Impact of Menu Designs on Sales and Customer Satisfaction in Restaurants – Ruth’s Chris Steak House

12/10/202322 min read

Executive Summary

Menu design and ordering procedures have a huge impact on foodservice industry, especially in improving customers’ satisfaction and stimulating purchase willingness. The research aims to examine the impact of menu design and ordering practices on customer satisfaction and purchase behavior. We have teamed up with Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which uses traditional paper menus for ordering, and will select 36 sites with similar average customer expenditure for our sample. 36 restaurants will be divided into four groups, and each group will receive a different menu—a paper or QR menu with or without photos. We collected data on customer satisfaction and willingness to buy from the four groups of participants through surveys that lasted from 10 to 15 days, and then used t-test to investigate the relationship between the variables. The result indicates that 1. Paper menus with pictures have higher average spending and satisfaction than those without; 2. QR code menus with pictures also have higher average spending and satisfaction than those without; and 3. QR code menus have higher average spending and satisfaction than paper menus with or without pictures.

Statement of the Problem

In 2023, the size of the restaurant industry in the United States has grown to $997 billion (National Restaurant Association, 2023). Before the outbreak of the pandemic, the restaurant industry employed 10% of the nation’s labor force, with almost one in ten working in the restaurant industry (National Restaurant Association, 2022). Restaurant operators continue to pay attention to techniques to draw guests, such as menu design and ordering procedures, given the intense competition in the market. In the meantime, academics have focused a lot of attention on menu design (Pavesic, 2005; Hou et al., 2018; Reynolds, 2005). Customers are more inclined to pay for well-designed menus and will be drawn in by the appealing images and suitable fonts (Pavesic, 2005).

After the coronavirus outbreak, QR code ordering has also gained popularity in American eateries (Karniouchina et al., 2022). Customers may order rapidly during peak times leveraging QR code ordering, and they can even pay online without human assistance. During busy times, restaurant personnel can concentrate on providing superior services (Intal et al., 2020). However, prior research has rarely evaluated the impact of various ordering procedures (QR code ordering, paper menu ordering) and menu design on the purchase rate and consumer satisfaction at restaurants. Therefore, we will investigate the relationship of menu design and ordering method on customer purchase and satisfaction to provide an effective “invisible sales growth method” for restaurants. In this case, we decided to join forces with Ruth’s Chris Steak House, a steakhouse that uses traditional paper menus for ordering, to investigate the above issue.

Literature Review

Effects of Pictures

In the restaurant industry, menu design has always been a worthwhile topic to research and has a significant influence on customer satisfaction (Baiomy et al., 2019). For the menu design and the broader range of advertising, picture plays a more important role than text, can attract more attention from people, and increase customers’ purchase intentions (Mitchell & Olson, 1981, Childers & Houston, 1984, Yangandul et al., 2018). No matter in traditional paper menus or digital online menus, a lot of extant studies prove that using pictures in menus can cut down the information detection cost and further boost consumers’ purchase willingness (Soh & Sharma, 2021, Sari et al., 2022). The size, saturation, color, and brightness of food pictures have specific or joint effects to different extents on consumers’ experience (Cai & Chi, 2020, Dong et al., 2023). Nevertheless, in some specific situations, such as pictures menus with ambiguous verbal information might become less effective for customers’ behavioral outcomes (Adaval and Wyer, 1998). Unnava and Burnkrant (1991) also stated in their study that adding additional pictures to the highly visual imagery verbal information didn’t enhance people’s ability to recall.

These studies present different opinions about the effects of pictures in various situations, but in general, pictures will create positive effects on customers’ behavior. Specifically in fine-dining restaurants, we do not know what role pictures play in the menu, will they have the same effect as most previous studies mentioned or be different in this particular place? This study will uncover the answer.

