Food choices flirt with gender norms in mating contexts

Abstract

We investigated how gender and different social contexts guide impression management through food choices at a casual dining chain restaurant. Waitstaff unobtrusively recorded 300 orders by groups of diners coded as romantic dates, friendship gatherings, or family meals. Photographs of all 89 menu items available at the restaurant were independently rated on perceived femininity, masculinity, sophistication, and expensiveness, with the price of the chosen meals also noted. Multilevel Bayesian models showed that men ordered more expensive dishes than women, a difference most pronounced on dates. Food chosen by men (women) was also perceived as more (less) masculine and less (more) feminine, with these gender differences amplified during dates and attenuated during family meals. Regardless of gender, diners selected more expensive and more sophisticated items during dates (vs. family meals). These findings suggest that mate attraction heightens conformity to gender-typical consumption norms, demonstrating the adaptive and situation-specific nature of impression management in social eating settings.