Eyes Don't Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants

Neslihan Serçeoğlu; Mehmet Necati Erkem

doi:10.30519/ahtr.1673497

Eyes Don't Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants

Abstract

Consumer food choices are often treated as conscious decisions. However, recent evidence using eye-tracking methodology demonstrates that consumers' visual attention processes significantly influence their decision-making. This method is crucial for understanding the factors that affect consumers' gaze behavior. This research employs eye-tracking technology to investigate how consumers make food selections in fine-dining restaurants, focusing on unplanned choices. The study monitors consumers' menu examination processes using an eye-tracking device, identifying focal points such as gaze duration and fixation count. The findings reveal how consumers' eye movements guide their selection decisions. In particular, the visual presentation of the dish and familiarity with it have been shown to be influential in consumer preferences. In an experiment conducted with 25 participants, it was found that the most fixated-upon dish was not necessarily the one ordered, indicating that the intensity of focus and gaze behavior do not directly determine decisions. However, prior experience with the dishes strongly influenced the decision-making process. In this respect, the research critically examines the “attention = choice” assumption in eye-tracking studies. From an industry perspective, it demonstrates that simply captivating visuals are not enough; menu design must be integrated with customer experience management and familiarity strategies.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was received from Atatürk University for the research. Approval number: E.88656144-000-2500068001

Thanks

The authors thank the review team.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Tourism (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Neslihan Serçeoğlu ^*
0000-0003-1549-0834
Türkiye

Mehmet Necati Erkem
0000-0003-3633-3969
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

January 23, 2026

Publication Date

January 23, 2026

Submission Date

April 10, 2025

Acceptance Date

November 26, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.1673497

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA44DJ26BY

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Serçeoğlu, N., & Erkem, M. N. (2026). Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.1673497

AMA

1.Serçeoğlu N, Erkem MN. Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR). 2026;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.30519/ahtr.1673497

Chicago

Serçeoğlu, Neslihan, and Mehmet Necati Erkem. 2026. “Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants”. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), no. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.1673497.

EndNote

Serçeoğlu N, Erkem MN (January 1, 2026) Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR) Advanced Online Publication

IEEE

[1]N. Serçeoğlu and M. N. Erkem, “Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants”, Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), no. Advanced Online Publication, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.30519/ahtr.1673497.

ISNAD

Serçeoğlu, Neslihan - Erkem, Mehmet Necati. “Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants”. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR). Advanced Online Publication (January 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.1673497.

JAMA

1.Serçeoğlu N, Erkem MN. Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR). 2026. doi:10.30519/ahtr.1673497.

MLA

Serçeoğlu, Neslihan, and Mehmet Necati Erkem. “Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants”. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), no. Advanced Online Publication, Jan. 2026, doi:10.30519/ahtr.1673497.

Vancouver

1.Neslihan Serçeoğlu, Mehmet Necati Erkem. Eyes Don’t Lie! Visual Preferences: Eye-Tracking Study on Unplanned Food Selections in Fine Dining Restaurants. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR). 2026 Jan. 1;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.30519/ahtr.1673497