Why a One-Cent Change Can Sell More Small Plates

So the price changes by only one cent, but that can change how people feel about the meal?

That is what the study suggests. The researchers compared a small plate priced at five dollars with one priced at four dollars and ninety-nine cents. The price with .99 made people more likely to see the smaller portion as fairly priced and say they would order it.

Why might a round price of five dollars seem less fair?

Many customers feel that a smaller portion costs too much when they compare it with a full-sized meal. A round price, ending in .00, was more likely to make people feel that the price was unfair for the reduced amount of food.

And the .99 price can make the same smaller meal seem like better value.

Yes. Stephanie Liu, an associate professor of hospitality management at Ohio State and the study’s senior author, said pricing is not only about controlling costs or increasing income. She said it is also a marketing tool that can shape how customers think.

What led the researchers to study smaller portions in the first place?

The first author, Xi Yu, began thinking about the question during pandemic lockdowns. At the time, she often ordered half-sized sandwiches because she could not eat a full one. But she felt that the smaller sandwich did not cost a fair amount compared with the full size.

How did the team investigate that feeling?

They used interviews and an experiment. In interviews with 36 consumers, people often said small plates seemed expensive for their size. Fairness was a central concern. The interviewees also connected non-rounded prices with better value and a greater chance that they would buy the meal.

Were there other reasons people liked smaller meals?

Yes. Participants said small plates could be a healthier choice, create less food waste, and give people more variety in one meal. The researchers also asked people to rate price fairness and their intention to order regular-sized and smaller meals under different pricing structures.

So restaurants may need to think carefully about how they present a smaller option, not just how much it costs.

Exactly. The study, published recently in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, suggests that a very small price change may make customers feel more comfortable choosing a reduced portion.

Thank you, Liam.

Our second story is about Vancouver’s rainy forecast after a week of storms and unusually warm November weather.

Mia is LinguaWire’s environment correspondent, and she has been covering the forecast in British Columbia.

Hello, Daniel. People in Vancouver and across British Columbia have had a wet week, with several storms and a great deal of rain. The forecast suggests that more rain and cloudy weather are likely before there is any possible break for sunshine.

So people should not expect a quick change to dry weather.

No. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s seven-day forecast included a chance of showers, rain, or cloud on every day. There may be some sun next Wednesday, November 18, when the forecast showed a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 10 degrees Celsius.

But that is still several days away, and forecasts can change.

That is right. The possible sunshine is not certain. The weather agency’s forecast can change before Wednesday arrives, especially after a period of unsettled weather.

This wet weather has also come with some surprising temperatures.

Yes. Wednesday was unusually warm and humid for November in parts of British Columbia. Several heat records were broken across the province. In the West Vancouver area, the temperature reached a record 17.1 degrees Celsius.

That is remarkably mild for November.

It is. Vancouver itself is having a warmer-than-normal autumn, and the city’s high temperature on Wednesday broke a record that had stood since 1996. Across British Columbia, 31 places either tied or set temperature records on Remembrance Day.

Will the warmer weather continue through the nights as well?

Not in the same way. Overnight temperatures are expected to fall after a short rise. They are expected to average around 10 degrees Celsius over the next couple of nights. Saturday night was forecast to reach 11 degrees, before falling to 10 degrees on Sunday, then to 5 degrees on Monday and 4 degrees on Tuesday.

So Vancouver is moving from very mild nights towards cooler ones, while the rain continues.

Yes. The recent wet November follows an unusually dry October. For now, the main message for people in Vancouver is to expect more unsettled weather, with the next possible brighter day not forecast until Wednesday.

Thank you, Mia.

Part one: vocabulary.

Portion.

It means an amount of food for one person; in the story, “Many customers feel that a smaller portion costs too much when they compare it with a full-sized meal.”

The children shared one large portion of pasta.

Fair.

It means reasonable and right; in the story, “But she felt that the smaller sandwich did not cost a fair amount compared with the full size.”

It is fair to give everyone the same chance.

Value.

It means how good something is for its price; in the story, “The interviewees also connected non-rounded prices with better value and a greater chance that they would buy the meal.”

This phone offers good value for its price.

Part two: the grammar.

Because clauses for reasons: “At the time, she often ordered half-sized sandwiches because she could not eat a full one.”

Use because to give the reason for something. Put the reason after because.

Listen again: “At the time, she often ordered half-sized sandwiches because she could not eat a full one.”

I stayed inside because it was raining.

Repeat after me: At the time, she often ordered half-sized sandwiches because she could not eat a full one.