If you are the person who opens a restaurant menu, scans it for a few seconds and orders exactly what you had the last time, you are hardly alone. others find comfort in sticking to a familiar dish While some diners treat every meal as an opportunity to try something new. For many people, choosing a familiar dish simply feels easier than weighing up unfamiliar options. Psychology does not suggest that always ordering the same food points to one particular personality type. Instead, research into food choice suggests that familiarity, habit, enjoyment and the desire to reduce the effort involved in making a decision can all influence what people order.
A 2024 study published on ScienceDirect under Appetite , based on interviews and a second study examining meal-choice strategies, found that people commonly searched restaurant menus for meals that were enjoyable, affordable or familiar. A familiar dish comes with very little uncertainty. You already know how it tastes, how filling it is and, importantly, whether you actually enjoy it. Familiarity was identified as one of the frequently used strategies when choosing what to eat. That can make a repeat order less about a lack of curiosity and more about avoiding an unnecessary gamble. If you know that the chicken biryani you always order is satisfying, there is little incentive to risk spending money on something you may not like. Choosing what to eat can involve comparing prices, ingredients, portion sizes, dietary preferences and personal tastes. Repeating a familiar choice removes much of that mental work. Research published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics on habitual food choice has suggested that people can adopt decision strategies that reduce cognitive effort. For some diners, relying on a familiar option can make the decision process simpler and more automatic. Habitual selection is one possible strategy alongside deliberate choice and variety-seeking. This is particularly relevant when someone is tired, distracted or simply does not want to spend time thinking about dinner. The familiar order becomes almost automatic.
For someone who has already found a meal they genuinely enjoy, ordering it again can therefore be a predictable and satisfying choice rather than an unwillingness to experiment. Trying something new carries uncertainty. The dish could be excellent, but it could also be disappointing. But eating the same thing does not always mean you will never want variety Interestingly, humans also have a well-documented tendency to seek variety. Trying different options can help keep meals interesting and prevent the sense of repetition that can come from eating the same thing too often. Research published in Appetite has found that repeated consumption of the same food can increase boredom and reduce acceptance over time, while allowing people to choose among different versions can reduce that effect. This may explain why someone can order the same coffee every morning but suddenly crave something completely different for dinner. People may return to the same dish for different reasons, including familiarity, habit, convenience, reducing the effort of making a decision or simply knowing they will enjoy the meal. For some people, a familiar order can also create a sense of comfort, particularly when they do not want to spend time weighing several options. Past experience gives them a clear idea of what to expect, from the flavour and portion size to how satisfying the meal is likely to be. In many cases, choosing the same food may be less about personality and more about predictability. When a dish has already delivered a satisfying experience, ordering it again removes the uncertainty that comes with trying something unfamiliar. Sometimes, the simplest explanation is also the most practical: you already know what you like.