As all restaurateurs and chefs know, creating a unique environment for your restaurant is an important part of the dining experience and music is an essential part of creating the right ambiance for your restaurant.

For example, music that is too loud or energetic can ruin the dining experience and if the music is too soft and slow for your restaurants environment, it can negatively effect the mood of your guests as well as your employees.

What you want is for the music to perfectly encapsulate your food, your brand the experience you want to offer your guests.

Based on the type of restaurant and your brand, playing the right music at the right time can lead to an increase in sales. Here's how:

Choosing Your Music: For most restaurants, slow music is advised unless you are a fast-food restaurant or your need a fast-turnover (QSR, buffets, food courts, etc)

For example, with fine dining you are almost always better off playing slow music such as classical, jazz or high-end lounge. Slow music makes people act more slowly. It will lengthen the average visit and, yes, it has been studied that people take less bites per minute when dining with slow music in the background.

As an effect, it turns out that slower music can also lead to a 40% increase in spendings on drinks (Milliman), as people stay a bit longer and take some extra time for their conversations and meals. The same goes for softer music.

So if your aim is to keep people in your bar/restaurant and maximize revenues per guest, slow and soft music will do the trick. If your aim is quick turnover and multiple dinners per table per night with a buffet for example, faster and louder music is more suited.

Looking to put together a unique music strategy for your restaurant? Get in touch with us today for a free consultation.