Effects of Digital Menu

More and more countries and restaurants have started to use QR code menus, notably for the fast-food industry since it could substantially help with saving printing, labor, and time costs. And the average order value will grow by 60% by changing to the QR code menu (Restolabs Team, 2022). As Jones (2022) mentioned in her article different people and angles, digital menu has both pros and cons, such as it might cause more expenses in the beginning for the restaurants but earn increasing ROI and customer satisfaction in the long term. For waiters, the replacement of the QR code menu might represent fewer tips for them; thus, their working proactivity may decline. Restolabs Team (2022) stated that young people between 18 to 34 years old form 62% of QR code menu access, which means this new type of menu is not acceptable for all ages. In the fine-dining industry, who are their target customers and are they suitable for a QR code menu? Does the online menu also work well for fine-dining restaurants? There is barely any research on these questions; in other words, the different effects of paper menus and QR code menus on consumers’ dining experience can be explored more by constructing this research.

Even though much relative research about menu design and menu pictures has been done before, there were few scholars who did research about the joint influence of menu pictures and menu types (paper or digital) on consumers’ dining spending and satisfaction, especially in fine dining restaurants. Namely, there is a research gap that can be filled by doing an experiment on one of the U.S. top fine dining restaurants - Ruth’s Chris.

Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Effect Size

Research Question

In our experiment, we intend to test the menu type (paper menus and digital menus) and visual aids in the menus (with pictures of food and without pictures of food) to see if they influence average customer spending and their satisfaction. The outcomes we will record include the average spending per person and the overall customer satisfaction level. Our metrics of performance will be the monetary value of average spending per customer and a satisfaction score, derived from post-meal surveys, on a scale of 1 to 100.

RQ_1a:
What are the differences in average spending per person at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus with pictures and without pictures?
RQ_1b:
What are the differences in customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus with pictures and without pictures?
RQ_2a:
What are the differences in average spending per person at Ruth’s Chris between digital menus with pictures and without pictures?
RQ_2b:
What are the differences in customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between digital menus with pictures and without pictures?
RQ_3a:
What are the differences in average spending per person at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus with pictures and digital menus with pictures?
RQ_3b:
What are the differences in customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus with pictures and digital menus with pictures?
RQ_4a:
What are the differences in average spending per person at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus without pictures and digital menus without pictures?
RQ_4b:
What are the differences in customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus without pictures and digital menus without pictures?

Hypothesis

H1: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using paper menus with pictures will have a different average spending per person and customer satisfaction compared to those using paper menus without pictures.

H0_1a: There is no statistically significant difference in average spending per person between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using paper menus with pictures and those using paper menus without pictures.
H1_1a: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using paper menus with pictures have a statistically significantly different average spending per person than those using paper menus without pictures.
H0_1b: There is no statistically significant difference in customer satisfaction between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using paper menus with pictures and those using paper menus without pictures.
H1_1b: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using paper menus with pictures have a statistically significantly different customer satisfaction than those using paper menus without pictures.

H2: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures will have a different average spending per person and customer satisfaction compared to those using digital menus without pictures.

H0_2a: There is no statistically significant difference in average spending per person between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures and those using digital menus without pictures.
H1_2a: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures have a statistically significantly different average spending per person than those using digital menus without pictures.
H0_2b: There is no statistically significant difference in customer satisfaction between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures and those using digital menus without pictures.
H1_2b: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures have a statistically significantly different customer satisfaction than those using digital menus without pictures.

H3: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures will have a different average spending per person and customer satisfaction compared to those using paper menus with pictures.

H0_3a: There is no statistically significant difference in average spending per person between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures and those using paper menus with pictures.
H1_3a: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures have a statistically significantly different average spending per person than those using paper menus with pictures.
H0_3b: There is no statistically significant difference in customer satisfaction between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures and those using paper menus with pictures.
H1_3b: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus with pictures have a statistically significantly different customer satisfaction than those using paper menus with pictures.

H4: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus without pictures will have a different average spending per person and customer satisfaction compared to those using paper menus without pictures.

H0_4a: There is no statistically significant difference in average spending per person between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus without pictures and those using paper menus without pictures.
H1_4a: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus without pictures have a statistically significantly different average spending per person than those using paper menus without pictures.
H0_4b: There is no statistically significant difference in customer satisfaction between customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus without pictures and those using paper menus without pictures.
H1_4b: Customers at Ruth’s Chris who order using digital menus without pictures have a statistically significantly different customer satisfaction than those using paper menus without pictures.

