What's more, according to preliminary research from Cornell University, sitting far from the front door prompted customers to order more desserts, probably because you're piling on calories for the long walk back to the car. Even the shape of your table can be used to manipulate you -- Starbucks' small, round tables are designed that way to make the customer feel more comfortable when they're seated alone, so they'll stick around for longer. Which is important, because the Starbucks experience is like 10 percent coffee, 90 percent looking cool in front of strangers.
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This guy was stoned to death with blueberry muffins for not bringing a Mac.
On the other hand, some restaurants go as far as designing their venues to try to force customers to eat and clear out for the next lab rats to shuffle in. When diners sit in the center of the room, exposed to the action of the business, they'll be less comfortable and unlikely to hang around. The chairs are also made intentionally uncomfortable, so those snarky waiters aren't always the only pain in the ass. You know a restaurant actually wants you to stay in it when the seating is more convenient and the chairs are nicer than your bed.
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Stay here, however, and you'll be wailing in pain louder than that poor chair is.
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