National research has found that just four per cent of hospitality venue reviewers mention music, prompting OneMusic Australia to call for reviewers to take a leadership stance on the entire experience of dining out.
OneMusic’s comprehensive survey also found music was not easily reviewed in quick consumer review apps and websites. Quandoo asks diners about ‘atmosphere’ and ‘noise levels’, Zomato provides diners with ‘experience’ in the Review Highlights, TripAdvisor/The Fork asks diners to rate ‘atmosphere, Open Table asks diners to rate ‘ambiance’.
OneMusic has called for ‘music style and quality’ to be included immediately.
Catherine Giuliano, Director of OneMusic, said, “Reviewers have the power to inspire improvement in our dining experiences, they are the tastemakers.
“We are asking them to play closer attention to the music served up by our Australian hospitality venues as integral to the overall dining experience. There is a massive opportunity to dial-up the value music brings to dining venues. The quality of music can be improved without spending a cent.”
OneMusic examined 1,650 professional restaurant and cafe reviews published 1 April – 31 October 2019 in all leading food and restaurant media and found The Weekend Australian Magazine was out in front with 28 per cent of its reviews noting the impact of music, good or bad.
Katie White, vegan food entrepreneur, author and musician said: “I eat out a lot and I switch on all my senses on when I step inside a venue. It’s not just about the food I am eating, where it’s grown and how it’s produced.
“It’s about that venue’s attention to music, the authenticity of the experience, the tempo. As food authors we need to communicate that musical setting to readers, it is the whole story they are consuming.”
As a result of its research OneMusic Australia has now launched an awareness campaign to encourage restaurants to make better use of good music in their COVID recovery.