Effect Size

In our research design, we aim to investigate the effects of various menu formats at Ruth’s Chris. Specifically, we plan to examine the impact of using paper menus with pictures compared to paper menus without pictures on average spending per person and customer satisfaction (E1). Additionally, we intend to explore the effects of digital menus with pictures in contrast to digital menus without pictures on these same variables (E2). Moreover, our study will assess the consequences of switching from paper menus with pictures to digital menus with pictures (E3). Finally, we will investigate the effects of transitioning from paper menus without pictures to digital menus without pictures (E4). Through this research design, we hope to gain insights into how different menu formats influence customer spending and satisfaction.

Effect size is a crucial metric that quantifies the magnitude of our observed difference between groups. In our study, we will specifically use Cohen’s d as a standardized measure of effect size. To enhance the interpretability of our findings, according to our best guesses and available data guidelines on mean values and standard deviations, we have set a desired effect size of 0.2 for our analyses. Through this comprehensive research design, we aim to gain valuable insights into how different menu formats influence both average customer spending and dining satisfaction. By considering effect sizes, we strive to provide a detailed understanding of the practical implications of our findings beyond mere statistical significance.

Importance of the Study and Social Impact

Since the study uses linear regression models to explore the relationships between variables, it provides persuasive data-driven evidence for leadership to make important strategic decision-making. Through the study, when we figure out which menu format can lead to higher customer satisfaction and spending, Ruth’s Chris can use the findings to optimize menu design and sustainable improvements. Thus, customer experience will become better, and the revenue of Ruth’s Chris will spontaneously grow.

The food service industry has adapted to technological trends with the introduction of QR code menus in response to COVID-19 and technical advancement. Ruth’s Chris may maintain its leadership position in the industry by adopting modern ordering procedures, and this might also attract broader target customers. This study can also provide evidence to help Ruth’s Chris align with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance Considerations) principles. If the company chooses to reduce reliance on traditional paper menus based on this study, it will contribute to a decline environmental footprint and minimize resource consumption.

This research will not only provide Ruth’s Chris reliable data-driven perspectives to build a better menu design strategy but also be instructive for other similar fine-dining restaurants and even the whole food service industry. If more and more restaurants start to adopt digital menu formats, customers will become more and more accustomed to tech-driven dining experiences; therefore, this innovation will be normalized in the whole society.

Statistical Analysis Plan

This research delves into the influence of different menus on individuals’ dining expenditures (person_avg) and overall dining satisfaction (satis_score) at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The analytical processes will be coded using R language and applying different statistical analysis functions.

Our analysis focuses on the average person’s spending and satisfaction on dinner in different menu situations. Since each dinner table has a different people group, ranging from 1 to 8, to evaluate whether the research outcomes are impacted by the number of people at each table (people_number), we will employ the Fisher transformation, to transform correlation coefficients into Fisher z-values, providing a stabilized distribution. By calculating the p-values associated with these transformed z-values, we can further determine the statistical significance of the correlation between the research outcomes and the number of people at the table. The statistical significance threshold we chose is α=0.05. This analysis will validate the potential influence exerted by the number of people at each table on the research outcomes.

Our hypotheses were framed as follows: the null hypothesis (H0) posits no significant difference in dining expenditures and satisfaction among menu groups, while the alternative hypothesis (H1) suggests significant differences exist among these groups. A significance level of α=0.05 was chosen for hypothesis testing.

Based on our hypothesis, we will investigate if the menu type and picture availability has an impact on the average spending per person and customer dining satisfaction. Our analytical approach involves utilizing t-tests to uncover potential differences across diverse menu groups. Our hypothesis suggests that customers may experience higher satisfaction and ordering more dishes when provided with QR code menus featuring pictures. We posit that QR code menus offer a more organized way for customers to locate specific dishes, and the inclusion of appealing pictures establish confidence in their food choices, encouraging customers to express clearer preferences and desires regarding their food selections.

Sample Size and Statistical Power

In designing our study, the consideration of sample size and statistical power is pivotal to ensure the reliability and comparability of our research outcomes. Leveraging the pwr functions to tailor the sample size based on an effect size of 0.2 and a power of 0.9, we aimed to strike a balance between precision and the cost of the research. The final sample size, determined by this analysis, stands at 2160 for the four groups, with each of the 36 restaurants contributing 60 observations. Additionally, the mean values and standard deviations for each group are carefully crafted through a combination of best guesses and available data guidelines, ensuring a realistic representation of expected outcomes. This strategy aligns the study’s scale with its practical feasibility and resource considerations.

