Consumption decisions made in restaurants: The case of wine selection

The situational dependency on food choice and consumption decisions is widely acknowledged. In this study we integrate that understanding in the research design process and investigate one specific consumption situation and the influences on it: purchase of wine to be consumed while eating a meal with friends in a restaurant. This situation is of interest because dining out is widespread, but understudied; and because beverage choice rarely receives explicit attention in the food choice literature. The importance of 13 wine selection influences (or wine choice factors), specific to the focal occasion is measured among a random sample of adult wine drinkers and the findings extend previous work by showing that the wine selection influences grape variety (e.g., Chardonnay) and geographical region (e.g., Marlborough) are of greater importance among people who are highly involved with wine. The wine selection influence matched to food was also of greater importance in the high involvement segment. In confirmation of the situational dependency premise on which this research builds, 76 of participants stated that they would change the importance attached to the wine selection influences if the occasion were different to dining with friends in a restaurant.