Music: heart "beat" of the place.

How can the choice of music enhance or detract from a restaurants mood and success?

In addition to the colors and decoration that visually make a certain place appealing to some and not to others, music in the place can have the same effect. Even with out seeing everyone in a restaurant one might be able to tell the types of groups the restaurant chooses to cater to based on the type of music. Is it loud? Older? Seasonal?

In the restaurants we studied the music did have an effect on the overall feel of the place. All the music was soft enough to be able to be easily heard over, this made them spaces that conversation and eating out with others that you wish to interact with would be easily possible. Chili’s played top 40 kinds of songs which fit the young couples and family’s there, as did the soft rock at Training table. Paradise had soft music of no particular genre that matched the neutral tone of the restaurant as well.

Therefore:

Music ought to fit the overall goal of the ambiance of the restaurant’s décor as well as matching the intended user groups.