Eating out is a great way to relax and unwind. Even wondered why we enjoy eating at a restaurant more than eating the same food in the comfort of our homes. The ambience, the change in place, the service - everything comes together to set the mood for an enjoyable meal. What we eat directly affects how we feel. It's a known fact that the food we eat activates our brain and thereof, our mood. We have all experienced the happiness post eating a luscious pizza or a creamy ice-cream. The quality of food and mood go hand in hand. And, it works both the ways. Just like how food sets the base for our mood, our mood sets the base for our liking for food. While there are many factors that play with our mind, the ongoing weather conditions influences our mood to a great extent, which in turn reflects in our opinion for the food that we are eating at a particular time.
So, if eating good food at a good restaurant will uplift your senses, chances are if you are already in a bad mood, you could dislike the same food and the current climatic condition could be the reason behind it.
A recent study, published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, suggests that while reviewing a restaurant, weather tipped the people's rating more than the food. The findings were based on the evidence that restaurant visitors left less positive comments on rainy days than on dry days.
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Visitors left less positive comments on rainy days than on dry days
Milos Bujisic, Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University and co-author of the study remarked, "Restaurants can't control the weather, but it may affect how customers review them. Restaurant managers may see more than the usual bad reviews on certain days, and it may have nothing to do with the service or the quality of the food."
The research was conducted by comparing customer reviews at 32 Florida restaurants with the weather data from the National Climatic Data Center. The comments were ranked on a five-point scale from 1 (very negative) to 5 (very positive). It was found that high temperatures, rains and high barometric pressures fetched more negative comments by the eaters.
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The researchers conducted another study wherein they questioned 158 people visiting a restaurant and asked them to rate the weather before entering the restaurant. The researchers realised that people who described the weather as good, also left positive remarks for the restaurant.
This only affirms that a good weather leads to a good mood and a good mood leads to better food and restaurant reviews.