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ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 07-Jul-13

Sunday 07-July-13

Sell food to hungry people

I went to town recently and was looking for some lunch. I didn't want much, just a bite, really. The first place I came to was a small cafe with a sign saying:

 I was vaguely insulted by this. I'm not an old fogey yet. And the sign didn't really tell me about the quantity or quality of food. Did it imply this was a cheaper option for thse who want less? Older people often do want less, but this was unclear. It also seemed rather patronizing. So I walked on by.

Next I came to another eatery. This time I was grabbed firmly. The sign said:

Here was everything I wanted. 'Delicious' told me they paid attention to taste and started my mouth watering all by itself. 'Roast' suggests roast beef or chicken, both of which I love. 'Lunch' said it would be a meal, not a snack. The pricing message was brilliant too. 'Hungry' plays directly to the senses. Yes, actually I was hungry (the first line had helped this along). And 'Very hungry' gave me choice, with an indicator of being a big plateful.

What other options could they have used? 'Medium' and 'Large' give size indicators, but do not have the visceral pull of 'hungry'. They could have used other words like 'peckish' but this is less direct and can be ambiguous. They could have offered more choice, but this is a slippery slope as people give up when even a bit more cognitive effort is needed or they fear they will make the wrong choice.

Overall, I was both impressed and drooling. The prices were fair, so I went in. And indeed it was delicious.