Blame the 'coded menu' for wrong choice of food at restaurant

A new study has revealed that often menu's layout and descriptions at the restaurants mislead people into ordering something they don't want to eat.

So after analyzing 217 menus and the selections of over 300 diners, the Cornell study found that there were two things that matter the most; what people see on the menu and how they imagine it would taste.

Brian Wansink, author of 'Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life', said that any food item that attracts attention like with bold, highlighted or colored font or set apart in a text box makes us more likely to order that food item rather than the item listed next to it and in most cases, these would be the least healthy items on the menu.

He further added that menu names with descriptive items sell better and lead people to believe that they taste better.

The author also suggested that people should ask the server what's the best thing on their menu if they wanted a light dinner.

The study is published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.