In a study, 39.4% of parents chose healthy foods for their children at a restaurant. However, when parents were provided with a statistic that 75% parents at the restaurant chose healthy foods for their kids, 51% of parents ended up doing the same. Parents who were most affected by the statistics were malleable self-theorists with high social comparison orientation.


New Mexico Highlands University

Hint at health norms to influence behaviors, such as using words like “trending.”
Remind people of healthy values. Can portray companies as having concern for patrons’ health and providing inclusive environment for the health conscious as opposed to forcing healthy choices. 

Restaurant Marketing and Healthy Eating

Those with high social comparison are less likely to order healthy foods for their children. Parents with high social comparison orientation who are malleable theorist are more likely to conform to their parental network.

High Social Comparison and Malleable Theorists Parents Influence on Healthy Restaurant Meals for Children

Hogreve, J., Matta, S., Hettich, A. S., & Reczek, R. W. (2021). How do social norms influence parents’ food choices for their children? The role of social comparison and implicit self-theories. Journal of Retailing, 97(2), 173–190. https://doi-org.proxy.wichita.edu/10.1016/j.jretai.2020.05.002

Learn Before

Related