Reviewing a sampling of recent studies, two answers become clear. Tabletop and tableware actually do matter a great deal-but not always for the reasons most often given.
It’s well established that both the state of the tabletop and its settings can re-enforce a restaurant’s theme as well as send a quality message (or a lack of one) to guests. A 2002 poll by the Maritz organization revealed that 80% of Americans rate interior cleanliness as their top requirement when choosing a fast-food restaurant, and the tabletop has historically been where the rubber meets the road in that respect. (The same poll reported that visitors find dirty tables that included spills and trash 14% of the time.)
For higher-tier restaurants, tabletop design is equally important. As one hospitality-school textbook puts it: “Remember, while sitting at the table, the customer comes into the closest contact with the feel of the atmosphere.”
Yet research demonstrates that there are often more subtle, more psychological forces at work when customers rest their appraising gaze on the tabletop. Sure, cleanliness and prettiness matter, but there’s more to the pecking order.
Size and shape matter. It’s understood that customers often equate bigger portions with value, but portion size is signified not just by the actual amount of food being served, but the size of the tableware on which it appears. This is likely why the plate sizes being used in full-service restaurants have been statistically increasing. According to the National Restaurant Association, plate size that averaged 10 in. in diameter several years ago has grown to 12 in. today. One china manufacturer attests, “We’re definitely seeing a trend toward bigger,” and notes the popularity of 16- and even 18-in. oval platters.
Research conducted by Dr. Brian Wansink at the University of Illinois has suggested that plate, bowl, and glass size conveys to customers what’s “normal” in the way of portion size. The inference is that a guest who wouldn’t dream of ordering two small-sized entrees for fear he’d look like a pig would nonetheless happily chow down on one massive entree that might add up to just as much food, simply because it arrives in a form that the restaurant designates as a serving.
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