The Importance of Music for Customers

Everyone likes to listen to music at least every once in a while. Music is an important factor which can effect whether a costumer is going to like and/or have fun at a restaurant or not. As music by itself is very general there are some sub-dimensions that help us explain and understand more about this term. The sub-dimensions too have impact at the overall guest satisfactions and some of them are: Music volume, Music style and background noise.

Music is reported to be an important for the restaurants atmosphere by Areni (2003) and Wilson (2003). Areni (2003) found that the music is able to increase enjoyment as well as heighten the quality of the experience as long as it is not repeated regularly. Wilson (2003) also found that different types of music can change the atmosphere of the restaurant and this can be either good or bad depending the situation. Wilsons study was to that at a restaurant they would have no music and later on change between five different styles of music and see if it will have any impact to the atmosphere and different aspects of the restaurant like sales.The difference turned out to be significant.

The study results state that several factors were influencing the relationship between music and consumer perceptions. “For example, results showed that the more people dining at a table, the more the restaurant was perceived as ‘cerebral’ and ‘aggressive’. This relationship was found to be significant in both the jazz and control conditions. Results also suggested that an interactive effect occurred between the style of music, subjects’ perception of the atmosphere, and the amount of alcohol consumed. For example, ratings for several adjectives increased with the amount of alcohol consumed when jazz was playing.

A significant interactive effect was also found between the style of music played, patrons’ responses to the quality of service, and responses to atmosphere. Lending support to Dube et al. (1995) and North and Hargreaves (1996), these results suggest that music may be positively related to patrons’ willingness to interact. Findings also suggested an interaction between music, perceived atmosphere and time of night. That is, the restaurant atmosphere was perceived as less invigorating later in the evening for the easy listening and no music conditions.” (Taken from Phycology of music. (the last document on blackboard))

The restaurants also might not be able to make costumers feel good due to an unpleasant noisy setup , which breaches the privacy and comfort levels of the customers. In a QSR, this cannot be avoided hence some good music should be regularly played. High-pitched conversations of the employees should also be very seriously accounted for, as it may send negative vibes to the customers. Some restaurants have televisions, etc. but with an uncomfortable view which should be addressed. In addition, soft musical orchestra arrangements like Ghazals, etc. have become popular in many restaurants.

Many customers often revisit due to these special events. In other words, a customer intends to visit a restaurant for refreshment, which includes good food, entertainment and a soothing experience. (from the 9th document from bottom to top)There is also “the taste theory” that suggests that the louder an environment is, the less likely the costumer is to enjoy the food. Generally high noise levels reduces taste and smell. When the costumer is exposed to lots of noise it is harder for him/her to recognise the flavours and aromas of the food. This happens because we are easily distracted by background noise this takes away from our dining experience even though we can cover up some of that background noise of course by playing the correct music.