Mashed's Exclusive Survey Uncovered Shoppers' Go-To Food To Eat At The Mall

If your local mall is sizable, as most usually are, skipping from store to store can feel like walking the streets of a big city. After a while, you're going to need something to eat, and what's better than a food court if you want to continue shopping after?

Per Marketing Mind, food courts are a convenient way to replenish lost calories and boost energy levels without having to leave. They're almost always on the top floor, which encourages people to check out stores they may have skipped otherwise.

According to Forbes, eating before you shop can save you money. You may have heard never to grocery shop while hungry, but this rule actually applies to non-food items as well. In a study by the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, hungry and non-hungry consumers were surveyed on how much they bought in a department store. Those who were hungry spent 64% more than those in the other group.

Since so many shoppers find themselves grabbing grub, we asked our readers what type of mall food they enjoy the most.

We conducted a survey of our Mashed readers to find out which mall food they grab the most often. Out of the 582 that responded, 30.93% said they usually grab a pretzel. Chinese food came in second place with 23.54% of votes, while third place went to cinnamon rolls with 18.04% of votes. The last two spots went to pizza with 17.18% of votes and fast food with 10.31% of votes.

It's likely our readers are picturing Auntie Anne's when pretzels come to mind. That's because, according to Restaurant Business Online, the brand is in 650 out of 1,200 United States' malls. Malls have long worked for the pretzel chain due to the large amount of foot traffic, though the company hopes to expand its avenues and become rediscovered elsewhere in the future.

President Heather Neary explained that malls have "worked for 30 years." However, "it's time to look at what's next for the brand" (via Restaurant Business Online).