Intro
In JOE & THE JUICE, we are notorious for the music we play and the volume level in our stores. Although, it is a misconception to think that we only play club music.. on maximum volume level.. all the time.
It is true that the music in a JOE & THE JUICE store is intentionally louder than your average café, however, it should not be as loud as a night club – For us, balance and context are the two key words for achieving the optimal music level.
As with everything else in our stores, our music is about balance and nuances. We accommodate the loud fast- paced playlists to provide you and our guests with a burst of energy when it matters. But we also have slow soothing vibes so Juicers feel comfortable working in a more chilled environment, at a volume guests can enjoy listening to all day long. Basically, our aim is to balance both the playlist with the most suitable volume that best matches the vibe of the store, while still having the intention of amplifying the atmosphere.
It takes the experience to know exactly what playlist and volume setting to choose at the right time of the day. When you understand how to use the playlists and the volume to your advantage, you will be able to control the vibe in the store throughout each day and improve the guest experience. We have described several typical scenarios to clarify how you can use the playlists and volume level for enhancing or changing to suit the different situations which regularly occur in our stores.
“We use our volume to amplify the ambience of our atmosphere.”
Choosing the right playlists
When choosing the optimal playlist, it is important to acknowledge you are aiming to match the intensity and atmosphere of the playlist to the current situation of the store. The reason for this is that we want to avoid playing a high tempo playlist when the atmosphere is more relaxed or vice versa. Remember, all our playlists contain music that fits our brand, although the playlists can still be played in the wrong context or at the wrong time of the day. Just like you would choose two different playlists according to whether it was a date night compared to having your friends over at your place, you also need to consider what music to play at the right time in the store.
Our brain determines our emotions based on the environment we place ourselves in. We have so-called ‘mirror-neurons’ in our brain that mirrors the surrounding emotions onto our own. Therefore slow, low-intensity music can be stressful to be present in when you are busy, due to the brain trying to relax while the body is working against it. Think of it is as club-dancing to an acoustic Ed Sheeran track.
Busy Situation
When the store is busy with a continuous flow of guests, the atmosphere is normally fast-paced and intense. If you play slow and mellow music, it will have a conflicting effect on the Juicers’ mood. Meaning, a relaxed playlist will make the Juicers have a feeling of awkwardness when the music and the intensity of the store are out of sync.
Choosing a playlist with more intensity and a faster tempo will make the ‘in-and-out’ atmosphere seem natural but also ignite the team to perform much better and enjoy working during the busy rush.
Slow Situation
When the store only has a few guests with no one waiting for their products, you do not want to play fast and loud music. The reason for this is that fast and loud music is not very comfortable to listen to for guests when the store is more or less empty, actually, it can be very awkward! In this situation, the guests will experience our music as noisy, misplaced and highly irritating.
By choosing one of the more relaxed playlists, the guests will perceive the atmosphere as cosy and welcoming but still in a casual-fresh and uplifting vibe without being noisy or too intense.
Conclusion
Choosing the right playlist for the current atmosphere of the bar will always make the store much more pleasant for guests to visit and for Juicers to work in, no matter if it is a busy or slow situation.
Setting the right volume
We are very proud of our music profile, which is why we have a louder volume than the average food and beverage store. Our music is a tool we use to communicate our style and personalities. However, our music volume needs to be in balance with the current atmosphere of the store. Turning up the volume too much will have the opposite result to what we are trying to achieve. If we fail, the outcome is that our guests feel awkward and annoyed by the music instead of enjoying it.
So, choosing the right playlist is only half of the story when it comes to balancing our music to the store’s atmosphere. Deciding on the appropriate volume level to play the music at, is just as important as choosing the right playlist.
When deciding on a suitable volume level for the store, we have 2 main factors to keep in mind:
• Flow of guests
• Amount of orders on the list
Rule of thumb
- We increase the volume of the music whenever the flow of guests and orders intensifies. The matching of the volume with the atmosphere’s intensity will ignite the Juicers to work faster, focus on product-making and improve their efficiency.
- We decrease the volume of the music whenever there are few guests and orders in the store. The matching of the volume with a slower tempo makes the Juicers focus more on guest experience and causes the atmosphere of the store to become cosier.
Other situations
There are also paradox situations where we can use the volume to further benefit the atmosphere of the store. For example, turning the volume up on a relaxed playlist can create a more uplifting vibe while the guests enjoy their products. Turning the volume down on a high tempo playlist can make the music less disturbing for the guests while maintaining an energetic atmosphere.
Situation 1: Killing the List, executing the orders.
If the atmosphere is fast & intense with busy Juicers but the guests are impatiently waiting for their products, then loud and intense music will be perceived as provoking and misplaced. This could likely contribute to a bad experience for the guests.
By choosing a fast and intense playlist but slightly turning down the volume of the music, gives the Juicers the extra drive to make products while conveying our guests’ experience of the busy atmosphere as intentional & controlled.
Situation 2: Just completed the rush, with a full house of guests.
If the atmosphere of the store has an energetic buzz with many guests enjoying their products, then fast and intense music would be perceived as irritating and misplaced for our guests. Juicers have finished the rush so guests are not waiting for their products, meaning it is time to adjust the volume to a new setting.
By choosing a more relaxed playlist but slightly turning up the volume, will adjust the groovy chilled vibe into a more uplifting and energetic one that suits the many guests and energy in the store.
Conclusion
The music profile we have in JOE & THE JUICE can be very different from what our guests normally prefer to listen to. So, if the music is played at a loud volume level it can be very interrupting for guests in generally more relaxed situations. If the music is played on too low of a volume, the atmosphere will become flat and uninteresting in busier rush periods.
Sum up
To sum up, there are 2 aspects to consider when playing music in a JOE & THE JUICE store. Choosing the correct playlist and choosing the correct volume level. This means that every time you put on music in your store, you should have these 2 aspects in mind in order to optimise the experience for both the Juicers and the guests. In order to successfully do this, you will need to observe and analyse the current situation of the store and make a qualified decision.
So in reality, playing music requires 3 steps in order to successfully have a positive impact on the store.
3 steps for selecting the right music level:
Observe and analyse the current atmosphere and the situation of the store.
Consider the right playlist for the atmosphere.
Adjust the volume to a suitable level to enhance the ambience.
Ambience is what a Juicer or team of Juicers can create when they combine well and/or use their personalities to their strengths behind the bar which creates the ultimate guest and team experience that we are known for. Ambience is characterised by the atmosphere created inside the store, the energy and performance of the team on shift and the overall good vibes that our guests can feel which is what attracts them into the store.
A Digital List which connects to the POS System and displays the orders in an organized manner. The List shows all orders that need to be made, while also displaying details about the order such as:
– The order is To-Go
– The Sandwich is without Tomato
– The order is for a Guest named “Christian”
– And much more…
