Background music at restaurants is not a new concept. For many years, small or large, restaurants have been using background music to provide an enjoyable dining experience to their customers. And the practice has become a staple within popular restaurants. Some restaurants stream various music playlists, whereas some tend to have limited offerings. However, many of them fail to do it correctly. Playing a varied music playlist doesn’t mean that it is done right. This article will help you fine-tune the music for your restaurant and explain how you can increase sales with the right music that matches your restaurant’s theme. 

Why you should play music in your restaurant – benefits

The concept of your restaurant is what gives your restaurant its identity and uniqueness. For that reason, the restaurant background music should complement that concept. The music can be just as important as your staff, the decor, the atmosphere, or the food.

Researchers analyzed nearly two million transactions from 16 restaurants of known chain restaurants in 2016. The results indicate that restaurants with a carefully selected mix of music representing their culture can increase revenue by more than 9 percent. Another recent research shows that the right music can boost food and drink sales up to 40%. As you can see, the importance of music in restaurants is rising quickly and substantially.  

In a separate survey, more than 2000 restaurant guests rated the impact on their experience of brand-specific music versus random after visiting a restaurant. According to the results, guests’ satisfaction and well-being increased when they listened to brand-fit music compared to random popular music. Furthermore, getting your brand’s music wrong or inappropriate can reduce overall sales by 4%, according to the industry blog FastCasual.com. Isn’t it incredible how much impact the music has on consumption? When choosing the background music for a restaurant, owners and general managers should not ignore these numbers.

How to increase sales

When you walk into a restaurant, you’re not just there to eat. You’re there for the ambiance, the atmosphere, the music, and the food. The branding and marketing strategies that high-end restaurants use affect how we consume food and make us repeatedly go back to their restaurants and restaurant background music. Let’s discuss these techniques, which will help you retain customers and increase sales. 

Bonus Read: Does Music Increase Business Sales? 

Music and Sense of Taste

Did you know that music can affect our sense of taste? Research suggests that sound has a significant impact on how we perceive flavors. For example, high-pitch sounds are associated with sweetness, whereas low-pitch sounds bring out a bitter taste. 

Famous and high-end restaurants use this knowledge and create a playlist schedule that will impact food consumption – to their advantage. 

Soft and melodic tunes have a calming effect on people, and when this type of genre is playing, people seem to be more relaxed and enjoy the food for longer and better. On the other hand, when loud and energetic music plays, it rushes people to eat quickly and with less taste. 

To retain and bring more customers, you need to choose the music that complements both the atmosphere and the food.

Keep an eye on the volume

Always make sure to pay attention to the volume, no matter what kind of music your restaurant plays. In most restaurants, the noise level should not exceed 70 decibels (including ambient sound), while more vibrant bars can play the music that’s between 75 and 80 decibels comfortably. You want to choose a decibel level that is pleasant for your customers and employees. You can turn up the music in your restaurant if it serves late-night food or drinks (especially if it has a dance floor). Paying attention to how your guests interact with the music will help you to adjust the volume level when needed. 

You should keep the background music in the background if you’re primarily a sit-down dinner type of restaurant. As mentioned above, studies have shown that guests cannot perceive sweetness and saltiness when the music is too loud and can have a negative impact on their experience.

Speed and tempo 

The first question you should answer is, “Do I want to improve the table turnover rate, or do I want people to stay longer and spend more on high-priced items?” 

If you prefer more people in and out quickly, you need to play faced-paced music at a louder volume, which is a proven table turnover trick. Studies show that people eat faster, drink more, and leave sooner. On the other hand, when classical music or soft instrumental music is played, dinners tend to order more on high-priced food and beverages, like a vintage bottle of wine. However, they also stay longer. 

Determining what you want to achieve will help you reach your goal faster with the right speed and tempo music. Additionally, you may choose to use both techniques to achieve different purposes throughout the day.

The music should fit the time of the day

To summarise the previous two points, restaurants should use a slower tempo and lower volume background music to achieve higher sales through high-priced items. To maximize sales by improving the table turnover rate, slightly louder and faster tempo music is suggested. 

Another critical aspect of the restaurant background music is matching the music with the time of the day. Playing energetic and high-tempo music during early hours for breakfast time may displease your customers. 

