Creating the Right Atmosphere For Your Restaurant

As a restaurateur you understand that the key to gaining repeat patrons is to provide more than just quality food and friendly service. You have to provide an overall positive experience for your customers from the moment they pull into the parking lot until the moment they drive away, full and satisfied.

Ambience, the atmosphere of your establishment, plays a pivotal role in the customer experience. It is a well known fact that environment influences mood. In turn, mood affects the customer's overall perception of your restaurant. It doesn't matter how great your food is or how friendly and professional your staff is, if the atmosphere is unpleasant it will tarnish how your customers view your restaurant.

Establishing Aesthetic Appeal

Take a moment to consider some of your own dining experiences. Which are the ones that stand out in your mind as being truly exceptional? Are they the meal you had in sterile, hospital like fast-food environments? Or were they the ones in establishments who created a pleasing and soothing atmosphere by well chosen colors, designs and decorations?

Of course the latter stands out much more that the former. This is because visually appealing settings directly influence mood and even perception of quality. The exact same product served in both settings will actually be better received in the nicer setting.

Aesthetic appeal is established through the use of muted and complimentary colors. Decorations should be just enough to break up the visual monotony without being distracting or garish. To complement the decor, lighting should be sufficient for easy viewing but not harsh and glaring.
Ambient Sound

Sound plays just as much of a role in influencing mood and perception as sight does. Even very slightly audible music has a subconscious effect on the listener that can subtly chance the mood of the customer. Therefore it is important to select music that is both calming and appealing.

Chances are that you customers aren't there to listen to the music, so playing top 40 music over your PA system isn't necessary or even particularly beneficial. Classical music or jazz is much more effective and creating a positive mood on a subconscious level. The subtle affects on the customer's mood create a positive view of your restaurant and enhance the dining experience.

Whatever your music selection, it should always be played low. Music should just be loud enough to hear and never so loud that customers have to talk over it. Even the most calming and soothing music loses its effect when played loud enough to be distracting. Since the beneficial effects of music happen at the subconscious level, it isn't necessary to play it above a barely audible level for it to have its beneficial effect.

Creating Balance

The most important thing is to establish a sense of visual and audio balance. Music should be appropriate to the setting and theme of the restaurant. That is to say, classical music isn't the best choice for a 50s themed restaurant. Achieve a successful balance between the two attributes and your customers will have an exceptional dining experience and will return to your restaurant again and again.