Gordon Ramsay says there's one dish you should never order in a restaurant
Falling for the "dish of the day" at your favourite eatery might seem appealing due to its usually tempting presentation and exclusive vibes. A marketing and psychology expert has, however, warned customers to be wary through a TikTok revelation.
These enticing offers might not actually hold the value we presume they do. Marketing guru Basia spilled on TikTok that these so-called "specials" are often nothing more than clever strategies to shift ingredients nearing their shelf life.
For example, chefs may find themselves with an excess of steak close to expiration and decide to craft a novel dish to use it up wisely.
Basia shed light on the trickery, saying: "The daily special written in chalk? It's been 'today's special' for three weeks. But your brain sees handwriting and thinks: limited, fresh, rare."
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, boasting Michelin stars, also sides with this cautionary stance. He warns his fans against opting for soup specials which could just be a smorgasbord of whatever's left over, reports the Mirror.
In a session with Town and Country, he advised discerning food lovers: "Ask what yesterday's soup du jour was before today's special. It may be the case that it's the soup du month."
Anthony Bourdain, the culinary legend behind Kitchen Confidential, also had words of advice about ordering fish on Mondays. Such a fishy deal could suggest it's a leftover from Friday, waiting to be sold off as the week begins.
It appears that ordering fish on Mondays might not be the freshest choice, given many fish markets are closed on weekends.
In a viral clip, Basia spills the beans on the sneaky methods restaurants employ to make you spend more.
1. The "anchoring effect" plays with customer's minds by setting high prices for some items so others appear to be a bargain, as noted by Basia: "It's to make others look like a deal."
2. It's no coincidence the tip jar looks used; Basia explained that it's a ploy to encourage you to follow suit: "They put cash in the tip jar before you even show up. So when you see it, your brain goes: 'Oh... tipping is what people do here."
3. That awkward moment when asked about water - still or sparkling?
As Basia revealed, it's a subtle nudge towards spending: "[It's] not 'would you like water?' It skips the choice of whether, and jumps to which."
4. Currency symbols missing on a menu isn't an oversight.
Basia uncovered why seeing '€24' strikes differently than just '24', stating: "Because '€24' screams money. But '24' just looks like a number."
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