London - We've all gone into a restaurant planning to order something healthy - only to end up devouring the most calorific option.
Now scientists say they have worked out why we get so easily derailed when dining out.
They say the answer may not lie with a lack of willpower or judgement - but could actually be the menu's fault.
“What you order may have less to do with what you want - and more to do with a menu's layout and descriptions,” says Brian Wansink, professor of consumer behaviour at Cornell University in the US.
He and his team drew their conclusions after analysing 217 menus and the selections of more than 300 diners.
First, menu layout may be to blame. Any dish that attracts attention - for example listed in bold, highlighted, in a coloured font or boxed out - makes us more likely to order that than the item listed next to it.
“But in most cases, these are the least healthy items on the menu,” says Professor Wansink.
Second, items described in detail sell better - and lead us to believe they taste better.
Previous research has found that when restaurant menu items were re-named to make them more descriptive, they were more popular.
When the seafood filet became Succulent Italian Seafood Filet - and red beans and rice became Cajun Red Beans and Rice - sales of these items went up by 28 percent and they were rated as tastier, even though the recipe was identical.
Diners were also willing to pay an average of 12 percent more for a menu item with a descriptive name.
“When it comes to what you order for dinner, two things matter most: what you see on the menu and how you imagine it will taste,” adds Professor Wansink, author of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life.
So how do you navigate a menu and and avoid order envy or calorie guilt?
“Just ask your server,'“he advises. “Ask ‘what are your two or three lighter entrées that get the most compliments?' or 'What's the best thing on the menu if a person wants a light dinner?’”
The research will be published this month in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.
Research published in May found restaurant goers who pay more for their meals think the food is tastier than if it is offered for a smaller price.
People who paid $8 instead of $4 for a buffet enjoyed their meal 11 percent more than those who ate the cheaper food.
Those that paid for the $4 buffet said felt guiltier about loading up their plates and felt that they over ate. - Daily Mail