To maintain a representative and evenly distributed sample, the interval sampling method will be employed to select participants systematically. This approach involves selecting every n-th individual from a list after a random start. In our case, this systematic approach ensures a representative and evenly distributed sample across the studied restaurants.

Our effect size and statistical power analysis, essential for evaluating the probability of detecting a true effect under the chosen conditions, reaffirms the appropriateness of our sample size. The statistical power indicates a high likelihood of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis. Choosing a power level higher than the conventional 0.8 is a deliberate choice driven by the unique context of our study. Given the inherent significance of menu changes to Ruth’s Chris Steak House, we recognize the need for a more stringent approach. A power of 0.9 ensures a heightened ability to detect meaningful effects, aligning with the heightened importance of our research question. This decision acknowledges the substantial impact that menu modifications can have on the customer spending and customer experience at Ruth’s Chris.

Prior to the analysis of collected data, stringent measures will be implemented to validate the quality of survey responses. A survey quality control question will be included, aiming to identify and rectify any potential sources of data inaccuracy. This pre-analysis validation step ensures the reliability and integrity of the dataset, laying a solid foundation for robust and meaningful statistical analyses.

Possible Recommendations

RQ1: What are the differences in average spending per person and customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus with pictures and without pictures?

a: If the null hypothesis is not rejected, meaning that there is no significant difference in customer spending and satisfaction between paper menus with and without pictures. Therefore, Ruth’s Chris can consider maintaining their current menu.
b: If the null hypothesis is rejected, meaning that there is a significant difference between paper menus with and without pictures. Hence, Ruth’s Chris should improve its menu designs by adding more pictures of food.

RQ2: What are the differences in average spending per person and customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between digital menus with pictures and without pictures?

a: If the null hypothesis is not rejected, it means there is no significant difference in customer spending and satisfaction between digital menus with and without pictures. Therefore, it is commended that Ruth’s Chris should maintain the current format of digital menus.
b: If the null hypothesis is rejected, which means digital menus with pictures are more effective, Ruth’s Chris should consider adding high-quality images to all digital menus.

RQ3: What are the differences in average spending per person and customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus with pictures and digital menus with pictures?

a: Not rejecting the null hypothesis means there is no significant difference between the two types of menus. Hence, Ruth’s Chris should keep the current menus to avoid any additional costs.
b: Rejecting the null hypothesis means digital menus are more effective in customers’ average spending and satisfaction. Therefore, Ruth’s Chris should consider prioritizing its menus to digital.

RQ4: What are the differences in average spending per person and customer satisfaction at Ruth’s Chris between paper menus without pictures and digital menus without pictures?

a: If the null hypothesis is not rejected, it indicates that there is no difference in the impact on customer spending and satisfaction. Therefore, Ruth’s Chris should keep the current menus to avoid any additional costs.
b: If the null hypothesis is rejected, our recommendation to Ruth’s Chris is to adjust the menu type to digital to increase profit and customer satisfaction.

Limitations and Uncertainties

There are two limitations to our research. First, one significant limitation of our research is that we only collect surveys from one customer per table, which may not accurately represent the overall opinions of each person at that table. This limitation may lead to a skewed understanding of customer preferences. However, it is time-consuming to collect surveys from everyone and unrealistic and unfair to apply the accumulated coupon according to the number of customers at each table. Therefore, based on the consideration of feasibility, we still chose this method, but it will inevitably affect the accuracy of our research. The second limitation is customer engagement in surveys. Some customers might not take the survey questions seriously and thoughtfully or they only care about the 5% discount after completing the survey, thus affecting the validity and reliability of the data we collected.

There are two uncertainties in our research as well. First, there are cultural differences in menu preferences. Menus preferences can vary significantly under different cultural backgrounds. For example, digital menus and QR code ordering are widespread in China, and Chinese people are used to them. In the U.S., most restaurants are using paper menus and order manually, which means the acceptance of digital menus might be different between those two countries. Therefore, the applicability of our research might be limited under a different cultural background. This uncertainty also highlights the potential improvement in future studies to fully understand the impact of menu design and ordering processes under different cultural backgrounds. Second, the impact of technology advancements might change customer preferences. With the development of technology, there is a chance that customer preferences regarding to the digital menus and ordering process will evolve. Therefore, the dynamic technology and people’s acceptance of menu design and ordering process will bring uncertainty to our research.

