Audience Statement
The audience that this research caters to is those who own a business in the restaurant industry. They are predominantly people who are looking to make their business more profitable. Also those who are interested in the small details that can make a difference in the way food can taste to customers. This research could also be seen in a magazine such as Restaurant Business. Those who read Restaurant Business are predominantly restaurant owners looking for new business techniques, technology, and valuable information to put towards their own business. This research is more for owners of sit down restaurants. Where people often spend an hour or two consuming food or drinks. Fancy upper class restaurants and new restaurants looking to make their dining experience better would both benefit from this research.
Flavors Of Music
Music can turn an ordinary meal into a symphony of food. Louder music can bring out different tastes than softer music. Flavors such as bitter and sweet. The pitch of a song can also affect the dominant flavor in a food. Due to these reasons different restaurants will often choose certain types of music to influence their customers. This is why some restaurants go under and others thrive. It is also a reason why in certain settings people enjoy food more. All of the factors are examples of modulating taste. Modulating taste is the influencing of someone’s taste. When all of the factors are put together in the right way food can be the most enjoyable experience of the day. Restaurants strive to combine all of these factors to modulate taste within their customers.
Blasting music is bad for more than just your hearing (Tu “Does sound”). It actually affects the way you taste things. “A study in 2011 (“The Effect Of Background Music” 293) found that loud background noise suppresses saltiness, sweetness, and overall enjoyment of food.” (Fleming “How sound”). This study is important because it can be critical to making the eating experience for a person better. It is especially important to restaurants. In that their one goal is to make sure that their customers have a wonderfully enjoyable experience eating there. This is why when you go to most restaurants they play soft background music, instead of playing loud music that drowns everything out. To make the dining experience as enjoyable and flavorful as possible. This is incredibly smart and informative for restaurant owners to know. It helps them to tap into the psychology of people’s minds in order to gain customers and keep old ones coming back. In a study they found that if you listen to music at different volumes it changes the way you perceive the flavors of food (Tu “Does sound”). Just as loud sounds drown out the flavors of foods, soft sounds let the flavors of food flow. Your mind is allowed to roam free while tasting the food. Your pallet can take the time to absorb all the different aspects of flavor in a meal.
As much of an impact that volume makes it’s not the only aspect of music and sound that affects the way food tastes. Pitch is also a big factor that goes into what flavors of food someone tastes more often than another. “High-frequency sounds enhance the sweetness in food, while low frequencies bring out the bitterness.” (Fleming “How sound”). Based on this information restaurants can choose different music styles to bring out certain key flavors. Pitch is such an influence that in the near future scientists like Caroline Hobkinson “foresees exciting possibilities such as sound replacing sugar in your morning espresso.” (Fleming “How sound”). This is incredible because if it proves to be true this could change the lives of millions of people. People who can’t have sugar could still get the sweetness and energy from sugar without the negative side effects. It could also possibly help to lower obesity rates all over the world. Again relating back to restaurants if they play songs with certain pitches they can help bring out the flavors the chef wants highlighted in a meal. “High pitched music is often associated with sweet and sour tastes, while low pitched notes increase the impact of bitter and umami tastes.” (Rubright “How music”). With this in mind having a bittersweet meal while listening to music with alternating high and low pitches will enhance the flavors. Something that all restaurants want is for all of the flavors that are supposed to be in the meal to make an appearance in the mouth of the consumer.
With both volume and pitch considered restaurants then have to look at the different genres and styles of music to play in their places of business. Different genres of music have different beats and tones. So as before when a person just listened to one sound and the flavors were affected. Now, in this setting, all of the factors such as pitch, tone, and volume need to be taken into consideration. Genres like hip-hop, dance, EDM, pop, metal, rock, etc. have a faster more upbeat rhythm to them. Where as genres like classical, blues, indie, and soul have a slower more mellow beats and rhythms to them. Based on the types of foods served and the atmosphere of the restaurant. They must pick their genres and styles of music accordingly. The way a song can make someone feel also needs to be a factor that’s taken into consideration. “North showed that the emotional attributes (or connotation) of a piece of music could influence people’s perception of red or white wine.” (North 295). This study is important for restaurant owners to look at, because it proves that they should pay careful attention to the types of music they play. Often in restaurants your conscious doesn’t pay much attention to the music. However, your subconscious does notice, and when the waves of sound are transmitted to your brain your brain tries to make a connection to what you’re tasting.
Restaurants also have to take into consideration the texture of their food. This is an interesting one because studies done by Charles Spence the sound of food itself can affect the way your taste buds perceive it.
“He had participants eat Pringles while wearing headphones where he could control the frequency and volume of the crunch, and found that when exposed to a louder and higher pitched crunch, participants perceived the chips as more fresh and crisp. This is why Pringles are designed with their unique shape – not because they fit into the package better, but because it results in a louder crunch when bitten into.” (Rubright “How music”).
This is important information in the world of food and restaurants. This adds a whole new aspect of modulating taste that restaurants have to take into consideration. Not only do they have to pay attention to pitch and volume of music but now they have to take into consideration the pitch and volume that the food will make. This is key to success because if the food a restaurant is serving food that is crunchy then they might have to change the volume of the background music up. They might also have to change the genres they play because of the pitches of the song and how they mix together with the pitches of the food crunch in the customer’s mouth.
With all this said a lot more goes into the process of choosing background music in restaurants than most think. There is the pitch, volume, and feel of music and how different genres are more suitable for one restaurant than another. There is also the pitch and volume of the food itself. Not only do restaurants have to pay attention to the aspects of music but they have to think about how they mix with the aspects of the food they’re serving. So next time you’re out eating watch out for these things and see if the restaurant did a good job of creating the best food experience.
WORK CITED
Cooper, Belle Beth. “The Surprising Science Behind What Music Does To Our Brains.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 7 Jan. 2016, www.fastcompany.com/3022942/the-surprising-science-behind-what-music-does-to-our-brains.
“Effect of background noise on food perception.” Food Quality and Preference, Elsevier, 10 July 2010, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329310001217.
Fleming, Amy. “How sound affects the taste of our food.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 Mar. 2014, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/mar/11/sound-affects-taste-food-sweet-bitter.
Rubright, Nicholas, et al. “How Music Affects Our Perception of Taste.” The Food Rush, 19 July 2017, www.thefoodrush.com/articles/how-music-affects-our-perception-of-taste/.
The effect of background music on the taste of wine.
North AC
Br J Psychol. 2012 Aug; 103(3):293-301.
Tu, Chau. “Does Sound Affect the Way We Taste?” Science Friday, www.sciencefriday.com/articles/does-sound-affect-the-way-we-taste/.
Reflection:
In this essay I would try to combine and condense ideas that are similar. I also feel as though I repeated the same information multiple times. I would in another revise try to find different ways of saying these things or not continuously state them. I would also try to stay more focused on the center topic of the essay. I found myself straying away at times. I think to avoid that I would take out some unnecessary information that could be left out in order to keep the focus.