Restaurant Gimmicks: Why They Make You Want to Eat

If you really took the time to mathematically figure out exactly how little your food costs when dining out, you would probably start eating out a lot less. Restaurant owners know this; they must figure out clever ways to get your through their doors. We all love eating out for the obvious reasons: you don't have to cook or do dishes. And for the most part, you have a wide selection of dishes to choose from. But restaurant owners also realize that they've got to offer a lot more than just good eats to capture the public's fickle attention. A few, well-placed gimmicks can actually make food taste better. Well-maybe not-but you'll think it does. Gimmicky eateries come a dime a dozen. Here are a few long-standing "quirky kitchens" (some in Atlanta, others elsewhere)---and how they use "tricks" to whet your mental appetite.

Restaurant: Hooters (national franchise)
Public Hook: "Gentlemen, come eat wings!"

This franchise, which has been around since the 1980s, has become a legend for serving up a bit more than spicy treats. Just take one look at the waitresses' "uniforms." Do tiny shorts and low cut T-shirts make chicken wings and burgers taste any different? The jury is still out on that one. But for all the gentlemen who are bit too shy to drop into the local nudie bar, this place is probably 7th Heaven. And if you don't believe this theory, just take a peek at Hooter's insanely simple menu.

Restaurant: Dante's Down the Hatch (Buckhead/ Atlanta)
Public Hook: Pirates, Crocodiles, and Jazz-oh, my!

Dante's Down the Hatch is a relic in the Atlanta area. This restaurant's focus is fondue. "Cooking" the food yourself might not seem like the ultimate dining experience; but that's where Dante's atmosphere comes into play. The intense shipwreck theme (complete with multiple dining decks) is at once intimate and theatrical. If that doesn't help stimulate your palate, the rotation of live jazz should do the trick. And if that doesn't work, a visit with the restaurant's crocodiles (yes, live crocodiles) might be the ticket. Ok, so maybe no one really knows how dangerous, living reptiles would cause you to crave uncooked meat and cheese. But the shtick has worked since the 70s.

Restaurant: The Vortex (metro Atlanta)
Public Hook: We'll be rude, and you're gonna like it!

Walk through the huge skull's mouth of Lil Five Points' The Vortex biker/burger bar, and you'll be smacked in the face with kitsch. Though the lively atmosphere is relatively PG, this ain't no place for kiddies-as is evidenced in the extensive in-your-face restaurant instructions:

"We take pride in offering our customers... really terrific bar food and a no-nonsense attitude. all we ask in return is that you don't come in here and start acting like a damned fool!"

Yes, this is a tiny sample of the brazen sarcasm sprinkled throughout the entire (sometimes exhausting) menu. The bottom line is that you feel much better letting your hair down in an establishment that speaks to you in no uncertain terms.

Restaurant: Sundial (Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel)
Public Hook: Dine, while traveling to nowhere...

There are actually several rotating restaurants throughout the country and the world. Having dinner while the entire restaurant revolves 360° sounds pretty fancy. And in many of these establishments it is. There is something exotic about dining in the clouds. Apparently, a panoramic view enhances the flavor of the meal-or at the very least--distracts you from the menu prices.

Restaurant: Five Guys Burgers and Fries (national franchise)
Public Hook: It's all about the Burgers, baby!

Clean. Simple. Red and white. The straightforward décor beckons you to the ordering counter. Take a peek at the menu. You'll find no elaborate sandwich concoctions or swanky side dishes. Burgers and fries are what you're going to get at this place-served in plain brown paper bags-just to remind you how simple and good food is supposed to be. The no-frills appeal of Five Guys Burgers and Fries includes shelled peanuts in bulk, a pre-meal appetizer offered to customers in the restaurant's dining room. This uncomplicated snack is perhaps the last thing you'd expect to find in a burger joint. Peanuts have been shown to keep hunger pangs at bay. So perhaps popping a few of these before you dig into Five Guys' famous treats will keep you from trying to scarf everything down at once.

SOURCES:

www.hooters.com
www.thevortexbarandgrill.com
www.lowcarb.ca
www.dantesdownthehatch.com