Research Plan

Population of Interest

The population of interest for our menu research is targeted to all customers who go to the Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Sample Selection

The experiment will select 36 Ruth’s Chris restaurants among 133 stores in the United States, all restaurants have the equal chance to be selected, and randomly assign them to 4 equal numbers of groups. The samples will be counted if the customers are willing to complete surveys regarding their dining experiences.

Operational Procedures

The whole data collection process is estimated between 10 to 15 days, but there’s no rigid time limit for each restaurant’s data collection process, totally depending on when the preset observations are collected. Although Ruth’s Chris provides both lunch and dinner to customers, to avoid potential dining preferences differences between lunch and dinner, our research will limit our observations to only be collected during dinners.

During the experiment, each restaurant will record the order spending amount and other order details for each participating table. To qualify as a participating table, customers will be asked at the checkout whether they are interested in completing a survey related to their dinner experience. As an incentive, customers who choose to participate will receive a 5% off coupon, applicable immediately to encourage survey engagement (Note: The records used for analysis are based on the original price before any discount is applied).

To facilitate survey distribution, servers will be trained to offer surveys to customers, ensuring a seamless and standardized approach. Each table requires only one survey to be recorded, and customers are given the flexibility to designate a person of their choice to complete the survey. While mutual idea is encouraged, it is not mandatory. Additionally, all survey participants will be presented with all four menu formats(paper/QR menu with/without pictures). This approach aims to provide participants a clearer understanding of the menu formats’ impacts on customer orders before they complete the surveys.

In the survey, ask the customers how they feel with the ordering menu they received, whether the pictures may increase the level of knowledge and purchase intention of the dishes, and whether QR code menu will increase the ease of ordering (to what extent), and ask their total satisfaction score from the menu they experienced (from 0 to 100). A previous international study has shown that compared to menus without pictures, the ones with pictures can potentially increase the average sales by about 6.5%(Restolabs, 2021). As Ruth’s Chris is defined as the fine dinner restaurant, and targeted to the high-consumption crowd, we are specifically focusing on whether pictures and menu types have impacts on Ruth’s Chris as such a high-spending restaurant.

All surveys will be done using the same model tablets provided by restaurants, controlling the same screen size, stable wireless connection, and picture qualities for all participants. Ensuring that the survey results are not biased because of different phone screens, and different picture brightness, or their first intuition affected by their phone message notifications.

Brief Schedule

Project set-up

Research Questions and Literature Review (7 days)

Finalize research questions
Conduct an in-depth search for relevant literature

Research Design/Plan (20 days)

Make a full research resources planning(e.g., funds)
Develop a comprehensive research design and plan
Review the research design internally
Incorporate feedback and make necessary adjustments

Participant Enrollment

Sampling and Site Selection (10 days)

Complete the detailed sampling plan
Select 36 Ruth’s Chris restaurants for the research

Menu and Survey Preparation (14 days)

Prepare new menus and design the survey

Follow-up data collection

Pre-test and Adjustment (5 days)

Conduct a pre-test and make necessary adjustments to the operational procedure

Data Collection and Storage (15 days)

Collect data based on research variables
Store and organize data securely

Data analysis

Data Pre-processing (5 days)

Clean and pre-check the collected data

Data Analysis (5days)

Perform thorough statistical data analysis
Conduct sensitivity analyses to ensure research effectiveness

Conclusion (3 days)

Draw conclusions based on the data analysis

Reporting

Draft the Final Report (10 days)
Review and Edit the Draft (7 days)
Can be delayed if multiple modifications are required
Final Report Submission (7 days)
Finalize and submit the comprehensive research report

Note: The timeline for each task is subject to adjustments based on project progress and unforeseen modifications and difficulties.

Data Collection

The customers’ order information and participants’ survey results will be collected from 36 Ruth’s Chris restaurants. Each of the 4 research groups will gather 540 observation records from 9 restaurants, resulting in a total of 2160 rows of observations.

