4 Tips for Strategic Use of Background Music in your Restaurant

When you are choosing a sound system for your cafe or restaurant you will want to buy something that can satisfy the acoustical needs of the visitors. Too loud music and the guests will leave without even getting to a table; too slow music and they will not want their conversation to be overheard from the next table. As such, the main concern of restaurateurs remains how to use the background music strategically. Here are a few tips that will help you use the background music in your facility to drive success:

Play the right music: The unique concept of your restaurant represents its identity. The music that is played in the background should reflect this concept. In a restaurant or pub, good music is as important as good food and good interior. Studies show that in facilities where the music aligns with the concept, tendencies of stronger purchase behaviour and frequent visits are noticed. This also encourages visitors to offer referrals to friends and family about your restaurant. Facilities that played music unaligned to the concept noticed reduction in repeated visits and low purchase behaviour.

Fast tempo music for fast table turns: Want to improve the table turns in your facility? Interestingly, studies have shown that you can increase the table turns and service speed by increasing the tempo of the background music. Fast tempo music or song beat has the potential to increase this by 20%. Faster tempo music is believed to drastically increase the dining rate apart from increasing the service speed by 7%. When combined, both can increase the table turn by around 20% without adversely affecting the gross sales per customer.

Slow tempo music for increased bar sales: On the other hand, you can increase bar sales by around 30% by slowing down the music tempo. If faster music has the ability to speed up things, slower music is known to slow down things. A calm and relaxed environment created by slower tempo music is considered great for the bear sales. Although the slow tempo reduces service speed and table turns, visitors sit for long and drink more under the influence of the slow music.

Determining the right volume: High or low volume can increase or decrease dining rate and service speed. Louder music is said to be associated with increased sales per minute but hardly affects customers’ level with the music or the service. Low volume on the other hand slows down dining experience making the guests to stay longer in the restaurant.