Canadians who choose to dine out say they are ruled more by their stomachs than their brains or their hearts when selecting a restaurant, but a Yellow Pages Ltd. survey, released June 28, found conflicting results.
The survey of 1,084 people across Canada between June 1 and June 6 found that 47% of people say they primarily decide what restaurant to go to based on what their stomach feels like eating. In contrast, 19% base their decisions on past experiences that they have loved while 26% primarily weigh thoughts about what has been recommended and how much the meal costs.
Still, in the survey, on a separate question, 52% of respondents seemingly offered a conflicting response by saying that they simply go to their favourite restaurant – a method of selection that Yellow Pages considered to be from the heart.
The survey also revealed that 27% of survey respondents said that they focus on restaurants with good reviews and that 41% considered recommendations from friends, family or colleagues as a key element in their decision. Yellow Pages considered that strategy of selecting a restaurant as being from the brain.
The survey comes in advance of Yellow Pages releasing a free app called YP Dine, which enables users to sort out the conflicting desires of their hearts, brains and stomachs by accessing curated lists of restaurants. They can also read restaurant reviews, reserve tables and order food for delivery without leaving the app.
Part of the marketing for the app includes graphics of a stomach, heart and brain.
