Hey, good looking (food), whatcha got cooking?
From “millennial pink” plates to elaborate avocado toast and cheeky neon signs, some restaurants have fully embraced the Instagram era. And as a new survey shows, when it comes to influencing customer choices, food porn pays. Instagram-worthy restaurant design and food offerings are having a major impact, both in igniting food and beverage trends and setting establishments apart from competitors.
While word of mouth recommendations still play a major role in restaurant choices, today these plugs are often conveyed in social media posts, according to the survey commissioned by SevenRooms. The restaurant management platform found that 22 per cent of respondents have chosen a restaurant based on what it looks like on social media.
According to gastrophysicist Charles Spence, simply looking at food porn can elicit powerful physiological responses. A passing glance can increase hunger and “induce salivation, not to mention the release of digestive juices as the gut prepares for what is about to come.”
It’s no wonder then, at a time when 69 per cent of millennials take a photo or video of their food before diving in, that visuals should be such a significant deciding factor. Faced with an infinite scroll of exquisite pastries, overloaded freak-shakes, and grilled ramen burgers, now more than ever, we’re eating with our eyes.
To be sure, appearance has always been key to creating a successful establishment. But esthetics have arguably become as important as the food itself. It’s not enough for the food to be exceptional, and the space conducive to a pleasant dining experience — it has to be Instagrammable, too.