If you go out to eat often, you probably know that restaurants have an annoying habit of pretty much always being really, really cold. And no matter how many sweaters you pull on or how nicely you ask the server to adjust the temperature, you just can’t seem to warm up. Of course, this isn’t just a weirdly coincidental oversight, it’s done intentionally. There’s an annoying reason why restaurants are always so cold, and it’s actually pretty rude.
Apparently, restaurant owners and managers have realized that if people are very cold, one of two things will happen: you’ll eat faster to get out of there quicker, or you’ll order more food to warm yourself up. Or, if they’re lucky, you’ll do both. According to Prevention, “German researchers found that lowering the temperature of a dining room by 10 degrees boosted food consumption nearly 20 percent. Apparently the hormones that control your appetite are slower to kick in when the temperature drops.”
Cold weather makes u eat more. It's why restaurants are cold
— mazen blue 〽️ (@Mazen_Hammoud) December 17, 2018
Did "chilly reception" mean temperature I wonder? The last two restaurants we visited were so uncomfortably cool we ate the first course in our coats, a real turn off.
— JENNIFER MITCHELL (@JENNIFE55690269) December 16, 2018
I’m at a restaurant and the temperature is slightly under an average room temperature in Houston Texas. The restaurant has passed out literal blankets
— goth eminem (@yaokingofrock) December 15, 2018
In a Yahoo thread on the topic of why restaurants are always freezing, several users backed up that idea. One user said, “When people are cold they tend to eat more. When they are hot they eat less. This is because digestion uses energy which raises your temperature. Restaurants are in the business of selling food…. and if you are not eating it has the [bonus] of hurrying you along!”
So, yes, they are essentially manipulating you into spending more by making you cold. And people are starting to catch on:
Why are restaurants so cold?!! Does it have something to do with making us eat more/less?
— Suman Kher (@Suman_Kher) November 19, 2016
Heat is satiety signal. Wonder why restaurant is so cold? So you eat more. Eating warms you up. Diet by eating on tropical temperature?
— Rieza Aprianto (@RiezaApr) February 10, 2011
Restaurants keep the room cold so you will eat more! Order a broth based soup to keep from slamming food in your mouth. #holidayweight
— Nick Davis (@davisdrilla) November 20, 2013
But some people say that when they’re uncomfortably cold, they’re actually going to eat less:
Hey restaurants. Being cold doesn't make you eat more. In fact, a blasting a/c on my food is the worst thing in the world.
— Kerry (@kerrymyers_) August 19, 2012
I hate when it's cold in a restaurant, feel like I can't eat no more.
— Aubrey♚ (@RoyaltyBree) September 17, 2016
Unpopular opinion: I HATE when restaurants are super cold in the summer time to be more refreshing. I do not want to be SHIVERING while eating my pizza
— Cass (@cparrk) July 2, 2018
Ughhh I hate eating in cold restaurants...Its not comfortable, I can't dig in my food like I want to..#childishhhhhhh
— TOMICA ADAMS (@EmbraceFace) July 3, 2011
Still, some people swear it isn’t just about making customers eat faster and more, but also about the general comfort for everyone inside. In the same Yahoo thread, another user said, “The main reason they are so cold is because much bacteria cannot live in such cold and it’s safer for the consumer [hence the chill in doctors offices and hospitals]. Also, most people eat more when chilly, because if you’re overheated and sweaty you have less inclination to eat. The last real reason is that the workers have to be comfortable and presentable…who wants to be waited on by someone who is miserable from the heat and sweating like a pig? Who wants to wait on people when you feel this way? It’s a total marketing and safety issue.”
Another user said, “Because the waitstaff and cooks are working and running around like crazy and therefore, are hot. As a customer, having to keep your coat on during dinner seems like an easy compromise when compared to the alternative — cozy room temperature and sweat-dripping servers and cooks. ; )”
Whatever the case, a cold restaurant is not very pleasant. If you want to avoid falling into this trap, bring an extra sweater and layer up the next time you go out to eat.
