Have you ever stopped to think; what do you like about the sound of your favourite restaurant? Is that different to what you love about the sound in your favourite bar? I’m guessing it’s probably not something you’ve ever thought about, but it matters.
When you think about what you love about being somewhere sound can so often be overlooked, but getting it right is probably part of the reason why it’s your favourite place to visit for that special meal, or to hang out with friends.
Exceptional restaurants and bars deliver a total sensory experience for their guests. Great food and surpassable service are obviously paramount, but creating the right environment within which this is delivered is also vital for a truly memorable guest experience.
To get that right, one size does not fit all. So what needs to be different?
Sound in a restaurant setting should be there to create a consistent ambience. It should be designed to be intrinsic, like the decor it’s omnipresent.
Delivering this is done through installing the right number of speakers in the right places, to ensure that the sound is consistent as you move throughout a space. It is also important that this same sound experience can be delivered between venues if restaurants have more than one site, then no matter where in the country, (or the world), your guest is dining, they always know they are experiencing your Brand.
Speakers in restaurants are often blended into the interior decor. Integrated in both functionality and design, they can be invisible; fitted behind finished surfaces so no one even knows they are there, or finished with colours which are carefully matched to blend with the decor so they are as unobtrusive as possible. As a result you might not realise how important the role of the sound is in creating that overall dining experience, but take it away and what you experience in the same space would be completely different.
Designing and installing a quality sound system as part of a dining space ensures that guests get the maximum benefit from their dining experience. The sound system and the music that it plays helps to create a mood, which in turn enhances the food that’s served and the people who serve it.
The desired function of a sound system in bars is somewhat different. Guests are often visiting for a different social experience, live music or DJs may be involved and food is often not central to the overall event. The same high-quality sound experience needs to be delivered but with a different vibe. Although important, that’s not just about setting various presets and volume levels throughout the day to reflect venue usage and minimise the impact on neighbours at antisocial times, it’s also about getting the dynamic of the ambiance right.
In bars, sound becomes more of a feature and less part of the overall integrated ambience. Less speakers may be installed than in a restaurant of a comparable size, resulting in hot and cold spots; loud and soft areas to create a certain vibe.
Speakers in bars may also be more visible; delivered with a certain ‘look’ to reflect the overall feeling of the space such as an obvious vintage style to complement rather than blend invisibly with the decor of a venue.
Whatever the focus of your hospitality venue, expertly designing and installing a quality sound system can help you to differentiate, and make it your guest’s venue of choice.
