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How Does Restaurant Decor Affect How Much You Eat?

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restaurant sign, front of restaurant

In most restaurants, the décor isn’t an accident — it’s intended to keep you seated at the table longer or to get you to eat and run.

Think about how long it takes you to gobble down a Big Mac or a shortstack of pancakes with bacon.  The red and gold color schemes, noise levels, and general hustle and bustle in many diners and fast food restaurants encourage you to eat quickly – and allows the restaurant to “turn the tables,” or to get another group of people seated at the table you just vacated pretty quickly so they can serve more food and make more money.   The white tablecloths, soft music or hushed sounds  of fancier restaurants make it pleasant for you to linger longer — and order another glass of wine, dessert, coffee, and after dinner drink – from which the restaurant makes more money.

Watch your waistline, too.  According to Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating and director of Cornell’s Food and brand Lab, the atmosphere of a restaurant can get you to overeat in two ways:  if it’s really pleasant you want to stay longer — and therefore order and eat more.  If it’s very brightly lit and possibly loud and irritating you usually gulp and run, probably overeating before you realize that you’re full.

Know your restaurant and its setting:  think about pacing yourself in the speed environment and avoiding the temptation to keep ordering in the relaxed environment.

Want To Eat Fast? Choose Restaurants With Red and Gold Décor And Loud Music

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fast food counter graphic

What are the main colors used in McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and most fast food restaurants – diners, included? Answer:  Red and gold.

Restaurant Décor Is Planned For A Reason You Might Not Guess

Restaurant decor isn’t an accident, especially in chain restaurants keyed into behavioral and eating psychology.  Restaurants are designed with the intention of getting you to eat and run or to keep you at the table longer so you order more.

Speed Eating

Fast food and high turnover restaurants are decorated for speed eating.  No soothing pastels, sound absorbing surfaces, or soft music to be seen or heard. Instead you’ll find loud music, noise reflecting off of hard surfaces, and high arousal color schemes — frequently red and gold.

It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to communicate to your brain that you’re full. A red, gold, and noisy environment makes you gulp your food and reach for more way before 20 minutes have come and gone. Or, it helps convince you to gulp down your food and make your exit pretty quickly. The rapid table turnovers allow the restaurant to pack more people in – and then serve more food – quickly!

Leisurely Dining

On the other hand, people tend to linger at restaurants with low lighting, soft music, flowers, and tablecloths.  The white tablecloths and soft music of “fancy” restaurants make it pleasant to linger longer — and order another glass of wine, dessert, coffee, or after dinner drink. The attentive waitstaff obligingly offers you more and more options — and you’re likely to agree. In this type of eating environment you end up ordering and eating more than you had planned.

Know your setting:  pace yourself in the speed environment and avoid the temptation to keep ordering in the relaxed environment.