Intrinsic and Extrinsic Cue Words of Locally Grown Food Menu Items and Consumers’ Choice at Hyper-Local Restaurants: An Eye-Tracking Study

Abstract

This research examined whether intrinsic (fresh) and extrinsic (local) cue words of locally grown food menu items were associated with consumers’ visual attention (i.e., fixation count and total fixation duration) and menu choice using an eye-tracking methodology and an online survey. Fifty consumers were randomly assigned to read a hyper-local restaurant menu that featured four items (with or without intrinsic or extrinsic cue words) while being eye-tracked. The participants of this study showed a somewhat favorable attitude towards locally grown food though their behaviors were not incongruent with their attitudes. The results showed that there was a relationship between fixation counts and the extrinsic cue word, local, for subsequent menu choices in the way that participants who chose the menu item with the word local appeared to look at it more frequently before making their final menu selection. The participants of this study further identified that factors such as attractive menu descriptions, personal preference, and healthfulness were important when making menu selections. The findings of this study suggested that restaurant operators could use well-crafted descriptions with the word local in their menu, as this approach could influence consumers’ menu selections.