Analysis of eating behavior in restaurants based on leftover food

Recently in the restaurant businesses, it has become more difficult to design contents of dishes because customers´ preferences have become diverse. Leftover meals are good indicators to elucidate customers´ satisfaction and eating behaviors. This study examines what causes customers to leave food uneaten-particularly addressing their attributes, motivations, and situations-by conducting interviews of customer groups and measuring their leftovers. Results show that leaving leftovers is significantly influenced by customers´ purposes, not by their attributes such as sex or age. Based on the results, this paper presents a discussion of flexible menu design.