The dining world is often built on efficiency — do you know how many burgers McDonalds actually sells every single day? But some chains go beyond quick service, even designing eating spaces to ensure customers don’t hang around too long. And one well-known U.K. chain has recently been called out online for employing these tactics.
Nando’s, the popular peri-peri chicken spot best known for its cult following in the U.K. (cheeky Nandos, anyone?), has been criticized for intentionally creating an environment that discourages you from staying too long as entrepreneur Simon Squibb recently pointed out on a TikTok video that quickly went viral. Squibb suggested that the restaurant’s high noise levels are not just a side effect of a busy space; they’re an intentional choice because a loud atmosphere makes conversation difficult, which means diners won’t want to hang around after their meal. He also suggested that the pace of the music was even intended to encourage fast-paced eating, too.
And actually, music is a tool that is used to control customer behavior — a 2024 study published by the Journal of Food Quality and Preference shows that fast-tempo music can subconsciously make people eat faster. By playing high-energy tunes, restaurants can create a sense of urgency, encouraging diners to finish their meals quickly and free up tables for new customers. And, while the aisles are all quite narrow (we assume to pack in as many patrons as possible), there’s always a straight line from the kitchen to each seating section — one way that restaurants encourage speedy service and a higher table turnover.
How businesses encourage faster rates of turnover
From the U.K. to the U.S. and around the world, many fast food and fast-casual chains use these design tactics to subtly encourage customers to eat quickly and leave. McDonald’s saw some big changes in 2024, so it’s little surprise that it has transformed its interior spaces to enhance both customer engagement and speed, many locations now feature sleek, modern designs with neutral-toned materials like concrete and metal, paired with mood lighting. These elements create a streamlined atmosphere that subtly encourages quick dining.
And Taco Bell has adopted a similarly efficient design approach in its more recent remodels. The chain’s flagship Cantina on the Las Vegas Strip, for instance, blends a minimalist décor with unique elements (including a wedding chapel!), the streamlined design encourages you to not stay long after you’ve eaten — unless you feel like getting married after your Gordita Extreme.
Similar to fast food chains, grocery stores also use design tactics to influence customer behavior, encouraging faster shopping and increasing turnover. One of the most common strategies involves the layout of the store. Many grocery stores are designed with the intent of guiding customers through a specific path. Often, essentials like dairy and bread are placed at the back of the store, forcing shoppers to walk past a variety of other products along the way.
This not only encourages impulse buys but also speeds up the shopping process by pushing customers through different aisles quickly. When navigating specialty sections, like the frozen aisle at Trader Joe’s, for example, it helps to know what you’re looking for in advance. Just like fast food restaurants, grocery stores create environments that prioritize profit — though that usually means taking a little longer than you might have planned when heading in.
