Waitresses wearing red get higher tips from male customers

Washington, August 3 (ANI): Wearing red can be profitable for waitresses, whose income depends largely on the tips received from customers.

Male restaurant customers give higher tips to waitresses wearing red, according to a new study.

In their study of 272 restaurant customers, researchers Nicolas Gueguen and Celine Jacob found not only that male patrons gave higher tips than female patrons in general, but that men gave between 14.6 percent and 26.1 percent more to waitresses wearing red, while colour had no effect on female patrons' tipping behaviour at all.

The researchers explained that previous research has found that red increases the physical and sexual attractiveness of women.

Gueguen and Jacob instructed eleven waitresses in five restaurants to wear the same tee shirt in different colours (black, white, red, blue, green, and yellow) on different days over a six-week period.

The waitresses were instructed to act as they normally would to all customers and to record how much they received as a tip from each customer.

The researchers wrote, "As red colour has no negative effect on women customers, it could be in their interest to wear red clothes at work."

This study was published in a recent issue of Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (published by SAGE, on behalf of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education). (ANI)