Get a Handle on Premium Restaurant Cutlery – and Serve Up the Profits

Lockhart Twentyeight cutlery from the Delta range

But for those in the restaurant industry, giving your cutlery a little bit of extra consideration (in addition to keeping it sparkling clean) could be more valuable than you thought. Recently published research in Oxford University’s ‘Flavour’ journal has revealed that the type of restaurant cutlery provided can actually impact the overall experience for customers in a very particular way.

Cutlery – a weighty issue for restaurants

What was discovered in the Oxford University study is that when customers are provided with heavier restaurant cutlery to eat with, it increases both their enjoyment of the food and the perceived value of the meal. Over 130 diners were studied at a hotel restaurant in Edinburgh, where they were each served identical meals of trout with mashed potatoes, spinach and capers, and brown shrimp butter.

Lockhart Twentyeight cutlery from the Epsilon range

Half of the diners were provided with the heavy cutlery that is normally reserved for extravagant banquets, while the other half ate with cheap economy cutlery that was a third of the weight of the heavier cutlery. Although the food itself and its presentation was absolutely identical for every diner, the results showed that those who ate using the heavier cutlery thoughts that the food was more ‘artistically’ plated and had a better taste, and were willing to pay up to 15% more for their meal than those who used the cheaper and lighter flatware.

The team who conducted the Oxford University study have attributed the findings to a phenomenon known as ‘sensation transference’. Defined by the scientific researcher Louis Cheskin, sensation transference is the term given to the assessment that people make about a product based on how it looks, and not on the item itself.

Lockhart Twentyeight cutlery from the Omega range

There are some famous examples of sensation transference at work in the psychology of food. When Coca-Cola changed their iconic red cans to white in support of the endangered polar bears, they received unprecedented complaints that they had changed the flavour of the Coca-Cola itself – of course, they hadn’t, but the new colour of the can somehow made the drink taste differently to some people. Another example comes from Louis Cheskin himself, who experimented with differently coloured cans for 7Up packaging, and found that a more yellow-coloured can made the flavours of lemon more potent for drinkers.

These examples may refer more to colour, but the link between weight and our perception of objects has been understood for some time – though the Oxford University cutlery study was the first time that a link has been made between weight and our perception of food. Sensation transference is certainly a bizarre and interesting phenomenon that may be beyond explanation, but nevertheless one that you can harness to your advantage with the elegant range of Twentyeight cutlery, exclusive only to us at Lockhart Catering.

Lockhart Twentyeight cutlery from the Gamma range

Heavier cutlery that’s light on your budget

If the findings of the Oxford University study are to be believed, providing your customers with heavier and better quality cutlery could have a positive impact on your restaurant’s bottom line. The good news is that high quality cutlery doesn’t also mean making a huge investment, as last year we launched our fabulous Twentyeight cutlery collection of premium restaurant cutlery, without the premium price.

Lockhart Twentyeight cutlery from the Theta range

Comprising of five individual ranges, each piece of Twentyeight cutlery is crafted from beautifully finished 18/10 stainless steel, which feels heavier in the hand and thanks to the sleek curves of the designs, looks wonderful on the table too. The five Twentyeight cutlery ranges, Omega, Theta, Epsilon, Delta and Gamma, have each been designed with a particular type of dining experience in mind, but each shares the same premium feel of weight and quality, and at a remarkably affordable price too.

You can find out more about the Twentyeight range, which is exclusive to Lockhart Catering Equipment, in our blog post here, or take a look at our full range of restaurant cutlery and premium cutlery now.