Abstract:
Menu design has the potential of influencing restaurant customers‟
food choice (Baiomy & Jones, 2016; Ozdemir & Caliskan, 2015). Although
menu design and customers‟ food choice have attracted the attention of both
academics and practitioners, the link between these two concepts have rarely
been examined in the literature. Additionally, the attributes of menu design
have not been clearly identified by previous researchers. This study sought to
examine the effects of menu design on customers‟ food choice in upscale
restaurants. Based on an extensive review of the literature on menu design and
customers‟ food choice, the various menu design attributes were identified.
The Mehrabian-Russell (1974) Stimulus-Organism-Response model was
adapted for the conceptual framework of the study. Data was obtained from
390 respondents and was analysed using SPSS and Analysis of Moment
Structure (AMOS). Like previous studies, this study also came out that menu
design influenced customers‟ food choice. The study also revealed that not all
the menu design attributes have a significant influence on customers‟ choice
of food items. Menu item description (MID) ironically did not influence
customers‟ choice of food items. Owing to this, it is recommended that
industry professionals must pay more attention to menu design attributes in
order to maximize sales.
