The acoustics of a restaurant plays an important role just like any other visible aspect. We love going back to the restaurant not just because of the food, but also for the ambience within which we enjoy our food. Depending on the theme of the restaurant, it’s interior and its sound must be designed.
Some Important Aspects of Sound Design
1. Complementary Design
The music that is played in the restaurant must not only reflect the general vibe of the restaurant but also support the easy flow of activities within the restaurant. For instance, Starbucks generally sticks to jazz and blues tunes to support its coffee-centric business. However, pubs stick to loud music with dance beats to it, which keep the customers pumped and in a mood to drink and dance. However, if they were to swap playlists, it would interrupt with the mood of their consumers and the general ambience of the place.
2. Volume Plays a Pivotal Role
If you own a fine dining restaurant and have a playlist that is played on high volume, it will affect your walk-ins as people generally go to fine dining restaurants to talk with each other, enjoy the food, and the subtle music in the background. Hence, it is not only the music that can affect your clientele but also the volume. The easiest way to judge what music is to be played in your restaurant is to either put yourself in your customer’s shoes or to google it!
Impact of Good Sound Design on Business
A good sound design within the restaurant can elevate the entire experience for a consumer. Good music also makes up for a bad day where maybe the staff is short or a dish isn’t available that the customers have been demanding all day long.
Apart from that, good sound designing can highly affect the behavior of staff. They are also to be taken into consideration as they are listening to it every day, for the entire day. Good music means that the staff is in a better mood and more friendly with your walk-ins. However, bad music choice makes up for an irritated staff which then may lead to other mishaps.
Relationship Between Sound Design and Consumer Psychology
It is more often than not that a consumer may walk in, in a bad mood, maybe trying to not think about something that is bothering them. Good sound design can calm their mind, complementing their comfort food order, earning extra brownie points for you.
In a completely opposite scenario, the customer may leave the restaurant in a bad mood due to poor sound design.
Music has an influence over our emotions and thoughts, hence, it is important to read a little more on consumer psychology and have a clear understanding of what your restaurant strives to do. Music can be the bridge that brings more consumers to your restaurant.