifies the consumer characteristics that predict noticing calorie labels. Using a nationally representative sample of 5,185 U.S. adults aged 18 and older from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), linear regression models were estimated to predict the likelihood of noticing calorie labels the last time adults ordered food in a fast-food or sit-down restaurant. The 2022 HINTS data were publicly released in April 2023 and these public-use and de-identified data were analyzed in October 2023. In 2022, about 1 in 2 U.S. adults (49.7%, 95% CI=47.6%, 51.8%) reported noticing calorie labels during their last restaurant visit. The likelihood of noticing calorie information was significantly lower among men, lower income households, unpartnered adults, residents of the Northeast Census Region, and residents of rural areas. Approximately half of U.S. adults reported seeing calorie labels when they last ordered food in a fast-food or sit-down restaurant in 2022. Sex, income, marital status, and residential location influenced the likelihood of noticing calorie counts posted on restaurant menus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastronomy represents one of the main defining national cultural elements and is essential for shaping territorial identities and for tourism development, attracting both domestic and international tourists. The landscape in the center of Bucharest has gradually changed under the influence of entrepreneurial initiatives within the hospitality industry, showing at present a rather cosmopolitan urban environment. Despite the significant number of international catering units, better adapted to global tastes, Romanian-themed restaurants represent a landmark of the capital city. In this context, our study focuses on the Romanian authentic local gastronomy offered by the themed traditional restaurants in the center of Bucharest as a stimulating factor for different types of consumers. Aiming to answer several research questions, this research has a complex multi-fold methodological approach, appealing to triangulation which gathered, as main analytic methods, mapping, semantic analyses, and text visualisation, and the interview method (originally and appropriately applied for this case study to experienced employees). The main results show a complex gastronomic landscape that gathers various types of restaurants but outlines those with a Romanian ethnic theme in the center of Bucharest. The study of Romanian restaurants' menus reveals elements of authenticity (e.g., traditional dishes and their regional denominations, local rural ingredients, old recipes, and cuisine techniques) as factors of attractiveness for consumers and as competitive advantages in their market. Moreover, interviews with staff representatives outline restaurants' atmosphere, originality, and price–quality ratio of their food as the main attractive elements for both autochtonous customers and tourists and which offer an advantage in the market. The present study may interest multiple stakeholders, focusing on the development and evolution of the hospitality industry in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web 2.0 technologies have had a significant impact on collaborative communication practices in teaching, learning, and professional work environments. In translation studies, computer-supported collaborative translation tasks have mainly been discussed within the project-based learning framework, where research has foregrounded correlations between collaboration and performance. However, trainees' specific uses of collaborative tools, including transcripts of real-time exchanges, have neither been sufficiently investigated nor informed pedagogical strategies and approaches in any tangible way. This study bridges this gap by evaluating trainees' collaborative practices while they translated a text, localized a restaurant menu, and simulated the design and launch of a language service agency. Data was gathered from a questionnaire, in-class presentations, and real-time instant messaging (IM) transcripts. Data analysis of the real-time IM exchanges unveiled considerable trainee communicative practices during collaborative tasks. Furthermore, correlations were established between the volume of instant messages, time of exchange, role played by trainees, and conversation themes with the teams' final assessment performances. This study provided valuable insights into the effectiveness of IM as a collaborative tool in training environments. It also informed our suggested guidelines for properly integrating IM into the translator training curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the United States implemented a nationwide law requiring chain restaurants with more than 20 units to post calorie counts next to each of their menu items. Previously, individual cities, counties, and states had passed such laws, and certain chains had voluntarily posted calorie counts. Despite the widespread nature of this practice, the effect of calorie counts on restaurant outcomes is still not well understood. This paper estimates the impact of restaurant menu calorie labels on four important outcomes: 1) restaurant revenue; 2) restaurant profit; 3) the labor time of kitchen staff; and 4) patrons' support for calorie labels. We estimate these impacts by conducting a randomized controlled experiment in two full-service restaurants. The results indicate that posting calorie counts on menus has no detectable negative impact on restaurants – the impacts on revenue, profit, and labor time are indistinguishable from zero. Moreover, exposure to the labels increases patrons' support of restaurant menu calorie labels by 14.3% and reduces their opposition to them by 27.1%. Altogether, these results suggest that posting calorie counts does not harm restaurants, and are appealing to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sales is one of the key factors in business. Failure to increase sales can lead to the collapse and bankruptcy of a business. Recommendation System is a system that is capable of predicting products desired by users. Personalized product recommendations effectively boost sales in a business. In this context, the recommendation system is a strategic tool to optimize the user experience and encourage further purchases. This