The bar scene in the US is booming with more than 51% of millennials stating that they visit their local watering hole at least once a week. When people walk into a bar, they generally give the establishment a quick once-over, assessing both the crowd as well as the pub’s aesthetic appeal. If a restaurant or bar is not aesthetically pleasing, chances are the sales will suffer. Apart from knowing your market, pricing your stock right, and advertising your establishment, a business owner also has to ensure that aesthetics do not take a back seat during operations. Not only is it important to understand why the visual appeal is important in order to boost sales, but also how to achieve it.

Why are aesthetics so important?

When it comes to a bar, aesthetics are particularly important as they help to enhance the overall patron experience significantly which will more than likely lead to increased sales for the establishment. Aesthetics have become central when trying to gain an advantage in an extremely competitive industry.  Severe competition has improved quality and service almost to the max while keeping prices at a minimum, giving aesthetics a significant amount of power. Pubs, bars, and restaurants that make the effort to make their patron’s experience as aesthetically-pleasing as possible while offering superb service and competitive prices will almost be guaranteed better success in the long-term than those establishments that deem it unnecessary.

It is important to be color savvy

By making use of inviting colors and ambient lighting, an establishment owner will be able to manipulate the mood of his customers, resulting in them staying longer and spending more money on their food and drinks. Choose colors to set the mood you want to create and remember to always keep your target market in mind. Red and yellow, for instance, have been shown to increase appetite while blues and greens have a calming effect that leads to an increased sense of satisfaction. While bright, bold colors may be well suited to a student market, an older crowd may appreciate a subdued color scheme more. The same applies to lighting: where some crowds may be attracted to bright, flashing lights, others will find it off-putting.

Appeal to all the senses

While color and light are important parts of a visually-pleasing interior, they are only two of many aspects that contribute to the overall customer experience. Before attempting to make an establishment aesthetically appealing it is important to come up with a vision to work towards. Everything from the wall colors to the bar counter, bar stools, tables, chairs, runners, coasters, and other décor need to be carefully considered. It is important to not only appeal to the sense of sight, but to the sense of smell as well. The aroma contained within the space can either boost or decrease appetite and thirst significantly. The smell of a freshly-baked pizza or sizzling steak wafting into the bar area from the kitchen will definitely encourage more than just a few patrons to order another round of beers as well as something to eat.

By paying attention to aesthetics a bar owner can significantly increase his food and beverage sales without ongoing effort.  Try to appeal to all the senses of your customers and you are bound to see your loyal clientele not only expanding but spending substantially more money as well.