IMPACT OF RESTAURANT MUSIC ON CUSTOMERS’ PERCEPTION OF SERVICE QUALITY

Music is a significant element of the atmospherics in the restaurant industry influencing customers' perceptions of food quality and overall dining satisfaction. Music significantly impacts customers' perceptions of service quality in restaurants. Various musical elements such as tempo, volume and genre can influence customer emotions, satisfaction and behavior thereby affecting the overall dining experience. As restaurants increasingly recognize the importance of ambiance, the strategic use of music emerges as a key component in enhancing service quality and customer satisfaction. This study investigates how various aspects of restaurant music impact the customer experience by analyzing data from 400 respondents. The research employs descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-square tests, ANOVA, and regression analysis to explore relationships between demographic factors, dining habits, and music preferences. Findings reveal that age significantly affects dining frequency with younger patrons dining out more frequently. Music preferences vary by age with Jazz and Classical being the most popular genres. The study finds a strong positive correlation between music and consumer satisfaction and identifies that music characteristics such as volume, tempo and genre have a significant impact on perceptions of service quality. Based on these results it is recommended that restaurants tailor music choices to demographic preferences, optimize music characteristics to enhance the dining experience and use music strategically to boost customer satisfaction.