Music, lighting, and decor play a vital role in setting the overall tone and feel of a restaurant.   In some cases, it's attention to detail that really sets a restaurant apart from the competition and keeps customers coming back. It all comes down to the "if a tree falls in the forest" theory. If you have the best food in town, but you have poor lighting, outdated decor, and music that's reminiscent of your last trip to the dentist's office, are people really going to want to eat there? Here are some tips on choosing the right music, lighting, and decor for your restaurant: 

Selecting the right music for a restaurant is a major decision. You generally have three basic choices when it comes to music in a restaurant. Some restaurants go with traditional elevator music. Sometimes the owner picks his favorite tunes and sometimes the staff is allowed to choose. All of these options can produce mixed results among your customers.

* Elevator music - This is the safest choice, but does it really match the tone of your restaurant? If you're running a sports bar and restaurant, do patrons really want to hear a watered down version of "My Heart Will Go On" while watching the big game?

* Owner-selected Tunes - Restaurants have personalities and who better knows what the personality of their restaurant is better than the owner? The only real drawback is if the music doesn't really match with the theme of the restaurant. This approach tends to work better in casual dining settings rather than "fancy" restaurants that rely more on ambiance.

* Staff-selected Tunes - If you're going to allow the staff to select the music, it's best to set some ground rules. You don't want music that's going to offend or annoy your customers. This means no profanity, heavy metal, or rap - unless this fits in with the style of your restaurant, except for the profanity. All music, regardless of what it is, should be kept at a low level in the background. 

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