Fuel for thought: Does food sell cars?

Would you be persuaded to purchase a Ferrari after you've devoured a bowl of linguine swimming in truffle oil? A meat pie might stir up some nostalgia when you're considering a Holden SS V. And how about a burger with that Mustang?

Dealerships are going to great lengths to provide extras that will enhance the overall buying experience and keep their dealership front of mind. This is seen in the growing number of dealer diners or onsite restaurants in dealerships both here and overseas.

In California, USA, Galpin Ford hosts an upscale diner known as 'The Horseless Carriage'. The restaurant is headed up by an ex-Beverly Hills Hotel chef and serves a range of “hearty fare” from Belgian waffles to lobster. The dealership is also home to the US's first in-dealership Starbucks – perhaps not a bonus for some…

Newport Lexus in Newport Beach, California, spent a whopping $75 million on its onsite café, where you can relax by the rather opulent marble fireplace. Meanwhile in Las Vegas you can enjoy exquisite dishes like sautéed sea bass with panko bread crumbs at a Lamborghini dealership.

Closer to home a number of car and even motorcycle dealerships are investing in this sort of customer-facing infrastructure.

You can, for example, take a pit-stop at the Motorline Café at Motorline BMW in Brisbane. The menu boasts all-day breakfast and lunch featuring anything from fluffy pancakes to the towering 'Motorline Burger'.

The café is part of a 'MINI hub' where customers can view their custom-designed car on a 75-inch screen, have a group meeting or just pause and reflect. “More than another car showroom, it’s a destination in its own right” said Nichola Beecham from Motorline BMW.

Melbourne's Dutton Garage (a name synonymous with the Australian transportation industry since 1911) in Richmond is home to fast cars and slow food. The showroom has a timeless elegance, while the menu offers an array of options from buttery croissants to slow-roasted lamb with minted yoghurt.

So, is a way to a customer's heart via their stomach?

Millions of Aussies now identify as 'foodies' and fully embrace the culinary arts. Just look at the explosion of our home-grown cooking shows: the finale episode of My Kitchen Rules attracted nearly two million salivating viewers this year.

These programs have unparalleled appeal and they break down social barriers. Surely car dealerships can try to break down barriers with Aussie buyers, too?

We're not suggesting car dealerships start hosting bake-offs or MasterChef team challenges. But instead, draw on customers' emotions and offer them some fuel for thought.

There is a profound emotional connection with food and, for most people, buying a car is also an emotional experience.

Food could bring comfort to a hesitant buyer, especially if they feel like a fish out of water in a car dealership. And you'd assume if a customer is hanging around long enough to enjoy 'slow food', they will have time to mull over a trade-in deal or consider which features they really want in their next set of wheels.

Cars could sell like hot cakes, pardon the pun, with the addition of an onsite restaurant or café. Dealerships could even start leveraging online food outlet review website Zomato to boost appeal of their onsite restaurants, especially with Millennials.

Would you like to see more dealership diners? Or do you not give a fig?