For lunch rush and early afternoon, slightly energetic, fun, and light tunes in the restaurant background will most certainly please the crowd. Lunch hours, especially during the weekdays, are for business meetings or to catch up with friends. People need to have comfortable conversations during these times. 

Play vibrant, instrumental music or indie selections that complement a fun, hip atmosphere during weekday evenings between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. 

After work, your restaurant will be more popular since people can come for a drink and take a break. At dinnertime, you can try to change the music to match the ambiance you want to achieve. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and think about what you want to convey. Classic rock and jazz playlists are often the right choices. Playing upbeat music at your late-night restaurant will keep your customers entertained and encourage them to stay and spend more.

Avoid leaving it to your team

Restaurants are known to be busy at most times. Taking care of your customers and preparing high-quality food does not leave you or your team much time to create playlists. 

Premade playlists are easy to use. You can even schedule the music ahead of time for the week and for different times of the day. It will allow your staff to focus on their jobs without worrying about what to play next and provide your customers with an excellent service. 

Choose the best business music streaming provider

When you subscribe to Spotify or Pandora, you may think that you can use these services to stream music over the loudspeakers in your restaurant, aren’t you? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. All businesses, including restaurants, are required to stream music that is licensed for business use. Spotify, Pandora, or any other personal use music service will not cover your music licenses for commercial use. 

Streaming copyrighted music in your restaurant without paying the necessary licensing fees could lead to severe fines and penalties.

SESAC, BMI, ASCAP, and GMR are the four Publishers Rights Organizations (PROs) in the United States. Each represents different artists and musical works, and you have to pay a fee to gain access to their music. Depending on the size of your venue and how frequently you play music, your licensing fee will differ and can be costly.

What is the simplest solution that is legal and doesn’t cost thousands of dollars in license fees? Jukeboxy.com!

• $24.99 / month
• 45+ million songs
• music licenses for business use included
• hundreds of curated playlists
• perfect for your restaurant
• try it today

The post Restaurant Music: How to Increase Sales Using the Right Background Music appeared first on Jukeboxy Blog.

Several people reported increased symptoms of stress and anxiety last year as a result of the unprecedented conditions. Two out of three adults report experiencing an increase in stress as a result of the pandemic. Their increased sensitivity to their physical and mental health has made them more aware than ever. People have started visiting spas more often in the post-vaccination world, giving spa enterprises worldwide significant growth. Thus, if you want to launch a wellness business this year, now is the time! We’re here to assist you.

Let’s look at the adventurous path you need to take to run a successful day spa.

Do Some Market Research

The first thing you have to do when opening a day spa is thorough market research. Engaging on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can be an excellent way to start your research. You can learn what’s trending, what people are looking for, and what already established spas have to offer. 

Even better, you can visit your local competition, explore their setup, book an appointment with them, and get to know how they operate. There is nothing simpler than this.

Your business can be more distinguishable from your competitors when you choose your service offerings carefully. Maybe you would prefer to offer a more limited range of services instead of providing everything. Alternatively, you may decide to offer services not yet available at other spas, like a trending spa treatment that is making headlines in European countries.

Find the ideal location

Do you want to learn the secret of a successful spa? 

Location, location, and location! An excellent rental space is essential to your business, and you need to research before you settle on one. Find an area that will match your target audience. Also, it is crucial to find a place that will cater to all the services you are offering. Having one room for both waxing and massage will not work well as a first impression and will stop returning customers. 

Your target market will also help in finding the right location. If you plan to open a high-end spa, you need to consider a place close to upscale neighborhoods. On the other hand, if your spa will be approachable to many, choosing a location with a parking lot or accessible by commute will be ideal. Once you decide on the target market, finding the place will be easier.

Calculate the startup costs

Depending on what type of spa you wish to open and how large the space is, the cost of opening will vary. But it’s unlikely to start a day spa with less than $100,000. If you do, you will need to be very creative and resourceful. For example, you can rent your equipment rather than buy, gradually expanding your services to make the initial setup as less expensive as possible.

All businesses have to obtain a business license, but when it comes to the spa business, there will be additional licenses and certifications that you need to acquire. Depending on the State, the fees for these licenses will vary.

The cost of the equipment and furniture will depend on the type of services you offer and the size of the space. For example, if you are offering medical-grade treatments, the cost of the equipment will be higher. In addition to the equipment and furniture, the startup costs include, but are not limited to:

• Construction – architect, interior designer, and cost of labor
• Subscriptions – appointment software, magazine subscriptions for waiting areas, tv and music subscriptions. 
• Professional fees – accountant, website designer, social media content creators, marketing professionals, etc. 

