The Daily Dish: January 6, 2016

Today's first course?

Overweight Waiters Actually Influence Us to Order More Food at Restaurants

Being attended to by an overweight waiter actually influences how we order food and drinks at a restaurant, a new study from the Environment and Behavior journal suggests. Specifically, the more overweight your server is, the more food you order, and the more likely you are to end the meal with dessert. It's not exactly clear why this is, but researchers Tim Döring and Brian Wansink suggest that it's because a "heavy person sets a social norm," especially in a setting like a restaurant.

Patti LaBelle Launches Two New Walmart Cakes

And following the viral success of Patti LaBelle's Sweet Potato Pie, Walmart introduces two new products to be sold under LaBelle's Good Life brand. The launch is part of Walmart's ongoing efforts to revamp its bakery department, according to BuzzFeed. Both cakes have been in the works since last March, when LaBelle and Walmart started working together. Though Walmart hopes the cakes spark another viral hit, Kinna Thomas, senior buyer for cakes and pies, says, "At the end of the day, our focus is on quality..."

More Than 30,000 Dairy Cows Anticipated Dead Across Texas, New Mexico as a Result of Winter Storm Goliath

Winter Storm Goliath, officially named the deadliest U.S. storm in 2015, killed 52 people as a result of severe weather conditions, but the effects on the dairy industry are expected to continue, with an estimated death toll of more than 30,000 cows. Dangerous blizzard conditions are believed to have killed five percent of mature dairy cows. The primary impact area includes half of Texas' top 10 milk-producing counties, and is home to 36 percent of the state's dairy cows. As if that wasn't bad enough, during the blizzard hundreds of milk shipments ready for processing were wasted.

That's today's Daily Dish, stop by tomorrow for another helping.