T

he ambiance of a restaurant plays a major role in attracting people and influencing their choices. The ambient temperature, lighting, sound, music and decor can affect the dining experience.

Usually, the atmosphere of a restaurant is set up based on the goal of the restaurant. If it is designed to attract a young crowd, then loud music and bright lights should permeate through the venue. To mesmerize lovebirds, the venue would require a softer touch, with dim lights, soft music and perhaps lakeside, beachfront or a garden view.

The ambiance of the restaurant can even stimulate appetite. This usually happens in clubs and even restaurants that set up televisions or projectors displaying soccer matches and other shows.

It can also cause people to sit in the place longer and end up ordering extra dishes. A relaxed environment increases satisfaction and decreases consumption as people eat more slowly while conversing deeply with someone.

Nowadays, people are increasingly preoccupied with social media and they tend to be more interested in going to restaurants to snap pictures of their meals and, of course, of themselves having fun at that particular venue.

This is why social media such as Instagram and Path allow people to mention the location of the restaurant when they upload pictures. This gives the restaurant free marketing.

Overall, restaurants can adjust their dining setting if they want patrons to enjoy their food more or stay longer. A restaurant should define their goals before they move forward. For consumers, they may want to be more mindful of what they eat to ensure they do not overeat.

Hence, one shouldn'€™t underestimate the effect of a restaurant'€™s ambiance.

Neha Lalchandani
Jakarta