Background Music as a Cultural Cue in Ethnic Restaurants: Evidence From Different Restaurant Contexts
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Bi, Hongyang
Goodsir, Warren
Kim, Peter B
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Elsevier
Abstract
Background music is a prominent element of restaurant atmospherics, yet its role in shaping customer evaluations in ethnic restaurant settings remains underexplored. Drawing on a schema congruity perspective, this study examines how music type influences dining quality and value for money through perceived music–setting congruency. Two complementary studies were conducted: an online scenario-based experiment in Italian and Korean restaurant settings, and an on-site quasi-experiment in French and Chinese restaurants. Across both studies, culturally aligned background music increased music–setting congruency, which enhanced dining quality and value for money. Cross-context analyses further showed that the effect of music type on music–setting congruency varied across restaurant settings rooted in different cultural traditions, with stronger effects observed in Western-origin than in Eastern-origin restaurants. These findings extend understanding of how background music operates as a cultural cue in ethnic restaurant environments, providing practical guidance for designing restaurant atmospheres for favorable customer evaluations.
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3504 Commercial Services, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 1504 Commercial Services, 1505 Marketing, 1506 Tourism, Sport, Leisure & Tourism, 3508 Tourism, Background music, Cultural congruency, Ethnic restaurants, Dining quality, Value for money, Restaurant context
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International Journal of Hospitality Management, ISSN: 0278-4319 (Print); 1873-4693 (Online), Elsevier, 140, 104861-104861. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104861
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Creative Commons Attribution License