Dining out can be expensive these days, but saving money takes more than just choosing the right place and ordering the cheapest thing you can find on the menu. For years, restaurants have been one step ahead of you.
If you like getting the most for your money when going out to dinner, you might already know the places that offer the best deals and occasional freebies. But by knowing the subtle ways a restaurant menu might entice you to spend more, you can take saving money to a whole new level.
The first step is knowing the menu items that have the worst value. If you're thinking about ordering a side of potatoes, pasta, or tea — think again! But to truly be a savvy diner, you have to be aware of the more hidden ways that restaurants try to hypnotize you out of your money.
By now, restaurants know their customers' habits so well that they know exactly what will open up customers' wallets, from the names of its menu items to the music playing in the background!
These are just a few of restaurants’ secret tactics you may not have noticed.
The Second-Cheapest Wine Hack
You’ve probably done this before: You don’t want to splurge on fancy wine, but you don’t want to “look cheap” by ordering the lowest-priced one, so your order the second cheapest. Here’s the thing, though: The restaurant knows what you’re doing. So the second-cheapest wine on the menu is usually the one they want to get rid of the most!
What Are Anchor Items?
Have you ever seen an overpriced menu item and thought, “Who would pay that much for a meal?” Well, that might be exactly what the restaurant wants you to think. Those unrealistically priced options are called “anchors”, and they trick you by making the rest of the menu seem so much cheaper by comparison.
Shhh, The Cheapest Options Are Hiding
But it doesn’t stop there. Restaurants even know where they can hide the cheaper items on a menu so you’re less likely to see them. When most people open a menu, their eyes go to the top-right — so that’s where the pricey stuff will be. Where’s the cheaper stuff? In the lower left.
But subtle menu games aren’t the only trick restaurants have up their sleeve. Watch this video for the even sneakier ways these eateries are swaying you to shell out some more money.
