Technology not only helps restaurants become more digitally savvy but also improve the overall dining experience. The introduction of multisensory engagement has the ability to enhance the dining experience for customers.
A multisensory dining experience uses sight, sound, and smell to create a specific atmosphere. This will not only enhance the food but also stimulate evocative emotions and memories. This type of immersive experience is elevating the dining experience and changing how patrons perceive certain dishes and food.
For many patrons, a restaurant’s atmosphere is just as important as its food and drink menu. Few things add energy and elevate a dining experience like the right AV system solution. Professional audiovisual systems create experiences that impress guests and attract new customers.
1. Delicious symphonies
Music is a crucial element in creating positive customer experiences. Sound is an intersection between a customer perception of your restaurant and its ambiance. The sounds customers hear during dining can influence their experience.
Research has shown that sound can change a diner’s perception of food. The subconscious plays a critical role in creating the perfect level of subtle emotional engagement. High-frequency sounds make food taste sweeter. Low-frequency brings out bitterness within a flavor profile.
The type of music and noise level emitted from your AV system also plays a crucial role. Music selection is a key part of delivering a memorable dining experience. Overly popular songs diminish customer appreciation due to the songs being too noticeable or distracting. Audial ambiance can also serve to stifle distracting background noise.
The right decibel level of your AV system can mask ambient noise and drown out surrounding conversations.
2. Light food
Many restaurants agonize over seasonal menus, interior design and upselling to drive overall customer satisfaction, yet overlook the importance of lighting in setting the appropriate tonal ambiance.
Audiovisual lighting companies advise that the right type of lighting can appropriate the right mood and response from patrons.
A recent survey found that 72% of customers left a restaurant early in a disappointed state because the venue was poorly lit or overtly bright. The same survey found that nearly 75% of patrons stayed longer than planned when the lighting felt warm and inviting.
A restaurant’s lighting system is often an afterthought. Yet it is crucial to customer satisfaction. Much like sound, different lights perform different tasks. The right type of lighting can elevate a space, making ceilings seem higher and rooms appear larger. They also serve to create focal points in zonal areas of a restaurant. This highlights a restaurant’s individual style, accentuating key architectural or design features.
3. The right table setting
Just as important in amplifying a restaurant’s atmosphere with sound and lighting is how they layer each other according to space and concept.
Not every type of light will work with every venue or space. Small restaurants may only require individual tables to be accentuated to create an intimate setting. Likewise, a large open space restaurant may benefit from various sources of lighting, such as accent lighting and task lighting.
Music should also match your customer base. Different audio tempos provide different results. Fast tempo background music increases table turns. This is especially crucial for restaurants that serve a busy lunch rush. Slow tempo music encourages patrons to linger. This increases bar orders as customers relax in accordance to the atmosphere. To make the right choice for an appropriate music repertoire, you should consider a quality streaming service. Learn more about music streaming services with RSS technology.
With such a highly competitive landscape, restaurants need to do everything in their power to deliver a unique dining experience. Creating the right experience is important in attracting and sustaining a customer base. Employing the right type of AV technology fitting of its concept and space increase a restaurant’s attraction level.
While numerous factors play a role in how a restaurant is designed, a key component is atmosphere. Atmosphere affects profitability. A customer’s experience is defined by their comfort level and desire to return.
Music and light are crucial elements in creating an atmospheric experience that makes patrons want to return and recommend your restaurant to others. On the other hand, poorly designed AV systems can affect customer behavior negatively.
AUTHOR BIO
Joe Chidiac, Managing Partner of Pulse Middle East, specializes in audio visual and lighting system integration with a 12-year track record of leading in large-scale projects in the Middle East. Mr. Chidiac holds a BA in sound engineering and music technology and moved to the Middle East right after his graduation.
Before becoming a very successful businessman in the AV and lighting system integration industry, setting up his own business, Mr. Chidiac had worked with multinational companies from which he gained a wealth of experiences in system integration. He is passionate about his business and mostly spends his free time exploring new ideas and constantly educating himself on new trends and technologies.
