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Music, signage and atmosphere influence how long customers stay, how they feel, and how they perceive a brand.
In restaurant environments, these elements help shape atmosphere, influence how guests feel throughout their meal, and enhance the overall dining experience.
Pho has built a strong and distinctive position as a modern Vietnamese dining brand, known for fresh, healthy food and an authentic, approachable experience. With a clear identity and growing estate, our observations and suggestions could support and further enhance that positioning.
Music played an important role in shaping the initial atmosphere, with a strong sense of authenticity, warmth and approachability.
Early in the visit, the soundtrack felt well aligned to the brand - organic, soulful and characterful, however, as the visit progressed, the playlist shifted towards more electronic and intense tracks. This introduced a noticeably different energy that felt at odds with the environment - more synthetic and abrupt compared to the earlier, more natural sound.
This created a disconnect in the overall experience, where the music moved away from the brand’s core identity.
There was no use of digital signage within the restaurant.
While the physical environment supports a clean and uncluttered aesthetic, there is an opportunity to introduce subtle, well-integrated screens that enhance rather than distract from the space.
Digital signage could support storytelling around ingredients, sourcing, menu highlights and brand values - adding depth to the experience without compromising the relaxed atmosphere.
Ensure playlists remain aligned to the brand’s organic, authentic tone throughout the entire visit, avoiding abrupt shifts in genre or intensity.
Develop a more intentional soundtrack that consistently reflects Pho’s fresh, approachable and culturally rooted identity.
Use light-touch digital screens to communicate ingredients, provenance and menu highlights in a way that complements the overall environment.
Based on your brand, audience and environment, here’s an example of how your music could feel with Startle.
This playlist has been designed to reflect Pho’s fresh, organic and culturally rich identity - blending global soul, downtempo grooves, jazz-influenced textures and contemporary alternative sounds to create a relaxed and atmospheric backdrop.
The intention is to create a consistent and immersive sound that complements the dining experience from start to finish.
The intention is to:
Choose from our library of over 100 professionally crafted playlists spanning genres, moods and sectors, or opt for curated soundtracks designed to enhance restaurant atmospheres.
We offer simple, scalable digital signage to support menu storytelling, seasonal campaigns and promotions - helping create a more engaging dining experience.
With Startle Studio, you’ll have full visibility and control of all your venues’ music and signage schedules from a central platform, ensuring consistency across your entire estate.
We’ve worked with multi-site casual dining brands to create more engaging, brand-led environments that strengthen atmosphere and consistency across growing estates.
We partnered with Zizzi to help refine their in-restaurant experience across multiple locations. By aligning music with their contemporary brand positioning, we helped create a more consistent and engaging atmosphere that supports both everyday dining and seasonal campaigns.
This approach included:
From my first interaction with Startle I have been very impressed with the understanding they have of what we're looking for. Creating a 'vibe' or environment within a space is something quite hard to explain but the support and reactivity they gave throughout the curation process was incredible.
Head of Business Development
Book your discovery call to explore how music and signage could enhance experience, consistency and engagement across your estate.
On this call we’ll:
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