20 Sneaky Tricks Fast Food Chains Use To Keep You Coming Back For More

You’d think we know better than to eat fast food – given all the attention surrounding its health and nutritional aspects. Yet we continue to crave the taste of chicken nuggets and French fries. But if you’ve ever fallen prey to the urge for fast food, then it’s likely because these companies know the right moves to keep you coming back. So, let’s explore together 20 ways that these chains make it impossible to say no.

20. They use specific colors to make you hungry

Have you ever noticed how fast food chains have certain colors in their logo? Think of McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Burger King: they all share the same shades of red and yellow. Well, this isn’t some random coincidence or a case of lazy graphic design. It’s actually a concerted effort to get customers into their restaurants.

Both red and yellow subconsciously make us feel positive emotions such as desire and satisfaction, according to Insider. And this combo – dubbed the “Ketchup and Mustard Theory” in marketing – can easily trick you into buying a meal. But these aren’t the only colors chains employ. Subway, for example, uses green in its logo because of the hue’s association with freshly grown produce.

19. They overload your senses with olfactory delicacies

Picture the scene: it’s lunchtime and you’re on your way to get a healthy lunch. Suddenly, you pass a fast food place and the smell of fries is too much to turn down. Sound familiar? If so, then you’ve fallen prey to one of the oldest tricks in the fast food book – entice the nose before tempting the stomach.

The Cake website explained in 2019, “Smell and taste are closely linked because flavor engages them both.” Because of this, fast food chains will reportedly often beef up the natural aroma of their restaurants. This includes using diffusing machines to inject the atmosphere with synthetic odors which smell like their products.