Data Security

A key component of this research endeavor is data security. First, our research team will periodically provide all researchers with comprehensive data security training to prevent data breaches, keeping staff and collaborators up-to-date on security threats and vigilant about possible risks. Second, we encrypt sensitive data and implement strict access controls so that only senior researchers involved in data processing have access to the data. In addition, privileged researchers will be given multi-factor authentication to improve data security. For example, the system will send a verification link to the researcher’s email address, and then the researcher will prove his/her identity by clicking the verification link. Moreover, since Ruth’s Chris Steak House is our research collaborator, we are tracking average spending and customer satisfaction through their backend system. We need to monitor Ruth’s Chris Steak House to update their software system regularly and patch software vulnerabilities promptly to prevent attacks.

Variables

Outcomes (Dependent Variables)

Dependent Variables

person_avg: Average spending amount per person($)
satis_score: Customer satisfaction (scores out of 100)

Research Groups

Group 1: paper menu without pictures - original menu
Group 2: paper menu with pictures
Group 3: QR code menu without pictures
Group 4: QR code menu with pictures

Treatments (Independent Variables)

Types of menu:

Paper menu
QR code menu

Pictures:

Menu with pictures
Menu without pictures

Other Variables

order_number: is the unique primary key in the dataset, it can help restaurants to track specific order details, made with 4 letters and 4 numbers, such as: “XHDY4891”

store_index: Unique number for each of the 40 restaurants, RCSH stands for Ruth’s Chris Steak House

people_number: is how many people are at one dinner table, such as a group of two or a group of four

dish_number: is the number of dishes such as appetizers, and steaks, excluding dessert and beverages/alcohol

tip: is the amount the customers give to the waiters

tip_percent: calculated by tip/order_amount*100

menu_type: whether paper menu or QR code menu provided to the research participants

picture: whether or not the menu contains pictures of foods

Simulated Studies

Simulation Assumptions

The data simulation process involved generating a dataset based on our four research groups, representing different menu types (paper or QR) and picture conditions (yes or no). For each observation, average spending per person (person_avg) and satisfaction scores (satis_score) were simulated based on assumed normal distributions, with group-specific mean values. The use of relatively large standard deviations aimed to capture the inherent uncertainty and variations in customer dining behavior under different menu and picture scenarios. This approach ensures that the simulated dataset reflects a realistic range of spending and satisfaction scores, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of the impact of menu designs on customer spending and satisfaction with a consideration for uncertainties. Under the premise of best guesses and available data guidelines, the mean value and standard deviation for each group were intentionally chosen based on the effect size consideration, aligning with our research’s parameters designed before, to ensure meaningful differences in customer average spending and satisfaction are captured.

References

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Research Question 1_a

Scenario 1: An Expected Effect (0.2)

Analysis

The presented statistical results represent the mean values obtained from 1000 simulations. The t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in average spending per person at Ruth’s Chris between customers using paper menus with pictures and those using paper menus without pictures (mean difference = 6.13384, 95% CI: 2.55 ~ 9.72, Cohen’s d = 0.2045822, power = 0.92). The observed effect size slightly exceeded the designed effect size of 0.2, while the achieved power surpassed the target of 0.9. This suggests that our research was well-designed and has a higher level of sensitivity, providing reliable and robust results. The practical significance, indicated by the small to moderate effect size, implies a tangible impact of using paper menus with pictures on average spending per person. Overall, the evidence supports rejecting our null hypothesis, highlighting the influential role of paper menu pictures over the absence of pictures in influencing customer spending at Ruth’s Chris.

Research Question 1_a

Scenario 2: No Effect

Analysis

The statistical results based on 1000 simulations indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in average spending per person at Ruth’s Chris between customers using paper menus with pictures and those using paper menus without pictures. The mean effect is minimal (mean difference = -0.71098), with a 95% confidence interval spanning from -4.29 ~ 2.87. The negligible effect size (Cohen’s d = -0.0236896) further supports the absence of a practical impact. The power of 0.075 signifies a low probability of detecting an effect, reinforcing that there is no statistically significant difference in average spending per person between those groups, that is, the analysis lacks the sensitivity to identify an effect in our research.