Warning: Be careful the next time you go you to eat. The "Sullivan Nod" may cost you a few extra bucks and a few extra pounds.

The Sullivan nod, developed by restaurant consultant Jim Sullivan, is a sales technique used to create a subconscious suggestion to a customer to purchase one of a list of items. Picture this: Your server approaches your table, welcomes you to the restaurant, and then recites a list of specials. At some point during the rundown, your server nods by about 10 to 15 degrees. This happens just when he or she wants you to choose a particular item. Perhaps the nod arrives at the very mention of an expensive cocktail or a slab of cake dripping in chocolate fudge. It won't be an overly obvious nod -- the server doesn't want to distract you -- but it will be subtle and of course, suggestive.

Beware: The nod, best implemented with lists of five or more items, is effective 60 to 70 percent of the time.