How Environment Impacts Guest Experience
Ambient light: Ambient lighting that is too bright or too dark has a high likelihood to become a deterrent, and a silent brand detractor.
Colors: Colors evoke specific feelings. Red and yellow stimulates appetites, while blue decreases appetites but increases feelings of calmness and comfort. Blue creates the appearance that time passes quicker, while red restaurants create the appearance that time passes by slower for guests.
Music: Multiple studies show that music has a direct impact on the amount that guests spend when visiting restaurants. Music should match a brand’s image. Slow music increases a customer’s willingness to spend more money, while faster music can contribute to more alcoholic beverage sales and creates a more casual environment.
Background noises: Restaurants should have a medium sound level. Customers in quiet restaurants spend more money and eat more of their food, but they can also contribute the low sound levels to a low quality restaurant with high-cost food. Guests in noisy restaurants both spend and eat less, so if traffic is high it’s important to have interior sound proofing present.
Aesthetics: Not only do guests prefer a positive overall brand interior appearance, attractive restaurants are an additional social media marketing tool.
WiFi Signals: WiFi is an invisible contributor to guest experience. It allows guests to share on social media, feel connected, and studies show that guests spend more in locations where fast, free, and accessible (non password protected) WiFi is present.