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(PTFS01-04-26) Perceived Restaurant Corporate Social Responsibility and Fast-Food Ordering Behavior in a Randomized Online Experiment

Saturday, July 25, 2026
10:12 AM - 10:16 AM ET
Location: Prince George's Hall B-E (The Hub) - Poster Theater 1 / Poster Board Number: PT1-4

    Presenting Author(s)

  • MM

    Megan P. Mueller, PhD MPH

    Associate Professor
    Colorado State University
    FORT COLLINS, Colorado, United States

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • MR

    Madison Roe

    Colorado State University, United States

Disclosure(s):
Megan P. Mueller, PhD MPH: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: Restaurant corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly visible in brand messaging. Prior research suggests that restaurants with health-related CSR commitments offer menu items with only modestly different nutrient profiles than those without such commitments. This study examined whether perceived restaurant CSR was associated with the nutrition content of fast-food orders in an online randomized menu experiment.

Methods: Data were drawn from an online randomized controlled trial among U.S. adults (n=3,032). Participants viewed 1 of 8 Wendy’s menus in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design varying calorie labels, sodium stoplight labels, and all-natural claims, then selected a hypothetical meal (an entrée, side, beverage, and optional dessert). The primary predictor was perceived CSR, assessed using four items indicating whether Wendy’s was socially responsible and concerned about societal and customer well-being. Outcomes included total calories, sodium, total fat, saturated fat, sugar, and dietary fiber ordered. Multivariable linear regression models were estimated for each outcome, adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, fast-food consumption frequency, education, treatment group, income < 185% federal poverty level, age, and health literacy score.

Results: Perceived CSR was associated with ordering meals with higher energy and less favorable nutrient profiles. In adjusted models, participants perceiving Wendy’s as engaging in CSR ordered meals with +84.2 kcal (1647.5 vs. 1563.4 kcal, p< 0.001), +79.6 mg sodium (1818.0 vs. 1738.4 mg, p< 0.001), +3.67 g total fat (66.3 vs. 62.6 g, p< 0.001), +1.94 g saturated fat (24.7 vs. 22.8 g, p< 0.001), and +6.02 g sugar (131.5 vs. 125.5 g, p< 0.001) than those not perceiving CSR.

Conclusions: Perceived CSR was associated with selecting less healthful fast-food meals independent of health literacy. These findings suggest that positive CSR perceptions may shape ordering behavior in ways not aligned with nutritional quality. Future research should examine whether CSR-related perceptions contribute to health halo effects and modify responses to nutrition labeling interventions.

Funding Sources: Colorado State University Food Science and Human Nutrition Research and Innovation Fund