Food for future: The impact of menu design on vegetarian food choice and menu satisfaction in a hypothetical hospital setting

Daily food choices do not only affect our health but also the environment in important ways. Food choice architecture can help to nudge people towards more healthy and sustainable food options. The current research explores the influence of menu design strategies on food choices and satisfaction in a hypothetical hospital setting. Specifically, we systematically tested the effect of vegetarian option availability, menu category framing, and health recommendation inclusion on hypothetical food choice and satisfaction, conducting two large online studies representative of the German adult population that consumes meat at least once a week (Study 1: N = 991; Study 2: N = 989). Both studies were based on a menu from a German university hospital. Results revealed that increasing the availability of vegetarian options increased vegetarian food choices. Neutral menu descriptions had no impact, whereas health recommendations that were presented in form of a visual appeal slightly increased vegetarian dish choices. Importantly, the research also considered menu satisfaction, revealing no main effects of availability, framing and health recommendation. Only when a health recommendation was added to a menu with high availability of vegetarian options, satisfaction was decreased. The findings suggest that menu design elements could modestly influence food choices and satisfaction among meat-eaters in healthcare settings, warranting further investigation with hospital patients.