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The best restaurant background music makes your customers want to stay and come back for more. In fact, studies have shown that background music can increase sales by as much as 9%. If curated with care, the right music will elevate the dining experience, reinforce your brand's identity, and help drive your restaurant ahead of the competition. Let's dive into how to create the perfect soundscape for your business.
It's true, background music really can help outline your restaurant's personality. That's adding much more depth to the dining experience. The pre-selected choice of tracks that reflect your brand and venue atmosphere enables them to connect well with customers at deeper levels. Of course, great food is essential in any restaurant business, but blending delicious food with remembered music makes this establishment unique and cultivates a dedicated patron base.
The right music complements your restaurant's design and customer flow. Be it a family-friendly eatery, a fine-dining restaurant, or a high-energy café, the music should mirror the vibe of that place. Country tunes work in casual restaurants to appeal to the widest possible audience, while fine dining establishments do better with elegant instrumental tracks that don't overpower conversation. Always adjust the tempo and tone of your playlist to match the energy of your patrons and time of day.
The playing of music in public areas comes with a string of regulations. Should one want to simply play Spotify, Pandora, or Apple Music, such services are not licensed for commercial use. Thus, one either needs to subscribe to a commercial streaming service or implement royalty-free music. Services like Soundtrack Your Brand, Rockbot, and Stingray Business pre-license the music, while also offering playlists catering to restaurants.
Switch out playlists throughout the day to match the mood and activity of your customers. The morning calls for calm, soothing tunes that ease your patrons awake. Lunchtime brings in upbeat tracks that can fill your space with energy, while happy hour requires lively, high-energy tunes to push drink sales. Dinner calls for a more subdued yet sophisticated playlist that creates a comfortable dining environment. Make sure to pay close attention to the energy of your venue and turn up/down or slow down/speed up your playlist accordingly.
Try not to fall into the rut of constantly repeating playlists of similar tastes. Design your playlist with a minimum of 600 songs and restructure regularly. Make sure variety abounds by offering genre, tempo, and mood, allowing all demographics to find something appealing. A well-designed playlist can increase your food and beverage sales up to 40% more. Your diversity will indeed entertain the patron but will also enable longer stays and return visits.
Background music should never be overpowering. Keep the volume low enough so your customers can talk and enjoy the atmosphere. Of course, on a busy night, notch up the volume just a bit to raise the energy level, and on slow nights, play soft music to invite guests to linger and even order more.
A staggering 83% of businesses risk significant fines for playing unlicensed music or using popular streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora, which are explicitly not authorized for public use in commercial settings. Copyright laws clearly prohibit the public performance of copyrighted music for commercial purposes without proper licensing, leaving non-compliant businesses vulnerable to legal consequences. To ensure compliance, restaurants, bars, and other venues must turn to commercial music streaming platforms or secure licenses for royalty-free tracks or through collective management organizations. By doing so, businesses can access legally licensed music, enjoy customizable playlists tailored to their brand, and avoid the stress of copyright violations. The solutions we’ve outlined below not only help protect your business from costly penalties but also create the perfect atmosphere to enhance your guests' experience and reinforce your venue's identity.
With the perfect playlist, you will increase customer satisfaction, raise sales, and ensure your employees enjoy a better working environment. The music selection that reflects your brand and follows licensing guidelines will make sure every visitor has a memorable experience. Start creating your restaurant's soundtrack today and watch your customers come back for more.
