Review Of Related Studies On The Effects Of Music On Responses To A Dining Area

Introduction

"It's a good day to have a good meal" is what many of the customers think when they enter a restaurant or a café or any kind of dining area. As a layman understanding, the factors that influence a customer to like a restaurant or café would be

1. Great food
2. Reasonable pricing with a large variety to choose from
3. Good ambiance
4. Good customer service. As we are here to discuss the effect of music on one's dining experience, let us understand the influence of the atmosphere on the customer. The mood of the dining area can be set by several factors, i. e. , by the décor, by the music and by the theme that determines both. Music plays an important part when it comes to entertainment. Different genres of music are enjoyed by people around the world. In general, music comprises of pitch, harmony, dynamics, texture, timbre, and rhythms. Changes made to these elements result in various genres, and different expressions and form. Let us understand the effects of music in various settings and different demographic setups. For this, we need to do some market research to understand the preferences of various kinds of customers and the results of such changes done by other competitors, in this case, other restaurants. Market research provides you with all the information that is critical to making better business decisions that are more profitable. Research is important not only for big businesses with huge investments and turn-overs but also to new startups and small businesses.

Source 1

This article focuses on the laboratory experiments conducted by Konecni and his coworkers on the relationship between music and the environment. Konecni made a series of experiments that demonstrated the relation between arousal-evoking of musical stimulus with arousal-evoking qualities of specific response of the experimental setting. One study was where the subjects were first insulted or treated neutrally while entering the place. Then they were treated to melodies. Both cases showed manipulations in the fake electric shocks but the subjects who faced insults and then exposed to high arousal musical gave maximum electric shocks. Another study by Ramos (1993), where the music played while customers waited for their calls to be answered influenced the number of people who stayed connected in the call or disconnected the call before it was addressed. Stratton and Zalanowski (1984) found that soothing music increased the vibrations of a group discussion as opposed to stimulating or no music. One study demonstrated that expensive wine sales increased when classical music was played rather than top picks. One study of our interest was by Milliman in 1982 were fast, slow and no music was played in a supermarket. People spent less amount on buying with an increase in their walking speed while fast tempo music was played. Also, in restaurants, meals where eaten quicker. The intake of drinks increased when slow tempo music was played.

The main experiment talked in the article was conducted in a university cafeteria. A total of 285 subjects participated in the survey. The music was divided into 5 types low-complexity new-age, high-complexity new-age, moderate-complexity new-age, moderate-complexity organ, and no music conditions. 15 students measured the complexity of 32 nonlyrical excerpts with 10 as highest complexity and 0 as the lowest complexity. The experiment was conducted for 2 days where the advice stall was set up and the number of people approaching the stall was measured. The recording was played for 2 days and four times each day. The volunteers approached the subjects with questionnaires. The results table is shown below. The result shows that there was a positive response to the listening situation. The responses can be predicted based on the complexity of the music played. One example was mentioned where a complainant wanted the music to be turned off and was showing signs of using physical violence.

Source 2

For this study Chinese restaurants are chosen for understanding the relationships between dining atmosphere, behavioral and emotional responses and perceived values. The Mehrabian–Russel model (hereafter, M–R) can be used to understand the effect of physical environment on human behavior. The model states that emotional response acts as a mediator in the relationship between environmental stimuli and human behavior. Physical environment affects an individual’s emotional state, which in turn defines the individual’s approach/avoidance behavior toward the environment. The objectives of this study are as below: (1) Investigate the effect of dining atmospherics on behavioral intentions through positive and negative emotions;(2) Investigate the effect of dining atmospherics on behavioral intentions through perceived value; and, (3) Test the mediating role of perceived value in the relationship between emotional responses and behavioral intentions.

Hypotheses have been derived for this study and the R-M model has been proposed.

H1a. Dining atmospherics has a positive effect on positive emotions.

H1b. Dining atmospherics has a negative effect on negative emotions.

H2a. Positive emotion has a positive effect on behavioral intentions.

H2b. Negative emotion has a negative effect on behavioral intentions.

H3. Dining atmospherics has a positive effect on perceived value.

H4. Perceived value has a positive effect on behavioral intentions.

H5a. Positive emotion has a positive effect on perceived value.

H5b. Negative emotion has a negative effect on perceived value.

Three Chinese mid-scale restaurants were surveyed with full-table occupancies. 348 questionnaires were used. The result can be jotted down to 3 main points. Firstly, aesthetically pleasing and comfortable atmosphere can play a key role in satisfying customers’ overall experience and restaurant image. Secondly, perceived value plays a central role so while interior design and human elements were both significantly add value, it is important to upgrade employee training and education. Various visual elements must be considered when redecorating or redesigning the interior and décor such as wallpaper colors, paintings, decorative items and interior plants to enhance the mood of the diners. Third, this study stresses on developing long-lasting relationships with customers as the emotional responses influence both perceived value and behavioral intentions.