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The article reports research into the effect of music tempo and musical preference on consumer behavior in a restaurant. The research investigates the extent to which these two variables influence actual and perceived time spent dining, the amount of money spent, and outcomes in terms of enjoyment of the experience and future behavioral intentions. The results show that music preference provided a better explanation of actual time spent dining than tempo, although neither variable had a significant effect on perceived time. Time spent in the restaurant was the most powerful predictor of money spent in the restaurant. Finally, the outcomes of the restaurant encounter were found to be significantly related to musical preference, but the effects of music tempo were nonsignificant. (c) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
There is growing interest amongst service providers in the use of atmospherics as a means of enhancing the appeal of service environments and influencing consumer behavior in service settings. Academic interest in this area has grown following Kotler's (1973) article emphasizing the importance of atmospherics in the field of marketing, and more so since the Donovan and Rossiter (1982) application of the Mehrabian and Russell (1974) model of environmental psychology to the retail context.
The influence of atmospherics in marketing contexts is based on the premise that the design of an environment through a variety of meansincluding lighting, layout, sounds, colors, and temperature-could stimulate perceptual and emotional responses in consumers and affect their behavior (Kotler, 1973). Tai and Fung (1997) distinguish two main streams of literature that have emerged within the body of literature on atmospherics in service settings. On one hand are those studies that treat the service atmosphere as a holistic concept, focusing on the combined effects of elements of the environment on consumer behavior (McGoldrick&Pieros, 1995; Donovan et al., 1994). On the other hand are studies that focus on speci.c atmospheric elements such as color (Bellizzi, Crowley, &Hasty, 1983), lighting (Areni &Kim, 1994), scent (Gulas &Bloch, 1995), and music (Yalch &Spangenberg, 1990; 1993; Milliman, 1982; 1986).
This article focuses on music as an element of the service environment. Understanding of the effects of music is particularly useful to service managers, as this element of the environment is relatively inexpensive and easy to control. The...