Background music as a cultural cue in ethnic restaurants: Evidence from different restaurant contexts

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.