Factors Affecting Food Quality in Restaurants

Appearance

Diners have expectations on how the food they order should look like in terms of color, shape and size. Of these appearance factors, color is the most easily noticed and has the greatest bearing on diners' perception of quality. Not only do diners expect some food to be a particular color, they also expect standardization and consistency --- the apple juice ordered now should be the same color as the apple juice ordered on some previous occasion. Diners also tend to relate size and shape to food quality. While uniform and elaborate cuts speak of meticulous preparation, size is often equated with value.

Once food has passed the appearance test, diners' next expectation is that it brings familiar sensations when touched, bitten or coming into contact with the tongue. Cereals are expected to be crunchy, meat to be tender and some veggies to be crisp. Foods falling short of textural expectations are suspected of dubious freshness or poor preparation, thus inferior quality. Since diners are also likely to notice changes to customary textures, standardization in texture is also important.

While the previously mentioned factors have some effect on food quality for diners, flavor and taste remain the "make-or-break" quality determinants for most dishes. The freshness of the ingredients, elaborate presentations, and meticulous preparation procedures all pale if the food doesn't taste good. Simplicity in a good-tasting dish is oftentimes commended, while all the efforts that went into a not-so-good-tasting one are considered a waste. Most fast food chains invest more on taste and flavor than on any other food characteristics.

Appreciation of some foods requires an "acquired taste" and some people are just not equipped for appreciating gourmet cooking and the subtle effects of quality ingredients and spices. People judge food based more on their experiences and expectations and less on the novelty of having tried something new. As people's experiences in food grows, so do their standards and the number of criteria by which they rate food quality. To the chagrin of restaurant owners and professional chefs, false beliefs also affect people's perception of food quality. An off-hand example is the commonly held belief that extra-lean meat makes for better quality when, in fact, greater fat marbling means tenderer, juicier and tastier meat.