Food Is Visually Stimulating
Through the advent of technology, the food we crave is now more accessible than ever. A simple swipe or tap can have our favorite dishes delivered to us in minutes.
But the one thing we love more than food is looking at it. Countless hours are spent scrolling through photos on our Instagram feeds, liking and taking screenshots of the dishes we can practically taste and smell.
Visions of chocolate mousse cake, sizzling Wagyu beef steaks, or Louisiana Crab and Shrimp boil tells us one thing: We want it. And now.
In addition to a menu brimming with your most delectable cuisines, photos of your menu options are an added enticement which showcases the plethora of flavors and aromas your customers know will leave them satisfied, and here's why:
Food Is A Mood
A single photo of warm, tender, savory treats can trigger hidden impulses and sudden urges to try new flavors that we never previously entertained.
According to an article published by Popular Science, “Representations of food trigger the same neural track the brain uses for real nutrients [...] And the hypothalamus, that ancient bit of brain responsible for primal instincts such as hunger, unleashes peptides, a part of the cascade that makes you hungry.”
When we are drawn to images of food, in many cases it gives us a wave of euphoria we normally derive from a delicious meal.
Deciding on the perfect entrée from a menu, combined with a photo automatically tells us that we are in for a delicious meal, and are likely to return for more. After all, you are what you eat.
Single Pic, Easy Choice
It can be a challenge to decide what we're in the mood to eat, especially when we have a million ideas about what we think sounds good. This can be a nightmare especially when we have to decide between more than one person.
The right photo of a juicy steak and potatoes, fresh sushi, or margaritas and tapas almost immediately eliminates indecisiveness about where we want to go eat. Which is at your restaurant, eating the food we know we want because we have your menu with accompanying photos of our dining options.
How many date nights could have been saved if we just knew what we wanted because we could actually see it?
It doesn't matter what sounded good before, the rule of thumb is: If it looks good, that's all we need.
Your Brand in One Dish
The impact of COVID-19 and the implementation of social distancing measures has changed many of our dining habits. Public thinking has shifted from dining in, to ordering out, and from this arises the need to be able to see our food options before we order.
For many of us, the willingness to even try a new venue is based solely on what dishes we can see and just how appetizing they look.
A web-based menu that showcases your best dishes, and can be accessed from anywhere, by your customers, everywhere, helps solidify your reputation.
First, by showcasing food that looks as enticing as it is, people will rush to social media and post pictures of what they're eating and where they got it.
Second, this increases brand awareness and advertising, which are key to helping your customers know you are here to serve them the most delicious food around.
Simply put, one dish can trigger a thousand appetites.
Written by Beatrix Whilde