Do Restaurants Cater to Locapours? Using Zagat Survey Data to Examine Factors that Influence Wine List Selections

There has been an increase in interest in local foods among final consumers in the United States, and there has also been a rise in offerings of local products in restaurants. Here we use Zagat Survey data and restaurant-specific menu information to estimate factors that influence the availability of New York State (NYS) wine in 1,401 NYS restaurants. We focus on wine because the production region is clearly labeled on the menu and because there is a burgeoning wine industry in NYS. Our econometric results indicate that décor ratings, cuisine styles, certain wine list characteristics, and distance to wine regions have a statistically significant impact on the likelihood of NYS restaurants serving local wine.