Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesFood & Beverage

Personalizing the Dining Experience Through Music

The article discusses how personalizing the dining experience with music can significantly enhance customer satisfaction in restaurants. Music is identified as a pivotal factor in creating a memorable dining ambiance, encouraging repeat patronage. Insights from Ross Honey of TouchTunes highlight digital advancements in restaurant music systems.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Food & Beverage teams put it to work with Customer Stories & Case Studies.

Promoted content from The Main Course on MarketScale.

By Barbara Castiglia · · Barbara CastigliaDining ExperiencePersonalized DiningRestaurant Insights
Share

Key takeaways

01

Music personalization enhances dining experiences and customer retention.

02

Digital evolution of jukeboxes in restaurants enriches ambiance.

03

TouchTunes is a leader in digital music experiences for dining venues.

Free workspace

Turn your Food & Beverage expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

When people go to a restaurant, personalizing the dining experience is a critical factor in making an impact that keeps customers returning. What better way to capitalize on that experience than through music?

In recent years, the restaurant industry has seen a significant shift towards personalizing the dining experience for guests. As the industry transitioned through 2020 and welcomed guests back into dining establishments, the emphasis on creating a unique and memorable experience for each patron became paramount. A crucial element in this transformation is music. According to the Colorado Restaurant Association, 86% percent of people who participated in a recent BMI study said music can enhance their dining experience, making it an essential tool for restaurateurs.

86% percent of people who participated in a recent BMI study said music can enhance their dining experience, making it an essential tool for restaurateurs.

So, how does music play a role in personalizing the dining experience, and how can restaurant owners leverage it to create ambiance for their patrons?

Welcome to The Main Course, hosted by Barbara Castiglia. In this episode, Castiglia examines music and its impact on the dining experience with guest Ross Honey, President and CEO at TouchTunes.

Key Discussion Points:

  • The evolution of the restaurant jukebox and its transition into the digital age
  • The significance of music in enhancing the ambiance of a restaurant
  • How TouchTunes is revolutionizing the music experience in dining establishments

Ross Honey is the dynamic force behind TouchTunes, leading the company as its President and CEO. With a rich background in digital entertainment, Honey spent a decade at Microsoft, primarily focusing on the Xbox business. His journey with TouchTunes began seven and a half years ago. Under his leadership, TouchTunes has expanded its reach to over 65,000 locations across North America and the UK, providing a personalized music experience for patrons. Honey's dedication to enhancing the dining experience through music has made TouchTunes a game-changer in the industry.

The Main Course

Part of this channel

The Main Course

Where restaurant and food industry insiders talk real business.

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Food & Beverage starts with a company putting its plant managers, quality leads, and R&D teams on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Processors and grocery buyers vet suppliers hard, and your operations people are the ones who can satisfy them.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

BC
Barbara CastigliaExecutive Editor

Barbara Castiglia is a leading authority on restaurant and QSR news, restaurant management, and the intricacies of the food & beverage market. As the Executive Editor of Modern Restaurant Management, she possesses a multifaceted skill set as a Writer/Editor and Content Creator. With a rich background spanning newspaper, magazine, television, and online platforms, Castiglia has showcased her expertise in writing, editing, and design. She is renowned for her creativity, consistently transforming concepts into print, steering content direction, tailoring copy for specific audiences, and crafting and formatting layouts. Beyond her technical skills, Castiglia is an exceptional communicator with a strong grasp of business insights. She is a composed professional known for her effective multitasking abilities. In high-pressure, deadline-driven settings, she not only emphasizes product quality but also ensures results are delivered within stringent budgetary constraints.

B2B Weekly

The week in Food & Beverage, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Food & Beverage: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Food & Beverage buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Food & Beverage expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your plant managers, quality leads, and R&D teams into the articles, video, and social content Food & Beverage buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Food & Beverage Insights

Diners cite inconvenience before price when cutting chain visits, William Blair finds

Diners cite inconvenience before price when cutting chain visits, William Blair finds

In William Blair's 16th quarterly restaurant survey, "inconvenient" was the top reason diners gave for visiting a chain less, ahead of "too expensive." Monthly restaurant interactions fell to 13.6. Takeout ordering moved back to phone and counter, at 40 percent versus 34 percent for apps. Operators may want to test fewer ordering steps.

  • 01Convenience is the top reason diners order takeout or delivery (65 percent), and inconvenience is the top reason they visit a chain less—suggesting the same factor may cut both ways.
  • 02For takeout, phone and in-person ordering (40 percent) now beats restaurant apps and websites (34 percent), and among guests under 60 the split is 36 to 33.
  • 03A useful benchmark for off-premises leaders: surveyed diners average 13.6 restaurant interactions a month, roughly 70 percent of them off the dining room floor.

Oct 28, 2026

Why QSR brands are funding 2027 drive-thru and POS tech

Why QSR brands are funding 2027 drive-thru and POS tech

Telaid’s Jeff Wayman says QSR brands are planning 2027 CapEx with technology in the mix as labor and food costs rise and other operating expenses increase. The National Restaurant Association says 42% of operators were unprofitable in 2025. An Elo and Coresight survey finds only 18% of QSR executives run drive-thru AI/voice ordering at scale.

  • 01The National Restaurant Association counts 42% of operators as unprofitable in 2025, with total restaurant expenses up 36% since 2019.
  • 02Only 18% of QSR executives run drive-thru voice AI at scale, in a September 2026 Elo and Coresight survey of 147 leaders, and Qu finds 9% of AI investors report meaningful impact.
  • 03Telaid's Jeff Wayman says brands are ranking 2027 CapEx and tech stack changes now, judged on comp sales, guest counts and average check.

Oct 28, 2026

Assemblies Unlimited expands into a new Southern Region

Assemblies Unlimited expands into a new Southern Region

Assemblies Unlimited announced a Southern Region on Oct. 22. It covers Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and runs from a new sales office in Arlington, Texas. Brands get a local point of contact. AUI's Southern partner facilities currently include locations in Fort Worth, Houston, Paris and Irving, Texas, and Decatur, Alabama, with capabilities ranging from powder filling and stick packs to SQF-certified secondary packaging and POP display assembly.

  • 01The new Southern Region is an expansion of AUI's sales territory, which suggests brands gain a dedicated local team rather than added plant capacity.
  • 02The partner facilities AUI names are in Texas and Alabama, while the territory spans six states, so brands in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas or Mississippi should ask early which plant would run their job.
  • 03The next useful signal is whether AUI's named Southern partner roster grows beyond Texas and Alabama into the rest of the new territory.

Oct 27, 2026

Explore More Food & Beverage Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Food & Beverage.

Browse Food & Beverage Hub

About the Experts

BC
Barbara Castiglia

Host, The Main Course

Barbara Castiglia hosts 'The Main Course,' where she invites industry insiders to share insights into the restaurant sector. Her program focuses on the evolving dynamics of dining, particularly the personalization of the dining experience.

RH
Ross Honey

President and CEO

TouchTunes

Ross Honey leads TouchTunes, a company revolutionizing music experiences in dining establishments. He has a background in digital entertainment from his decade-long tenure at Microsoft, focused on Xbox.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Food & Beverage and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512