The Impact of Food Images and Nature of Food Items on Restaurant Gift Card Redemption Rates

This research examined whether or not food images on the face of restaurant gift cards have any impact on redemption rates. I also examined the difference between the effects of showing food images of hedonic and utilitarian menu items (i.e., dessert versus salad). An experiment was conducted at a Mediterranean restaurant to compare the redemption rates of gift cards in those four conditions. Specifically, I compared redemption rates for restaurant gift cards either with or without a food image on the face of the card as well as those featuring a hedonic or utilitarian food item. The results show that food images as well as hedonic food items positively affected gift card redemption rates. This research provides both marketers in the food industry and academic scholars with insights around the impact of various types of imagery in the context of hedonic products.