The best music for a restaurant is the one that follows the business idea and sets up the mood customers engage in the most. There is no the best particular genre or style - it can be any music. Some genres could be distinguished as often played in restaurants, but it is not necessarily the best music for a specific restaurant. Fine dining restaurants prefer smooth jazz or classical music, while fast food restaurants would go for electronic dance and pop. In the meantime, for Japanese restaurants, on many occasions, lounge, chill or atmospheric music (with nature sounds) would be the best choice. But of course, not for every Japanese restaurant it would fit, as some might represent different approaches and i.e. minimal house would be the best choice. The best music for a restaurant is one that creates the desired atmosphere and creates a wanted mood. On top, music playlists must match the brand's personality and create the ideal atmosphere at all times.

Many restaurants play background music for many reasons - from creating the right ambience and enhancing customer experience to increasing overall spending and the number of returning customers. A key experiential element of every single restaurant is elevating a space with perfect background music. We are not just food hungry; we are experience and lasting memory creation hungry. From the business perspective, music is a handy tool to control food traffic: music affects the pace of eating and drinking and the time of finishing eating and leaving, returning.

Often, the music we hear in the restaurant is the owner's choice, which is alright if the owner, alongside business knowledge, holds knowledge in music and music marketing. Some restaurants choose music by hiring a professional music profiling company which examines the target audience, brand and goals and later selects the best music for some specific space. Music is a key element in filling the space with the desired vibe. It is always worth to seek for professional advice from companies like Shakespeare Music.

Music can be an essential component of a successful restaurant experience, creating the perfect ambience. Studies show slow-tempo music encourages customers to eat slower and to stay longer; up-tempo music influences faster eating and higher table turnover. Different music choice creates different outcomes in how people see the restaurant.

Classical music has long been used to create a pleasant and sophisticated atmosphere in some restaurants. By evoking feelings of elegance, many restaurant owners believe the sounds set the stage for an enjoyable dining experience. Classical music in up-scale restaurants has proven to increase consumer spending by an approximately 5% because they are accepted as a higher class. Some McDonald's uses classical music of its influence on social behavior seeking to avoid gang fights in some of the locations in the USA.

Studies show that listening to music while eating can improve digestion and increase intake compared to eating in silence. Eating and drinking speed tend to match background music tempo: faster music influences faster eating, and slower tempo slower eating. Eating slower we might eat less but, on the other hand, tend to order one or two extra drinks. Faster music is associated with consuming more food and finishing meals quicker.

Background music tempo has a remarkable impact on how we experience dining. Some studies show that when slow music is playing, customers spend a significantly larger amount of time dining than when fast music is playing. Background music tempo influences how long we linger over the meal at the restaurant. The longer we eat - the longer we stay. Staying longer, we spend more on drinks and pay a higher bill.

Operating a restaurant, especially with music playing in the background, requires more than just enthusiasm and dedication. The restaurant is a business and playing music, we must follow certain technical, marketing and legal requirements. It is strongly recommended to seek professional advice and hire music solutions for business company. The first step is to install a sound system in a restaurant so music can be played and heard. Secondly, a restaurant needs to find legal background music for business providers, as platforms for personal use (like Spotify or iTunes) are illegal for restaurant use. After, a business must secure monthly updated music playlists matching brand and restaurant operations (opening times, busy hours, special occasions). Fourth, a restaurant needs to purchase legal permission - a public performance licence from an organization owning the rights to the music restaurant wants to play. And finally, a restaurant needs to decide and choose the way how the music should be played and acquire a streaming device (computer, tablet or dedicated streaming device). With these measures met, it will provide the assurance that the establishment is running within its statutory limits and offering a high-quality customer experience.

Running a restaurant comes with a unique set of legal obligations, one of which includes the music business choosing to play. To comply, business owners need to purchase a public performance license from an organization which owns the rights to that selection of music. It's important to note there are no free licenses available as all permissions must be purchased legally ahead of time – either through collective management organizations (PROs) covering a global repertoire or via royalty-free companies providing specialized background tracks selected for such use. Important to mention that alongside the public performance license, restaurants must purchase access to streaming platforms offering background music for business use (it cannot be iTunes, Pandora or Spotify, they are for personal use only).

No, it is not. Spotify streaming service is only for personal, non-commercial use. Businesses cannot publicly broadcast or play Spotify: in stores, bars, restaurants, schools, salons, dance studios, hotels, spas, etc. Businesses must subscribe to commercial music streaming platforms and obtain a license (royalty-free music or from collective management organizations) to play music on their premises. Copyright law generally prohibits the public performance of copyrighted works for commercial purposes without permission/license. Spotify offers private (not business) streaming services and does not offer the license! License to use music for business purposes must be purchased on top!

No, it is impossible, to play radio for business purposes without purchasing a public performance license. Radio is just a music streaming service. Businesses cannot broadcast or play radio publicly in stores, bars, restaurants, schools, salons, dance studios, hotels, spas, etc., without obtaining a license (royalty-free music or from collective management organizations) to play music on their premises. Copyright law generally prohibits the public performance of copyrighted works without permission/license.

No, you cannot. Amazon Prime is only for personal, non-commercial use. This means businesses cannot broadcast or play Amazon Prime publicly in stores, bars, restaurants, schools, salons, dance studios, hotels, spas, etc. Businesses need to obtain a license (royalty free music or from collective management organizations) in order to play music in their premises. This is because copyright law generally prohibits the public performance of copyrighted works for commercial purposes without the permission/license. Amazon Prime offers streaming services and not the license! License to use music for business purposes must be purchased on top!