Tableware and perceived value: the Ambiente studies

Ambiente in Frankfurt is one of the world’s largest trade fairs for tableware. In 2020 it launched the HoReCa Academy, a programme of talks for the hospitality industry, and commissioned Kitchen Theory to research a question every restaurateur asks: does the plate change what a dish is worth?

2020: “Investing in designer crockery pays off”

Kitchen Theory designed an online study of about 1,000 people, published under that title. Participants saw the same dishes presented on service pieces at different prices and were asked how much they would pay and how appealing the food looked. Jozef Youssef presented the results at Ambiente’s evening get-together.

• People would pay more for food on designer crockery.
• Kitchen Theory reports that doubling the price of the plate was associated with a relative increase in the perceived price of the dish of about 9% (±1%).
• The second most expensive plate was rated most appetising, whatever was served on it.

2024: “The power of colour”

For Ambiente 2024, Youssef ran a second exclusive online survey on coloured tableware, presented at the HoReCa Academy on Hotelier’s Day. Ambiente reports that red plates increased the perceived sweetness of desserts such as chocolate cake. Trade press coverage reported that blue, green and white plates scored best for perceived healthiness, and that black performed worst overall in that study.

What it suggests

Together with the laboratory research, the Ambiente studies support a modest, practical conclusion: guests notice tableware, and it can shape how they value what is served on it. For operators choosing bone china, the reasons are its look, feel and performance — and the evidence that presentation matters at all.