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.