3 Reasons Your Restaurant Needs a Quality Sound System

Music and dining have been a popular pair for centuries. In fact, it would be quite unsettling today to walk into a restaurant or bar in Seattle, WA that isn’t accompanied by tone-setting background music. Whether patrons notice it or not, the music you play at your eatery greatly affects their impression of your establishment as well as their purchase behaviors.

A well-developed music strategy can positively impact your restaurant sales. If you want to encourage faster turnover or sway diners to buy top-shelf options, you need a quality restaurant sound system, multi-zone control, and the right music to make it happen. Keep reading to discover three benefits you’ll receive when you implement strategic use of a restaurant sound system.

SEE ALSO: How to Create a Wow-Factor AV System for Your Restaurant or Bar

Music Sets the Tone

When creating the mood of your bar or eatery, music plays a key role. The songs you choose, and the volume at which you play them, helps complement your brand and sets the tone for your guests as soon as they walk in. It’s important to know your target demographic and research their taste in music, too. For example, an intimate bistro targeted toward adults should sound very different from a big family-friendly brunch spot. Likewise, if you want to create a warm and familiar tone, the music you play will be different from an eatery that wishes to create a more formal dining experience.

Don’t forget that volume matters! Studies show that when music is loud, your guests will chat less and buy more food and drinks. When music is too low, guests will feel unsettled and likely not visit your restaurant again. Music helps create a personal and private space around guests in public places, allowing them to have conversations and relax without feeling the intrusive presence of nearby diners.

Music Makes Waiting More Pleasant

Music isn’t only important in your dining areas. You should also have speakers installed in your waiting areas to entertain guests who are in line to be seated. After all, your waiting areas are likely where the tone-setting begins. Think of where your guests gather in your restaurant: Do they stand in line outside your door? Do you have a designated patio area where guests wait to be seated? All these spaces should receive quality audio so that your soon-to-be patrons are properly entertained while waiting.

Music Impacts Spending Behavior and Turnover

Most importantly, the music you play greatly impacts how your guests spend their time and money. Studies show that up-tempo music encourages guests to order and eat quicker, therefore increasing turnover. Up-tempo music is perfect for fast-service restaurants or bars where the goal is to get in as many people as possible during working hours.

On the other hand, if you manage an intimate or upscale restaurant, low and slow music will encourage guests to spend more time at their table as well as spend more money on more courses, such as dessert and coffee or after-dinner cocktails.

The type of music you play can also be used as a cue to interpret the style of your establishment, which can affect how people spend money with you. For example, studies show that restaurants playing jazz and classical music are perceived as higher class, and therefore more expensive, than restaurants playing pop and rock music. You can use this to your advantage when drawing in your target audience.

When you’ve established the ideal music strategy for your restaurant, controlling it should be easy so that you can spend more time tending to customers. Our team can design and install a customized multi-zone sound system that blankets your establishment with quality audio while staying out of the way. Music selection and volume control for every zone are simple from the convenience of a centralized and intuitive touch panel so your staff can easily set the ambiance from morning to evening.

Ready to harness the power of music for your restaurant? Wipliance is ready to assist. Schedule a free consultation by contacting us here or sending us a live chat below.