This replication paper published in BMC Research Notes, adds to previous studies (Pechey et al 2016; Pechey et al 2017) showing an effect of wine glass size on sales in bars and restaurants. This new paper presents four studies, in two bars and one restaurant. In each study, the establishment served wine in small (290ml), medium (350ml) or large glasses (450ml), changed over fortnightly periods for 18 or 26 weeks.
Results from the different studies varied: sometimes larger wine glasses increased sales but not consistently. Given there were no significant decreases in sales with larger glasses, the increases observed are unlikely to be random fluctuation. These results are a partial replication of previous studies which show that larger glasses increase sales.
These findings are an important addition to the existing evidence base on the impact of wine glass size on sales. Uncertainty remains around the size of this overall effect and the contexts in which it occurs.
Clarke, N., Pechey, R., Pilling, M., Hollands, G. J., Mantzari, E., & Marteau, T. (2019). Wine glass size and wine sales: four replication studies in one restaurant and two bars. BMC Res Notes, 12:426 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-019-4477-8