research applies the content-based filtering method, which utilizes an item similarity-based recommendation approach. Three variables are used to determine the recommended product order: similarity value, sales quantity, and rating. Based on the trial, it was found that 77.3% of users were interested in the recommended products, while the remaining 22.7% preferred to purchase other products. Therefore, it can be concluded that the recommendation system can influence users to purchase the recommended products, thus impacting sales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research regarding menu writing focused on the customers' perspective, rather than the current practices approach of this study. With the purpose of quantifying and categorizing the word choices most commonly used by restaurant operators, this research used text-mining techniques to develop a database of words used in menu descriptions from a broad cross-section of American casual dining restaurants. The words were categorized and sorted by frequency in order to determine the most common words and categories used. Results showed that categorically, culinary words were used the most in menus while sensory and adjective words were used the least. Within the categories of ingredients, vegetables were most frequently observed while fruits appeared the least in menus. Empirically, the major menu word categories identified in this study can help to update restaurateurs with the current menu word classification. In addition, the words within each category reflect current industry practices, which may be useful to operators in describing menu dishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses how Gorgonzola cheese achieved widespread success among the upper and middle classes in continental Europe, the British Isles, and North America between the 1850s and 1930s. Drawing on social history, the history of science and technology, and cultural history, the article highlights the important role played by hotels, restaurants, clubs, and ocean liners, on the one hand, and the circuit of industrial and agricultural exhibitions, on the other, in the nearly simultaneous growth in popularity of Gorgonzola among the upper and middle classes. Joining the consolidated historiographical and sociological vein that examines the interplay among class, food, and social capital, the novel analysis of documents such as newspaper articles, restaurant menus, literary sources, and exhibition catalogues offers a new perspective on the unique Gorgonzola phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A calorie-labeling policy for restaurant menus was implemented in 2018. Whether and how sexual-minority men use this information has not been evaluated. The Men's Body Project, a 2020 cross-sectional survey study of 504 cisgender sexual-minority men (mean age=35.8 ± 10.4 years, 71.0% White, 5.6% Asian, 14.3% Black, 9.1% another/multiple race identities) assessed respondents' awareness of calorie labels on restaurant menus and subsequent responses. Additional questions were asked about weight-change goals, body image, disordered eating behaviors, and muscle-enhancing supplement use. Analyses in 2022–2023 used multivariate logistic regression to assess the associations between noticing calories and weight- and muscularity-oriented behaviors and, among those who noticed calorie labels, whether participants reported using this information to order more or fewer calories. Approximately half of the participants reported noticing calorie labels. Those who did were more likely to report engaging in disordered eating behaviors (OR=2.03). Among participants who noticed menu labels, ordering fewer calories was the most frequent response, whereas 25% reported not changing the caloric content of their order. Many participants (21%) reported ordering both more and fewer calories, and this heterogeneous ordering pattern was associated with both disordered eating (OR=4.70) and muscle-enhancing behaviors (OR=9.42) compared with that among participants who did not report behaviors. Reporting weight-control efforts was associated with ordering fewer calories than participants not doing anything to change their weight (OR=2.53). Most participants noticed calorie labels on menus, and many reported subsequently ordering fewer calories. Disordered eating and muscle-enhancing behaviors were associated with behavior changes in response to calorie information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the policy strategy for developing tilapia marketing in Soppeng district. Marketing development is needed to achieve equal distribution of profits from the tilapia business for marketing institutions. The PPA was carried out through a meeting of coastal area management planning experts, as part of the development of tilapia marketing. PPA aims to involve stakeholders to produce identification and definition of key variables, definition of future state variables, scenario building, and formulation of strategies and anticipated actions. The FGD results obtained 6 variables with the highest scores, namely consumer understanding, digital marketing, market demand, government support, distribution and supply chain, sustainable marketing. In this context, the participants created implementation strategies and anticipatory actions, (1) Providing education to people who will become consumers about the importance of consuming fish that is rich in nutrients; (2) digitizing tilapia fish business actors; (3) Pay attention to and record the stock and demand for Tilapia fish; (4) paying more attention to business actors (fishermen and fish farmers) as a measure for regional food security; (5) Providing opportunities and supporting the Tilapia distribution and supply chain (6) Creating a fisheries system from raw materials, then processing them carefully so that no waste is left, then creating a culinary village program containing fishing spots for consumers and restaurants with a fisheries menu. The strategic implications and anticipatory actions above are stakeholder needs that can be met through intervention in various determining variables in Tilapia Marketing Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tourism & Management Studies is the property of Escola Superior de Gestao, Hotelaria e Turismo, Universidade do Algarve and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examined the influence of words used in restaurant menu descriptions. Menu descriptions are typically short, communicating a great deal of information in a brief statement. Understanding the types of words that resonate most with consumers addresses a gap in menu research. Correspondingly, this study assessed how consumers process menu words to minimize ordering risk by applying a choice-based conjoint analysis approach utilizing word attributes and levels. 