Until reading the decision-making process defined, I realized how as people we really do move in predictable patterns. I am a major fan of Italian cuisine. So much so, I went out to an Italian restaurant last night. If I was to be moving to Salt Lake City (SLC) and wanted takeout, I would have a few specific criteria I would be looking for. Because I would not be looking for a dining experience, I would want a restaurant that had quality pasta, preferably made in-house, at a casual restaurant where I could pick up my order. Ideally, my price range would be flexible though, I would stay away from expensive, fine-dining prices.
Yelp is the first place I will generally look for new restaurants. This is because the content is dominantly user-generated and has information about all the major cities in the United States. At this point, I am at the second step of the consumer decision-making process – information search. Once getting to the homepage, I type in “Italian Food” in “Salt Lake City, UT.” SLC does not have a lot of options for Italian food. It appears below twenty-five restaurants exist in SLC and its directly surrounding area. Sicilia Mia, Carmine’s, Caffe Molise, and Bartolo’s chase my attention first because they all have outdoor dining and takeout. Outdoor dining becomes an influencing factor because if I like the food, I will consider dining at the restaurant in the future.
Thus, the next step is to evaluate the alternatives that I have selected. To guide my decision, I will be focusing on reviewing the photos and menu on Yelp.com to make my selection. When I order pasta, I prefer a long noodle and no meat in the dish. Many of the restaurants met a few elements of the desired criteria, but Carmine’s easily became my top option. A photo of the inside dining area first appeared on the page and I instantly knew this place has strong potential. The menu had reasonable prices and, based on the photos, they had a comfortable portion side. From glancing at the menu, the “Spaghetti alle vongole,” which is spaghetti with fresh clams, dish sounded intriguing as I do like clams. However, the photos of the food are always what determines my final decision. They did not disappoint. The dish previously mentioned looked amazing and I discovered other dishes, such as Fettuccine allo Scoglio and Linguine Ara’gosta.
If I moved to Salt Lake City and wanted to order Italian food for takeout the first time, I would order from Carmine’s and get the Spaghetti alle vongole for pickup. Though I am unsure that others would pick the same dish as me, I am sure I will not be the only person who choose this restaurant. The photos look good; the menu’s prices are agreeable; the atmosphere looks promising. I am not a little hopeful to go to Salt Lake City now, because I wish I could order this meal.