PEOPLE THINK ORDERING FROM A HANDWRITTEN MENU IS HEALTHIER

According to a new study out of The Ohio State University published in the Journal of Business Research, restaurants that use a menu typeface that looks like handwriting appeal to health-conscious customers. When menus appear to be handwritten — as opposed to printed up in a standard font — diners believe that the food will be better for them. Researchers gave 185 participants two different menus for a made-up restaurant — one printed in the popular font Helvetica, and the other in a folksier, scribbly typeface. Across the board, the would-be diners — who ranged in age from 20 to 84 — felt that the hand-printed menu offered healthier food, even though the actual menu items were identical. The reason: a human touch “feels to the customer like there is more heart, more effort, and more love in it.” However, it doesn’t work for every type of restaurant. The menu items themselves have to sound nutritious in order for the trick to work. The handwritten menu wouldn’t work for a fast-food brand.
* So don’t even try it, Taco Bell. We’re on to you.
* How dare a restaurant try to make us feel good about eating there.
* They learned this trick from junk mail that makes your name and address look handwritten.
* At least once a day we learn a new way we’re being dumb.