1500 participants were recruited to simultaneously evaluate multiple menu description variations. Findings noted that words can be classified as hedonic (emotional) or utilitarian (functional) and that utilitarian words can be further sub-categorized as experiential or descriptive. Findings support a hierarchy of word influence, and add to research literature, specifically menu design. The practical implications are that restaurateurs can improve their menu descriptions by utilizing words drawn from the most influential categories as a means of mitigating consumer anxiety. • Restaurant menus have limited space to convey the characteristics of a dish. • Customers use menu descriptions to mitigate ordering uncertainty. • Restaurant menu words can be classified as Utilitarian or Hedonic. • Utilitarian words may be further subdivided into Experiential or Descriptive. • Understanding word classifications allows restaurant operators to fine tune menus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing calorie information for alcoholic beverages is a potential public-health intervention which may serve to reduce alcohol use but also prevalence of overweight/obesity. Equivocal evidence has been found for the effectiveness of alcohol calorie information at reducing drinking intentions as well as purchasing and consumption. However, the extent at which calorie information 'on-trade' will impact consumer behaviour for both alcohol and food consumption has not been investigated. (1) To examine the presence of alcohol calorie labelling for hypothetical purchasing of alcohol and food in typical UK restaurant scenarios. (2) To determine the characteristics of individuals who will be likely to choose to view alcohol calorie labels. Two online randomised control trials using a hypothetical menu selection. In experiment one (N = 325) participants were randomised to the presence or absence of alcohol calorie labels. In experiment two (N = 1081) individuals were randomised to alcohol calorie labels absent or the choice to view alcohol calorie labels. The primary outcome for each study was calories ordered from alcoholic beverages. There was no evidence that the presence of alcohol calorie information on restaurant menus impacted the number of calories ordered from alcoholic beverages or from food and soft drinks. Younger individuals and individuals who exhibit greater motives for good health were more likely to choose to view alcohol calorie labels. In two online, hypothetical experiments there is no evidence for alcohol calorie labelling impacting consumer decisions to order alcohol or food. Given the choice, a self-selecting group of individuals who are more motivated by health concerns will view alcohol calorie labels, and in turn may be less likely to order alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We find that people implicitly and explicitly represent healthy foods they categorize as healthy in their purest, least prepared forms but represent foods they categorize as unhealthy in their most prepared forms (e.g., a veggie patty is represented as frozen while a beef burger is represented in a bun with melted cheese and ready to eat). We find this effect across several studies using both image and word sorting measures in explicit tasks and implicit association tasks. The effect results from the perception of health and taste as two conflicting goals. Preparation (e.g., cooking, adding toppings) makes food more delicious, which creates categorization ambiguity. Hence, healthy food is thought of as unprepared. Indeed, individual differences in perceived health-taste goal conflict moderate the effect. Critically, the representation of healthy foods matters for food decisions. In an experiment that manipulated the descriptive language on a restaurant menu, emphasizing the preparation of foods increased participants' preference for healthy foods (with no improvement for unhealthy foods). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Default options can be effective behavioural nudges in various contexts. Re-designing restaurant menus with vegetarian options as the default can be a promising route to reduce meat consumption. However, it is not yet clear whether the default also works when customers do not know what specific menu items they receive, as is the case in surprise menus. Furthermore, we question whether the effectiveness of a vegetarian default on an individual's choice for a vegetarian dish can be further strengthened when the default mechanism is deployed together with other strong intervention mechanisms: price incentives and imposed effort. In a real-life field experiment, we tested the effectiveness of the default for a Chef's Menu where consumers only know that the dish is vegetarian or that it contains meat or fish. Moreover, we tested the effect of the default together with either a supplemental price needed to be paid for the meat option, or an increase in the effort to switch to the alternative meat options (making them less easy to order compared to the vegetarian option). Analyses of the sales data show that significantly more vegetarian options were ordered in the weeks that the vegetarian dish was the default. However, neither the price incentive nor the increased effort seemed to strengthen the original default effects. The current study shows the strength of a default intervention, also in the case of a surprise menu, and provides insights for practitioners to maximize the effectiveness of a default. • Vegetarian defaults promising route to reduce meat consumption in restaurants. • Defaults also work when consumers do not exactly know what menu they will receive. • Imposed effort and price supplements did not strengthen effects of the default. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]