Menu design and food choice among customers of upscale restaurants in the Accra Metropolis

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.