The effect of customization and gender on customers’ attitude

This study investigates whether customization and gender have a significant effect on consumers’ attitude towards menu options at a given restaurant. It also examines the outcome that gender has on perceived control and decision-making. Hypotheses were developed using hypothetical restaurant menu-based scenarios and surveys. Our results indicated that male customers exhibited a similar level of attitude across both ‘build-your-own’ and ‘you-pick-two’ customization conditions. However, female customers showed more overall positive attitudes toward the ‘build-your-own’ menu as compared to the ‘you-pick-two’ menu. Depending on gender based target markets for restaurants, managers should employ different menu design strategies to attract customers.