In June, we asked industry experts to weigh in on the importance of music for One for the Road:
How do you use music in your bar or restaurant, and why is it important?
Kyle Brown, General Manager Customshop, Charlotte, N.C.
Music, besides food and beverage, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of a dining room. We use music to set the tone and pace of service for both our guests and our staff on the floor that evening.
When you walk through the doors of a restaurant, you're immediately hit with sound. It takes a minute to fully process the space visually, but you can process what you're hearing instantaneously. The music has to match. At Customshop, you'll hear an array of different genres. During the week, you might hear some Khruangbian radio playing funky tunes, or Coleman Hawkins tantalizing you with some saxophone. On the weekends, you'll probably find some Fred Again, John Summit, Skrillex, and DJ Seinfeld over the air waves blasting dance music to pick up the pace. The music is dependent on the night we're anticipating having; on busy nights with lots of covers and needing to turn tables, we're bumping up the BPM. During the week where our guests might be spending a little longer at their tables, we're gonna play something a little slower. Allowing everyone to take a breath and relax and enjoy their dining experience. Music has got to match the pace. If you're sitting in an empty dining room listening to Club Space DJ sets, it's going to take away from your food, but if you're surrounded by other guests having fun and enjoying their food and drink, a little house music just might make that a little more enjoyable. Music is a tool—use it correctly and it will have a profound impact on your entire service.
Brooke Reese, General Manager, BATA in Tucson, Ariz.
Typically during service we play either soft yet upbeat indie music, deep French house, or some sort of soul/R&B.
We think music adds a huge element to service that mostly goes unnoticed, but it is still very important to the flow and feeling of the night! If the music is too loud, it overpowers the restaurant, but on the other hand, if it is too soft, it can feel a little off throughout the dining room. Without any music, it just wouldn’t be right. Our favorite thing about the music is when it perfectly harmonizes with the conversation throughout the building—it makes for a very warm and inviting space. It’s all about balance and the small details to make for a perfect evening.
T. Cole Newton, Owner/Proprietor, Twelve Mile Limit, New Orleans, La.
Perhaps the most important of a bar’s assorted collections is its music, and the ideal vessel remains the CD jukebox. The typical jukebox holds about 100 CDs, enough to amply represent different eras, genres, and styles. With so many options, a guest playing music feels like they’re in control, but they’re really still in a sandbox that you’ve made for them. Having tunes to fit different moods is key: It’s a different vibe at 5 pm than at midnight. Or, if your bar has a theme, like punk or country, finding variety within the genre demonstrates credibility with your audience.
Ana Acela Perez, Co-Owner, El Puro, Charlotte, N.C.
At El Puro, music is at the heart of everything we do—it’s not just background ambiance, it’s the soul of the experience. That deep connection to music comes from our family and, most of all, from our father. He was a percussionist in Cuba, and growing up, music was always present in our home. Whenever we hosted gatherings, he would pull out his drums and play live for our guests. Those nights were full of laughter, dancing, and that unmistakable Cuban warmth, and they left a lasting impression on us.
El Puro was born out of that spirit. In Cuban slang, “puro” means “dad,” and that’s exactly what this space represents: A tribute to our father’s energy, passion, and joy. One of the reasons we have live music every single day is because of him—because we want our guests to feel what we felt growing up—that music can transform a space, bring people together, and make any moment unforgettable. So when you walk into El Puro and hear the drums, the voices, it’s not just entertainment. It’s a memory. It’s a celebration. And it’s our way of keeping his spirit alive.
Dr. Shocker, Co-Owner, Pele Utu, Reno Nev.
As a Tiki bar, music is one of the defining aspects towards our slice of escapism. We don't vary outside our musical choices. Surf Rock is the hardest music we have playing in the bar, whether it is on the house system or a live band. We transport you to tropical islands with exotic, traditional South Pacific music, lounge, jazz, and instrumentals. We often get asked to play more modern music, and we always politely decline. Just as a punk band playing a country bar would be out of place, we feel the same is a fish out of water for us.
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