Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

1-2015

Abstract

Derived from previous research on social influence on food consumption and social comparison theory, this article examines the effect of service employees’ appearance on consumers’ food choice using an experimental study, involving a video manipulation and eye-tracking technique. The video shows a menu being proffered by a waitress whose degree of apparent healthiness varies (healthy, overweight, unhealthy lifestyle). The menu contains both healthy and unhealthy meal alternatives. The analysis of participants’ eye movements demonstrated that exposure to the overweight employee did not stimulate greater (i.e., earlier or longer) attention to unhealthy meal alternatives, whereas exposure to the employee who displayed an unhealthy lifestyle did. These findings have social and managerial implications: The postulated stigma according to which the presence of overweight others encourages unhealthy eating appears questionable. Service providers that might secretly hire according to body weight have no grounds to do so. In contrast, employees signaling an unhealthy lifestyle through their style choices prompt patrons to pay more attention to unhealthy meal alternatives. Food service providers might want to take this factor into consideration and actively manage the aspects that can be altered by simple measures.

Discipline

Marketing | Sales and Merchandising | Social Psychology and Interaction

Research Areas

Marketing

Publication

Psychology and Marketing

Volume

32

Issue

1

First Page

94

Last Page

106

ISSN

0742-6046

Identifier

10.1002/mar.20765

Publisher

Wiley

Copyright Owner and License

Author-CC-BY

External URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd4xKfm9Z0s

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20765

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