Menu Choice: Satisfaction or Overload?

Two series of menus were prepared in the styles of quick service and fine dining restaurants, respectively. The menus in each series differed only in the number of choices offered under each menu category. Members of the public attending two university open days rated the menus using a 9-point scale, from 1 = far too little choice, 5 = about right, to 9 = far too much choice. A total of 202 and 241 respondents completed the fine dining and quick service questionnaires, respectively. Results showed significant differences in perception between number of choices, an ideal rating of 6 choices for the quick service items and of 7–10 for fine dining items. This corresponds well with what has previously been found for retail food products but opens further questions about customers' expectations and the nature of choice.