Italiano
Have you ever been to an All-you-can-eat buffet?
Sure you have…we’ve all been there at least once.
Even in Europe, where this formula was imported from the USA quite recently.
However, paradoxically, the first All-You-Can-Eat meals we know were already held in Sweden starting from the second half of the seventeenth century: the smörgåsbord.
A word that sounds vaguely like “orgasm”. Oh, the irony…
Something that those who don’t have a déformation professionnelle like mine probably don’t notice (or simply don’t care about), are the many sneaky psychological tricks that the managers put in place to ensure that the customer consumes less, while still feeling in control.
Have you ever noticed how small the dish is?
In size, it is about half the size of a plate from any other “regular” restaurant.
And, usually, it’s only one dish that you’re provided. As you can imagine, it’s to keep you from stacking too much food at once.
Getting up each time to fill your plate with a small amount means that you end up consuming less.
Let’s move on to the furnishings…
There is always a salad bar, even a rather large and nicely set-up one. This is because, according to several scientific studies, 75% of people stop at the first three courses.
This has to do with the scarcity mindset: without going into too much, the atavistic fear of human beings of being left empty-handed!
So, why not immediately add salad, cabbage, the ever-present carrot julienne… all those inexpensive foods that have quite a “visual effect” of abundance.
But, we should fill our stomachs sooner or later, right?
Do you know why the All-You-Can-Eat are full of bread, rice, fried rice, pizza, and potatoes (mashed, fried or baked)?
The answer is starch.
Starchy foods, besides being cheap, provide an immediate sense of satiety.
And the proteins? Cheese, egg, tuna, chicken and pork are never missing. That is to say: the most unexpensive protein!
There are also veal and fish, yes. But, usually, there is an operator to serve them. Who takes great care to cut them razor-thin!
And there are certainly other tricks that do not come to my mind right now.
You know, I’m not a psychologist.
I write tho! And, if you work in catering industry and/or hospitality and you are interested in my #copywriting and/or #contentwriting services, just contact me!
