We all know that stores play psychological tricks on us in order to persuade us to buy more, but did you know that restaurants do that too? Dining establishments have plenty of tricks up their sleeves that leave us ordering more than we originally intended to. See what those methods are, and don’t be upset with yourself if you fall for them – we all do!
Putting on a Show
Have you ever ordered something only to be delighted by a whole production of having it served to you? Restaurants don’t make their food into a spectacle just for your entertainment, they do it so other diners will see the show and get jealous. More often than not, once one table orders a dish that involves a show, the tables around them will follow suit.
Common Scents
Have you ever walked past a restaurant and decided to go in because it just smelled so good? That waft of yumminess is probably completely artificial. Many restaurants will have the chef walk around the establishment before opening, carrying various spices and foods, making the place smell delicious. That’s not to say the food isn’t truly tasty, but it probably doesn’t have that strong of a smell that you’d catch a whiff just walking by.
Menu Tricks
We’ve all had that experience of going into a restaurant, absolutely certain of what we want to order. However, something entirely different catches our attention when looking at the menu, and we change our minds. That’s because menus are written in a way that will get you to order the more expensive dishes. This can be done by placing those meals in a box, changing the font, or some other trick. But if you really pay attention, you can see which items the menu is drawing your eye towards.
Asking Questions
You may not be planning on getting a side dish with your meal, but what about when the waiter flat-out asks you if you want one? Suddenly, when they start listing all the options, you find yourself craving a side of fries.
This is a trick many waiters are taught – always offer the customer something else on top of what they’ve ordered. Of course, something else is always for an extra price, but it just sounds so much more enticing when it’s being offered.
Delicious Caesar Dressing on Roasted Chicken
Do you want to eat something comforting yet fancy? This roasted chicken with Caesar dressing recipe is the answer. It’s the perfect combination of the three S’s: sweet, spicy, and savory.
Ingredients (Chicken)
● 1 whole chicken, remove the giblets
● 1 escarole head
● 2 teaspoons kosher salt
● 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
● ¼ teaspoon shio koji
● 14 cups zhi
● 2 tablespoons sugar
● ½ cup, plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
● 5 cloves confit garlic
● 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, fresh
● ¾ teaspoon black pepper
● 1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
Ingredients (Caesar Dressing)
● 1 large egg yolk ● ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ● 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated ● 1 tablespoon water ● 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ● 1 medium garlic clove ● 2 cloves of garlic confit ● 4 oil-packed anchovies ● 1 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
Directions (Chicken)
● Spread the chicken on a baking sheet. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Leave uncovered and put it in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours
● For the koji marinade, take shio koji, confit garlic, lemon zest, Shabzi, sugar, and ½ cup of oil. Add it to the grinder, and mix until thick. Put the refrigerated chicken in a zip lock bag along with the koji marinade and then massage it in. Refrigerate the marinated chicken for 24 to 48 hours.
● Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put one rack in the middle of the oven and one at the bottom. Put the chicken on a roasting pan and place it on the middle rack without the marinade. Roast the chicken for about 1 hour.
● Add the potatoes, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and thyme into a pan and place it in the oven on the bottom rack. Roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir them once halfway.
● Once the chicken is well roasted, take it out and leave it for 10 minutes. Later, carve it into 8 pieces—2 breast halves, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings, and 2 thighs.
● Take the escarole and cut its head in half lengthwise, then chop it into large pieces. Take a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil to it, and heat it. Divide the escarole into 2 batches, put the first batch on the heated pan, and stir for about 1 minute.
Directions for Caesar Dressing
Add the egg yolk, Parmesan, water, garlic clove, lemon juice, confit garlic, mustard, and anchovies into the processor and mix until smooth. While processing, add oil to the mixture slowly. In a big bowl, add potatoes and escarole, pour ⅓ Caesar dressing, and mix it until it’s evenly spread. Place the mixture on the plate, put the chicken on top, and viola!