There is a correlation in how the music in a restaurant affects the way we consume food there. Music sets the mood of the entire restaurant right from the kitchen staff to the servers to the final customers, so when the music aligns with the brand value of the eating place, it can win the hearts of everyone in the restaurant’s ecosystem, giving them a holistic sensory experience. That is why music is as important as food, decor, and kitchen, all major components to take into consideration while implementing a successful F&B restaurant strategy.
Some studies even suggest that restaurants that played low-tempo music had higher revenue because consumers chose to stay longer and order more foods and drinks. Music, as a sensory element, had the power to hold a customer’s interest in the restaurant.
Let’s see in detail how music in restaurants turns out to be a smart F&B restaurant strategy :
1) Calms and holds the customer’s attention
Once a customer places their order, the next step is the wait. It’s a fact that no one enjoys waiting for their food. When there is no music playing, customers can get irritated and anxious by the sounds of the cutlery moving and the chattering they can overhear from nearby tables, resulting in offsetting the mood once the food arrives. That is why music is crucial for the success of the restaurant. It has the power to subconsciously distract the customer and can get them into a good mood. But, restaurateurs need to be mindful to understand the ambiance they want to create with the music they play in their restaurants.
For instance, this F&B restaurant strategy can backfire if a fine dining sushi place decides to play a heavy metal song instead of soft, ambient music.
Fit is important when it comes to music selection.
2) Consumption of food is faster
As previously mentioned that low-tempo music results in customers staying longer in restaurants and ordering more. However, in a bar or lounge set-up where the tempo of the music is higher and faster, this induces a response in customers to chew their food faster. Customers end up ordering more drinks and foods to accompany their drinks while enjoying and swaying to the beats of the music being played. It’s a general observation that drinks cost more than food items in bars and lounges, the reason being that people visit these joints to have a good time and end up consuming more.
3) Employee morale is better
Background music helps in the release of dopamine, which triggers adrenaline and increases the efficiency of the employees in a good way. This results in happy employees giving better service resulting in happier and satisfied customers.
4) Waiting isn’t boring
Calming music in a fine dining restaurant makes customers patient while they wait. If the music is soothing, customers patiently wait for their table for up to 47 minutes, according to studies. If the music is not calming, the waiting time at the same restaurant can lower by 20%. Another important F&B restaurant strategy to keep in mind when it comes to music in restaurants. Because the bottom line for restaurants is profits. And music will help restaurants get there.
5) Helps maintain ‘customer privacy’
Customers visit restaurants to have private conversations with their partners, friends, or family. Music plays an important role in tuning out customer voices and gives a sense of privacy. It creates an illusion of a bubble, where two people can speak freely, without being worried if the people sitting at the other table can overhear their conversation and vice versa.
6) Food + Music = Ultimate therapeutic experience
When food is combined with music, it has the power to create the ultimate therapeutic experience for the consumers. Good food with good music releases happy hormones in people, at the same time calms them, almost like a therapy/spa session. That’s why restaurants believe in catering to the overall sensory experience of their patrons.
7) Music can affect the flavor of the food
Ever wondered why a bag of potato chips seems tastier when we can hear the crunch sound? It’s because chips taste better when they are crispier.
Scientifically speaking, sound changes our perception of the taste of food. With that logic, it can be deduced that music has a major impact on our perception of a food dish.
Music makes everything we eat better. It’s been proven that in a successful restaurant people eat much more when there is music being played and also are willing to pay more too.
8) Customers develop an emotional attachment to the restaurant
Music has the power to determine the affection of a customer to that place. A restaurant that plays a great playlist can turn customers into loyalists. It’s like an eternal bond is created between a customer and the restaurant, because of the music.
It can be concluded that music is crucial to the success of running restaurants and one of the only F&B restaurant strategies that have the power to truly move the customers from their core and affect their buying patterns resulting in profitability.
Need an F&B consultant that can help execute the best strategies for your food business? Connect with one at HPG Consulting, a multi-faceted consulting firm that specializes in food service, laundry planning, waste management, etc. covering all market segments. This consulting group has built great food service consultants and hospitality businesses in the industry. HPG Consulting’s clients, such as Taj & Carlson, Mainland China, IIMs, swear by services provided by the F&B consultants because they achieve their client’s vision to the optimal level.
Why deploy the services of an HPG Food Service consultant?
- They know the sweet spot between efficiency and cost
- They cover every aspect of the business, right from planning, implementation to running operations.
- They work as a strong team with your business. It’s an overall collaborative approach.
- They offer tech-based and market-driven solutions to problems.
- They always guarantee 100% results.
Get in touch with an Food service consultant at HPG and take a step towards the success of your restaurant.