The Psychology of "The Usual"

Rachel Tepper Paley
·Editor
Updated
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Photo credit: McDonald’s

Between the McDonald’s McRib (pictured), KFC’s Double Down, and the Wendy’s pretzel bun, we can’t keep track of all the limited-time fast food offerings floating around out there. The Internet would have us believe people are foaming at the mouth over them, but… Really?

A recent study by research firm NPD Group found that 30 percent of consumers polled said they’d recently tried a new dish. But only 10 percent of those people went for limited-time menu items. As Bloomberg notes, that’s a mere three percent of the total.

So what’s the deal? NPD vice president Warren Solochek told Bloomberg that it all comes down to familiarity. “Often, there’s so much clutter on the menu boards, it’s hard for people to see there’s a new product,” he said. “If you want to bring something new to a consumer, you really have to make it stand out.” But, Solochek allows, some limited-time offers are successful. Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, anymore?

What about you? Are you down with special menus, or are you going to order that Quarter Pounder no matter what? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.