I once had a dish called “Sausage with Tomato Curry Sauce” on my menu. It didn’t sell well. Then I changed the name to “Currywurst” — nothing else changed — and suddenly it became one of the most popular items. Why did that happen? Let’s break down why the less customers know, the more they’re willing to pay, and how this principle can shape your menu naming strategy as a pub owner.
1. Generic Naming Tips Aren’t Enough.
If you Google “menu naming tips,” you’ll find the usual stuff:
- Use adjectives.
- Mix in foreign words.
- Keep it short and memorable.
- Emphasize premium ingredients.
Okay, sure. But why do those things work? And is there any logical reason beyond “just sounds good”? Not many posts explain that part.
(1) Social Proof from Seoul
Check this news article from South Korea: Chosun Ilbo, In the trendiest area of Seoul, you can’t find Korean signs anymore — it’s all English and French. People don’t understand the words, but they still say: Looks cool. Feels premium.
(2) A Czech Beer Poster Changed My Thinking
Here’s a poster I received from Pilsner Urquell, a Czech beer company.
I can’t read Czech. But the moment I looked at it, I had this “Whoa” reaction. The tiny English text gave me a sense of familiarity. The Czech words — with their medieval font — felt mysterious, refined, and kind of romantic. It reminded me of romantic Prague. That’s when it hit me: When people lack information, they make emotional decisions.
Let’s apply this structure to how we name dishes — and price them — in a pub.
(3) My Personal Case: When I Tried to Be Too Honest
Early on, I tried naming dishes with full transparency. I’d read a Japanese book called Process Economy that said “Sell the process, not the result.” The central theme of the book was that people perceive true authenticity not in the end result, but within the process itself—an insight that deeply resonated with me. So I changed the names like this:
- Currywurst → Sausage with Tomato Ketchup Curry Sauce
- Jägerschnitzel → Schnitzel with Mushroom Cream Gravy
Result? Not great. Customers would just say, “Can I get the tomato sausage?” It didn’t sound appealing. Sales were low. Then one day, I switched everything back to the original German names — Currywurst, Jägerschnitzel — and boom. Orders went up. The food on the plate hadn’t changed, nor had the cooking method in the kitchen. Everything remained the same; it was purely the power of a different name.
(4) Why Does This Work?
When you use long, descriptive names, customers gather too much information. They can mentally estimate the cost of the ingredients, labor, and process. Once they know too much, they start judging whether the price is “fair.” But if all they see is “Currywurst” in bold German letters with a juicy photo? They don’t know the process. They don’t know the ingredients. So they rely on what the word reminds them of: Germany → Precision, quality, honesty → Must be good.
When people lack information, they rely on emotion. When the category feels trustworthy, they’re more likely to say, “Sure, I’ll try it.”
Information asymmetry creates pricing freedom. Here’s how it plays out:
- Information gap → Association with upper-level category (Germany, Europe) → Emotion-based decision (no rational breakdown possible) → Higher perceived value → More sales, justified premium
- On the flip side: Too much detail → Customers analyze cost, ingredients, and process → Emotion fades, perceived value drops → Premium price not accepted
2. This Isn’t Just My Theory
This principle is backed by psychology. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky explained two systems in our brain:
- System 1: emotional, intuitive, fast — activated under uncertainty
- System 2: logical, rational, slow — activated when all facts are present
So yes — when people don’t have full information, System 1 takes over and emotion decides.
(1) Emotional-Cognition Framework for Menu Naming
Let’s organize this idea into a simple 2×2 framework:
| Customer Feelings | Strategy |
| Likes it & Understands it | Use direct names, fair prices, high turnover |
| Likes it & Doesn’t understand it | Use emotional names, premium pricing possible |
| Dislikes it & Understands it | Avoid – can’t sell it |
| Dislikes it & Doesn’t understand it | Rebrand to create curiosity or positive emotion |
(2) Practical Tips
If you’re running a pub, and your menu items don’t offer separate value through explanation (like fine dining), then don’t explain too much. Instead:
- Let customers imagine.
- Use foreign languages — especially from countries with positive emotional associations (Germany, Japan, Italy, etc.).
- Call your fries “Pommes” or “Kartoffel” and make them feel exotic. Just add a little German Flair while you’re at it. I know it sounds ridiculous, but if it has a vibe, it works.
The less they know, the more their imagination works. The more they imagine, the more they’ll pay.
And that is what makes a perfect menu name.
