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Music, signage and atmosphere influence how long customers stay, how they feel, and how they perceive a brand.
In pub environments, these elements help shape the atmosphere, influence social energy throughout the visit, and enhance the experience across different trading periods and occasions.
RedCat operates a growing estate of premium country pubs with rooms and food-led destinations, alongside a mix of older, unrefined sites still undergoing transformation. Our observations highlight both the strengths of refurbished venues and the inconsistency that remains across the wider estate.
Across venues, music was present but inconsistent in both clarity and impact.
In the refurbished Clocktower site, black wall-mounted speakers were installed, but during busy periods the music was extremely difficult to hear. It only became noticeable later in the afternoon once guest volume decreased. The soundtrack, when audible, leaned towards contemporary pop and soft, emotive tracks.
In contrast, the non-refurbished Racecourse site had significantly weaker audio presence. In some areas - particularly the play zone - music was effectively absent, while elsewhere it was so quiet it could not be identified via standard recognition tools. Audio was consistently overpowered by ambient noise.
In the refurbished Clocktower site, digital signage was actively used across the venue. Order screens were positioned throughout the restaurant, supported by digital displays above them showcasing promotional content such as seasonal campaigns, Mother’s Day messaging, and localised Norfolk-specific offers.
In contrast, the Racecourse site relied heavily on static printed materials and basic till-based promotional screens. Messaging was limited to simple event promotion (e.g. Mother’s Day), supported by external banners and printed posters.
Ensure music is not only installed, but engineered for audibility and guest impact across all venue types - avoiding the “silent premium” issue seen in quieter spaces.
Refurbished venues are clearly evolving visually - but audio needs to match that same level of investment to complete the premium experience.
Extend the use of in-venue screens beyond refurbished sites to ensure consistent promotional messaging, seasonal campaigns and localised content across all locations.
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 a modern premium gastropub atmosphere - blending neo-soul, jazz-infused grooves and polished contemporary funk to create a relaxed but elevated dining environment.
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 support different trading periods.
We offer scalable digital signage to automate your sports promotion and make the most of F&B offers and key campaigns. Promote, entertain and engage.
With Startle Studio, you’ll have full visibility and control of all your pubs’ music and signage schedules from a central platform, ensuring consistency across your estate.
We’ve worked with large pub operators to create more engaging and consistent guest experiences across complex multi-site estates.
We partnered with Mitchells & Butlers to help deliver a more scalable and centrally managed music experience across a diverse portfolio of pub and restaurant brands.
By aligning playlists more closely with different customer occasions, venue formats and trading patterns, Mitchells & Butlers were able to create environments that felt more consistent, welcoming and reflective of each brand’s atmosphere.
This approach included:
Working with Startle has been a very positive experience for Mitchells & Butlers. They understand the important role that music and atmosphere play in shaping the overall guest journey and helping our venues feel welcoming, engaging and on brand. Their solutions support us in delivering a consistent, high-quality experience across our estate, while still allowing our teams to focus on what matters most – great hospitality.
Head of Electronic Leisure
Book your discovery call to explore how music and signage could enhance experience, consistency and engagement across your estate.
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