While it’s easy to write off music as a minor detail, the right sound can be essential to creating a memorable experience.
Moe’s Casa Mexicana, the international spinoff of Moe’s Southwest Grill launched last year, wants to recreate the Mexican food experience in countries with less exposure to the brand than the U.S., according to Brittany Metcalfe, director of international brand marketing at GoToFoods, the parent company of Moe’s.
The name Moe’s stands for musicians, outlaws and entertainers, Metcalfe told CX Dive. “So regardless of where we're at in the world, if we're in Southwest Grill or we're in Casa Mexicana, music is one of the most important things not only to the brand, but to how we bring the brand to life in our stores.”
The sound design at Moe’s Casa Mexicana aims to encourage memorable, social experience without being distracting. Music is essential to creating the vibe of a Mexican restaurant in countries far away from Mexico — but it has to reflect the interests of the local customers as well.
Moe’s sound design is one of the encompassing elements of the restaurant experience, according to Metcalfe. The right playlist helps its restaurants feel fun and vibrant, elevating the customer experience.
“We want to be upbeat,” Metcalfe said. “We want someone to come in and tap their foot to the music without even noticing it. We want them to feel that joy and that comfort and feel upbeat when they come in, and then when they leave our store as well.”
Great sound design doesn’t stand out
Good sound design, like many other elements of CX, is about minimizing friction, according to Metcalfe. It should make customers feel comfortable while supporting the broader ambiance of the store or restaurant.
“A great guest experience is one where, for sound, you almost don't notice it's there because it fits so well with whatever you're experiencing, whether you're shopping or whether you're eating in a Moe’s, that you don't notice it,” Metcalfe said.
The right music for the experience depends on the brand, according to Shep Hyken, a customer service and customer experience expert. The music in the background should reflect the brand — for example, an upscale restaurant shouldn’t use Nirvana.
“The music is a detail, and it's a very important detail,” Hyken told CX Dive.
At Moe's Casa Mexicana, the goal is to make customers feel just as comfortable as they would at home, Metcalfe said. “We want to elicit that response that they feel when they're surrounded by friends and family, and they're getting to have those social moments.”
When handled correctly, music has the potential to make a good experience live with the customer well beyond the point they leave, according to Hyken. He likened a restaurant with the right background music to a good song on the radio.
“It stays in your brain,” Hyken said. “It created an experience that you like enough to be thinking about later on. Well, think about if you go into a restaurant and you hear that music that you like, that's going to attract you back.”
Customers define the sound
The music at Moe’s Casa Mexicana was chosen to help recreate the ambiance of a Mexican restaurant in the U.S. while still appealing to the interests of a foreign audience. Getting the balance right requires listening to customers.
Moe’s uses music with influences from Latino and Mexican culture to create the North American Southwest vibe internationally, according to Metcalfe. Each playlist also includes local top hits in the region, and it automatically updates over time to stay relevant.
Moe’s aims for a “vibrant energy,” and so there aren’t a lot of slow songs on the list, Metcalfe said. However, the finer points of the presentation are still designed with local expectations in mind, such as whether customers expect restaurant music to be loud or quiet.
“Our teams are always in lockstep with our franchisee on cultural norms, way before we launch into any market,” Metcalfe said. “We have conversations for months about this, and we're always learning. We have in-country field support team members, so they help guide us on what is culturally normal and where we should fit in to create that ambience.”
The process doesn’t end after the restaurant opens, according to Metcalfe. Feedback surveys include questions about ambiance as well as other elements of the dining experience to ensure it is all working together for optimal CX.
“We want our guests to feel all of those elements working together, because we really do want to engage all five senses as much as we possibly can with our guests, whether it's store design, the flavors that they're eating, the music that they're hearing, or the conversations that they're able to have in our restaurants because of the way that they're laid out,” Metcalfe said.