It’s important to leave extra room for error by adding 10-20% to the estimated startup costs.

Hire your staff

Your employees must possess a high level of expertise and professionalism to succeed in your day spa business. Consumers can be harsh when it comes to criticism. Based on their previous experiences at other spas, they may expect a high-quality service, and you must be ready to meet these expectations. Provide your customers with services that are delivered professionally and efficiently by experienced technicians.

You should start with at least two highly qualified, senior-level technicians. You can then hire talented recent cosmetology graduates who can help with basic services and whom you can train well for more success in the future. You can contact your local cosmetology schools and schedule interviews with their best students.

Obtain spa equipment for your spa treatment rooms and lobby

Contact a supplier to rent or purchase spa equipment like massage tables, portable sauna rooms, facial steamers, etc. You should contact multiple distributors to compare the prices and quality of the products. 

If renting, it is crucial to know the lifecycle of that specific equipment. If you rent equipment nearing its lifespan, you may end up with a broken piece. In that case, you may need to pause the services until you receive a new one, which will be costlier than purchasing a brand new one. 

If you have friends or family in the industry, don’t be shy to ask for help or advice. They may know a reputable supplier, or better, they may have extra pieces to offer you. It’s worth giving it a try as it can save you a lot of money.

Create the perfect spa environment

Returning customers are the best kind of customers. You need to offer your clients a memorable experience every time they come to your spa establishment to achieve return customers. Successful spas are always maintained open communication with their customers. Asking for feedback on what’s good and how to improve the experience always impacts consumers positively. 

As a day spa owner, your goal is to provide a holistic experience based on your customer’s needs and provide the perfect environment to relax and enjoy themselves.

A few tips to ensure your customers have a great spa experience:

• Keep your equipment in top condition to guarantee a luxurious experience
• Use mood-soothing colors in your spa design
• Provide high-quality products and supplies
• Put relaxing scents in the treatment rooms
• Have sound-proofed rooms to deliver the best experience
• Provide extra amenities like locker rooms, smoothie bar, and gift shops
• Set the lighting and music right to create a calming atmosphere

Background music for your day spa

Music is the perfect supplement to relaxation and well-being. When implemented correctly, the music will help your customers to enter into the zen zone and de-stress. Finding and managing the music can be a headache, however. One of its most challenging aspects is choosing the specific soundtrack for spas and playing it in compliance with the legal regulations. 

Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) collect royalties on behalf of copyright holders from the parties who wish to use copyrighted works publicly in locations such as shopping venues, restaurants, and spas. For that reason, using a personal use music streaming service like Apple Music, Spotify or Pandora is not an option. Ignoring the Copyright Law can incur some severe penalties. 

Information: Background Music for Business: Can I use Spotify, Apple & Others? Click here.

What’s the solution, you may ask. Choose a commercially licensed music streaming service provider that takes care of these licenses on behalf of your business at a low monthly subscription fee. 

Jukeboxy, for example, costs just $24.99 a month, with over 45 million licensed tracks and hundreds of curated soundtracks for business use. Jukeboxy’s spa-specific playlists are expertly curated to create the relaxing atmosphere your clients are looking for.

And, one last step: Host a grand opening party

A few months before your grand opening party, make sure you already have a social media presence. You should post about your upcoming grand opening, start an ad campaign and offer complementary treatments to first visitors. 

Offering a spa tour, complimentary mini-treatments, and gift bags with sample products will help your future customers better understand your services. Do not forget to include a spa menu in the gift bags. 

It will help if you offer discounts when your guests book their next appointment during your opening party. 

Remember, your opening party is to excite your future clients and offer them an excellent first impression. For that reason, spending some extra money on your opening party may have a fantastic outcome. 

Conclusion

Those who visit day spas have a particular goal: to relax. To provide the best relaxing atmosphere, it is crucial to pay attention to the following:

• Hiring the right technicians and staff members
• Renting or purchasing the best possible spa equipment
• Keeping the spa clean and tidy
• Fitting interior design that reflects the spa’s mood
• Implementing the perfect spa background music

When done correctly, you will have a thriving spa business. 

The post How to Open Your Own Day Spa In 7 Steps appeared first on Jukeboxy Blog.