Sure, if all the product have a picture, go for it. Most menu however will only have pictures for "featured items". Featured items are not items that have the greatest value for you. They are the items that has the greatest value for the restaurant.

As for profit margins, what I meant is that a recipe with a fancy name is often sold at double the price of everything else while being dead simple to make and uses simple inexpensive products.

Thai food is a great example. I used to pay, let's say, $20 for something that seemed exotic and complex to me. I went with an asian friend at the very same restaurant and he laughed at me for taking this meal at this price.

To him, it was the equivalent of "meat and potatoes". Cheap, inexpensive, fast to make.

He recommended I try the "chicken rice" (no fancy description). Well, turn out the chicken rice uses the same spices as the meal I was paying premium for, had a bigger quantity and even had some other ingredient that to me, were just as fancy and exotic. The "chicken rice" is about $8 cheaper than what I used to take AND I now have enough to bring some home to eat at launch the next day if I want.

(Don't pay attention to the exact prices, I can't remember what it was.)

I think Joe's point is that a person who is manipulated into making a certain choice, is not necessarily worse off for making it. In this case, the photo of the high-margin dish not only increases your likelihood of choosing it from the menu, but also increases your desire and satisfaction for having made that choice.

I have some ridiculously expensive designer furniture at home that rationally makes no sense to choose over something from IKEA. Despite that, they give me a lot of satisfaction and I can feel justified in my decision because of that.

That's not to say that everybody makes decisions that they are happy with, there are lots of ways people are manipulated into decisions that they later regret. However, you really should take into account how people feel about a decision before judging whether or not they have been cheated.

SO if I read that right, you were happy and getting a good meal and it tasted great - exotic and complex were the words you used.

Then, apply that cynical value-proposition argument and suddenly, unhappiness. Why? Because a friend was critical? Because it no longer tastes good? I'm not convinced of the efficacy of that mental model.

You are missing the point.

I was paying $20 for a product that in reality is worth $8 to produce.

Now, I am paying $12 for a product that is equal in quality and has an increased quantity.

The only difference is that with the first product, I was tricked into thinking I was getting a better value. The description was fancier, the name of the recipe was exotic, there was an image on the menu, it was at the top of the page.

The other one was simply "chicken rice", on the back of the menu, squeezed between meals that had names that sounded better. Don't judge a recipe by its name.

In fact, I was paying more for less.

Edit: Yes, I was happy with the first recipe before knowing that I was paying premium for a meal that was in fact, very simple.

The issue isn't my overall happiness. It's the fact that I was tricked into buying a product only by its description and position on the menu. Since it had a picture and I am always in a hurry, I picked it over the more simple "chicken rice" that was in fact just as good (same ingredients, same spices, same chef) while being cheaper.

Was I happy with the original recipe? Yes. Was I wasting money on it? Yes.

Am I as much happy with the new cheaper meal as I was before? Yes. Am I saving money? Yes.

There's that utilitarian viewpoint again. No, I didn't miss the point. I'm taking a chiding tone, suggesting that by counting the cost, you miss the value. If you enjoy the meal, and its in your budget, then all is well.

You could be enjoying more meals by counting the cost - or working less and enjoying more free time. I feel like that's more along the lines of the point.

If you're spending that much time analyzing what food to get when you're out to avoid getting "ripped off", I think maybe you should just learn to cook for yourself because it's a lot cheaper and rewarding in the long run.

Someone who thinks that way probably isn't a good tipper either, so enjoy the free ride on the restaurants' pathetic cashflow.

There's a reason why margins are high on certain menu items in restaurants; running restaurants are a rough business, labor-heavy, and the day-to-day take is volatile and meager, often to do factors entirely out of your control.

Calm down, no need to be throwing plates at each other.

Nobody is stealing anything. We are talking about picking the most cost effective option on the menu while intelligently avoiding traps made by the menu's designers. Picking the item that is "under the fold" instead of the one that has been carefully crafted by the designer for you to pick.

Personally, I use the money I save by taking those items over the featured items by ordering more wine! Everyone is winning here.

>And why on earth would you want to screw with the restaurant profit margin? What possible gain is there in that for you?

I think the idea is that a consumer can get better value for money, and/or a better culinary experience by resisting those items that are heavily pushed. It assumes that restaurants employing these tactics seek to promote dishes with the most mark up on them.