Food presentation as a communication: The effects of presentation style and restaurant ambiance on food preference and expectations for the dining experience

摘要

This study investigates the effects of food presentation, table setting, and room ambiance on the expectation and anticipation for the dining experience. Two levels each of food presentation, china, and restaurant ambiance were combined factorially to create eight conditions. The visual presentation of each of these stimuli was presented to 308 participants who recorded their impressions on semantic differential scales. The resulting scores formed expectation scores that were analyzed by regression analysis and analysis of variance.;As predicted, all three factors were significant in influencing respondent expectation, and significant interactions resulted. The magnitude of influence of each of these factors was not in line with the hypotheses, however. The strongest influence was the restaurant ambiance. China was the next contributor, and food presentation proved to be the least influential factor.;The communicative characteristics of the artistic image of garnished food in a specific ambiance served to transmit intrinsic value to the viewer. This combined visual assemblage communicated different expectations for an anticipated dining experience.