About 36 million people live in Tokyo and its neighboring cities. Most restaurants well known to foreigners are heavily crowded. Therefore, when I dine out in Tokyo, I have to wait for a table for a decent amount of time. The fact that many local people are waiting for their tables relieves my concern that I might have chosen a wrong restaurant. Although crowdedness plays a role as social proof when I “choose” a restaurant, I think I may enjoy dish more if I have a breathing room or enough empty space inside when I “experience” a restaurant.
My thought was supported when I had a lunch at a restaurant run by D&Department in Tokyo. D&Department project is a store-style activist proposed by Nagaoka Kenmei, a Japanese designer, in 2000, with a theme of a “long-life design.” It introduces design products for our daily lives such as eating, drinking, publishing and traveling. It aims to spread all over the country the products excavated in local regions. Therefore, the design products introduced by D&Department are the durable items that should be used for a long time and regional items that each specific region of Japan uniquely identifies. Therefore, serving local, authentic dish at a restaurant made sense to me.
Going beyond design items and local dish, this restaurant provided sufficient empty space to each guest, which was rare in Tokyo. This restaurant limited the number of guests entering the space. Therefore, people focused on their own dish inside while a huge crowd of people waited for their tables outside. This space was quiet and well organized and guests were not visually distracted.
Do we like crowdedness or emptiness at restaurants? Marketing scientists have studied this issue. Some argue that crowdedness plays a role as a social proof while others argue that emptiness signals social class. We may like crowdedness when buying mass products or visiting casual restaurants, whereas we pursue emptiness when searching for luxury goods or dining out at Michelin starred restaurants.
This article is about social space and material objects for sale within that space. We draw primarily on Goffman’s (1971) concepts of use space and possession territories to predict that as the social density of a given space increases, inferences of the subjective social class and income of people in that space fall. Eight studies confirm that this is indeed the case, with the result holding even for stick figures, thus controlling for typical visual indicators of social class such as clothing or jewelry. Furthermore, these social class inferences mediate a relationship between social density and product valuation, with individuals assessing both higher prices and a greater willingness to pay for products presented in less crowded contexts. This effect of inferred class on product valuation is explained by status-motivated individuals’ desire to associate with higher-status people. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first to reveal the link between social density, status inferences, and object valuations. As such, it makes a novel contribution to what has come to be known in sociology as the topological turn: a renewed focus on social space.
2 thoughts on “People do not prefer crowded restaurants over empty ones”
“The Lower the Density, the Greater the Satisfaction”
This post discusses the phenomenon where people prefer crowded spaces as a sign of social success when choosing places like restaurants but actually prefer a relaxed and quiet environment during the experience. An example given is a restaurant in Tokyo that creates a pleasant dining experience by providing ample space for each customer. The author connects this to the theory that lower social density positively impacts product evaluation and willingness to pay, suggesting that individuals are willing to pay higher prices for products presented in less crowded situations.
I agree with the content of this post, which states that lower social density offers customers a better experience and induces a higher willingness to pay.
Firstly, ensuring lower spatial density can maximize the ‘peak’ aspect of the ‘peak-end’ rule during the customer’s experience. The expanded space and reduced crowd allow customers to focus more on the most important part of their experience—such as the food in a restaurant or the products in a store—leaving a memorable impression. This positive experience can lead to an increased willingness to spend.
Secondly, reducing the density of products in a space can decrease “choice fatigue” caused by the paradox of choice, providing customers with a sense of ease and encouraging their willingness to purchase. Choice fatigue, as discussed in Alvin Toffler’s “Future Shock” and Barry Schwartz’s “Paradox of Choice,” occurs when consumers are overwhelmed by too many options, leading to stress and a reduction in their willingness to buy. Lowering product density helps to mitigate this fatigue by allowing customers to make more thoughtful decisions from fewer alternatives, thus encouraging their willingness to purchase.
A real-life example of successfully reducing social density in a space is the Korean dessert café brand “SULBING.” Unlike typical brands, SULBING’s policy is to open most of its stores on the second floor of buildings where rent is lower. This approach allows them to secure larger spaces at the same cost compared to first-floor locations, aiming to provide customers with a more comfortable and spacious environment. Through this strategy, SULBING has achieved high sales and attracted many franchisees.
I believe that reducing social density and crowding in a space not only enhances customer convenience and positively impacts their experience but also stimulates their product value assessment, leading to increased purchasing willingness. This can be effectively used as a differentiation strategy. However, it should be noted that this approach may vary depending on consumer preferences and may weaken its effectiveness in transactions involving essential goods where ease of evaluation is crucial.
“The Lower the Density, the Greater the Satisfaction”
This post discusses the phenomenon where people prefer crowded spaces as a sign of social success when choosing places like restaurants but actually prefer a relaxed and quiet environment during the experience. An example given is a restaurant in Tokyo that creates a pleasant dining experience by providing ample space for each customer. The author connects this to the theory that lower social density positively impacts product evaluation and willingness to pay, suggesting that individuals are willing to pay higher prices for products presented in less crowded situations.
I agree with the content of this post, which states that lower social density offers customers a better experience and induces a higher willingness to pay.
Firstly, ensuring lower spatial density can maximize the ‘peak’ aspect of the ‘peak-end’ rule during the customer’s experience. The expanded space and reduced crowd allow customers to focus more on the most important part of their experience—such as the food in a restaurant or the products in a store—leaving a memorable impression. This positive experience can lead to an increased willingness to spend.
Secondly, reducing the density of products in a space can decrease “choice fatigue” caused by the paradox of choice, providing customers with a sense of ease and encouraging their willingness to purchase. Choice fatigue, as discussed in Alvin Toffler’s “Future Shock” and Barry Schwartz’s “Paradox of Choice,” occurs when consumers are overwhelmed by too many options, leading to stress and a reduction in their willingness to buy. Lowering product density helps to mitigate this fatigue by allowing customers to make more thoughtful decisions from fewer alternatives, thus encouraging their willingness to purchase.
A real-life example of successfully reducing social density in a space is the Korean dessert café brand “SULBING.” Unlike typical brands, SULBING’s policy is to open most of its stores on the second floor of buildings where rent is lower. This approach allows them to secure larger spaces at the same cost compared to first-floor locations, aiming to provide customers with a more comfortable and spacious environment. Through this strategy, SULBING has achieved high sales and attracted many franchisees.
I believe that reducing social density and crowding in a space not only enhances customer convenience and positively impacts their experience but also stimulates their product value assessment, leading to increased purchasing willingness. This can be effectively used as a differentiation strategy. However, it should be noted that this approach may vary depending on consumer preferences and may weaken its effectiveness in transactions involving essential goods where ease of evaluation is crucial.
(https://sulbing.com/main.php)