Use and Management of Music in High-End Restaurants in Helsinki

Abstract

This paper presents the current research in the field of background music which bases its identified dimensions on the empirical research analyzing the effects of possible management of customer’s overall experience within the service environment. The primary aim of this study is to see how managers in Finnish hospitality businesses, in this case high-end restau-rants, use and manage music on their premises. This study examines the servicescape and musicscape model respectively, in order to under-stand how music can contribute to the guest’s experiences and most importantly how hospi-tality managers, use and manage music on their premises in order to render the guests experi-ences. Framework is drawn leaning on both servicescape and musicscape models with addi-tion of the few musical dimensions that emerged from recent studies. Dimensions examined are: style of music played, vocal vs. instrumental music, music tempo, volume, presence vs. absence of music, sound quality, congruence with the atmosphere and performance. The methodology used in the study is qualitative via case-based research method. Face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews are used to collect primary data from managers of high-end restaurants in the down town Helsinki area who are in-charge of music daily operations. Objective of the study is to determine how managers use music to render experiences by the identified dimensions. First results indicate that music plays an important role in the servicescape and atmosphere creation; however, managers are yet attempting to see ways of benefiting from music. Since this is the first study of its kind, it provides industry with important insights into the current situation. From academic perspective, additional research on this topic should be conducted on the placement of music in restaurants in general and in addition to that more repetitive research on the same topic should be conducted in order to test the findings of this study.