3. Why Emotional Pricing Matters: It Enables Price Premium
(1) Bypassing the Analytical Mind
Let us generalize this principle a bit further. By the same logic, Jägerschnitzel carries a more premium aura than “pork cutlet with creamy mushroom gravy.” People willingly accept a higher price point for things they love but cannot fully deconstruct. Unfamiliar names, foreign branding, and cultural affinity bypass the customer’s typical scrutiny of “What is the cost of goods sold here?” Because consumers cannot find a logical basis to analyze the price or locate a comparable anchor, they rely on a vague emotional affinity to judge the product simply as “good” or “bad.” Consequently, this means that when you do raise prices, the likelihood of customer backlash is relatively low.
(2) Mental Accounting
Behavioral economist Richard Thaler introduced the concept of mental accounting. His core insight is that people spend “found money” easily, but are cautious with money they feel emotionally attached to. Put simply, money that comes easy, goes easy.
As pub operators, we must manage monthly liabilities such as rent, utilities, and inventory costs. Because these are strictly business-related expenses, it is only rational to offset them with revenue generated from core business operations. According to the logic of mental accounting, we must increase our operating income rather than relying on non-operating revenue, such as selling stocks or in-game items. We must align our inflows with our outflows within the exact same pipeline. To achieve this structural alignment, it is crucial to offer a menu comprised of items that possess the pricing power to withstand an increase.
4. Korean Fried Chicken vs. Five Guys in Korea
(1) The Fried Chicken Backlash
In Korea, a major fried chicken chain—BBQ Chicken—sparked outrage when its CEO said: “30,000 KRW ($22) for fried chicken is still cheap.”
People exploded. The government stepped in. The company was eventually audited. Why such backlash? Because Koreans:
- Love fried chicken
- Know the ingredients
- Know the cost of raw chicken
- Even cook it at home
So when prices rise, customers switch to rational analysis: “That doesn’t add up.” Emotion disappears. It becomes a math problem.
(2) Why Five Guys Was Different
Now look at Five Guys entering Korea. Crowds lined up. Some even resold burgers online. Was the burger objectively special? Not really. Korea already has:
- McDonald’s
- Burger King
- KFC
- Shake Shack
- Dozens of gourmet burger shops
So why the hype? Because Five Guys isn’t just a burger. It’s America. It’s Obama’s Burger. Someplace exotic. That foreign authenticity created emotional distance. Customers couldn’t easily compare costs.
Even though:
- Five Guys is more expensive in Korea than in the U.S.
- Korea’s GDP is significantly lower than U.S
Symbols such as Americana mise-en-scène, the cultural capital of Obama’s endorsement, and peanut oil temporarily paralyzed the consumer’s analytical mind, forcing them to judge the product as “good” or “bad” based on emotional affinity. This is how the public was persuaded to accept a price point even higher than that of the US market. (Of course, given the nature of a hamburger, once consumers actually experience it, they inevitably arrive at a sense of, “Oh, it’s just a burger,” rendering the product unable to escape subsequent cost scrutiny.)
When people understand a product too well, price increases trigger resistance. When they don’t fully understand it—but like it— emotion takes over. That’s the hidden engine behind emotional pricing.
5. Japan vs. the U.S.: Omakase Pricing
Let’s look at one last example: sushi omakase. In Tokyo, lunch omakase often starts around $20–30. In the U.S., lunch is closer to $70–80, and dinner easily goes $150+. Even after adjusting for income differences, that gap is massive.
Why does it exist? Because Japanese customers understand sushi. They can judge:
- Fish quality
- Freshness
- Knife work
- Handling and aging
If the price doesn’t make sense, they simply walk away. In contrast, many Americans experience sushi as: Exotic, Artistic, Almost mystical. They’re less equipped to critique it technically, so they respond emotionally instead. Add a performance element—the chef’s gestures, explanations, atmosphere—and a premium feels justified.
These price gaps aren’t just about supply and demand. The real story begins at the menu table. When customers don’t fully understand a dish—but associate it with something positive—they stop calculating and start trusting their gut. That’s the moment pricing shifts from logic-driven to emotion-driven.
6. Conclusion
Across cultures, the pattern is consistent. When people: Don’t fully understand a product But feel good about it, They’re more willing to accept higher prices. With no clear benchmark to judge against, they rely on emotion, association, and branding. That’s why, I argued that naming matters. A good dish name connects to something:
- Higher-level
- Slightly vague
- Positively charged
Not something customers can easily dissect and compare
7. Limitations
This strategy isn’t universal. It works best for: Small pubs, Independent restaurants. In large, high-traffic venues, the opposite is true. Customers make snap decisions. Confusion slows flow. In those environments: Simple names, Fast turnover work better.
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