When a customer walks into a restaurant, cafe or bar, they sense the atmosphere, sometimes without even realising. As human beings we can be very sensitive to atmospheres, whether we are in a public place or at home. You know that feeling of walking into a room where you feel you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, or that lovely feeling of arriving somewhere and feeling like you’ve been there before and you just love the atmosphere. There’s no doubt that it has elements that are hard to pin down, but a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere is something that puts people at ease.

So how come some places have it and others don’t? Creating a pleasant atmosphere can either be done on purpose or can sometimes happen by accident. There are many elements that go into making up a good atmosphere, some of which are hard to control at times.

Let’s take the example of providing a pleasant atmosphere in your restaurant, as a business person. If you do own a restaurant you would definitely like to achieve this, but as a restaurant customer you will really appreciate a restaurant with a great atmosphere.

Some of the more obvious ingredients that need to be in place to provide a good ambience in a restaurant are atmospheric music, lovely lighting, decor which is in tune with the feel and theme of the restaurant, food that smells great and is made with love, customers who are really enjoying themselves and the last, but certainly not least ingredient: happy staff.

Let’s run through those ingredients then.

1. Atmospheric music: this will depend on the type of customers, as well as the genre of food being served. The music is a media offering which can either complement and enhance the restaurant’s food and ambience, or be an annoying distraction. If you are unsure of this try out different music with staff and other people whom you trust to give an honest opinion. Remember music is also subjective so it may be good to custom play sets cleverly for the restaurant clientele.

2. Lovely lighting: is a must as no-one wants to be in a place that is badly lit, too bright or too dark. Lighting should reflect the level of relaxation you wish your customers to feel, but should also show the design elements of your restaurant up, excuse the pun, in a good light.

3. Decor which is in tune with the feel and theme of the restaurant: is absolutely crucial. The decor is the opportunity to reflect the persona and character of the restaurant. Get this wrong and you will have a lot of work to get the other ingredients to work without it. Get an expert involved if need be, and certainly get plenty of opinions before going live.

4. Food that smells great and is made with love: is what will make or break all the other work you’ve done. Customers need to be coming back for more and great quality food, at a fair price which has been made lovingly will do that for sure.

5. Customers who are really enjoying themselves: well if all the ingredients are in place they should be; shouldn’t they? Although if the last ingredient isn’t, then this could change. Even if a restaurant is great on all other ingredients, if the staff are unhappy, the whole show can go wrong!

6. Happy staff: are a wonderful asset to any restaurant. Customers feel welcome and comfortable, and food is made with love and served with a smile. Happy staff can give a great start to a person’s day, a wonderful pick you up at lunch time and the perfect ending to a busy day, later in the evening.

Victus Restaurants in Harrogate have happy staff and a lovely atmosphere. Anna, the Assistant Manager on a blog recently said: “Just one hour to get ready for our lovely customers, not to mention our fantastic regulars.... thank you Victus for yet another lovely day.”