Any successful restaurateur will tell you that one of the biggest keys to success in the restaurant business is atmosphere. Two restaurants can both have great food, but if one has incredible atmosphere as well, it is typically more successful. The problem is that what defines “perfect atmosphere” not only varies by customer type and by restaurant, but sometimes by time of day. A restaurant may cater to quiet dining during the day, but have a dance floor and stage for live music on weekends.

Pulling off this sort of transition can be complicated, because a lot needs to happen quickly and smoothly. House lights turn down. Stage lights go up. Background music changes or turns off. Performance sound systems power on. TVs come on or change to different video. Because so many things need to happen in a typically short amount of time, careful planning goes into ensuring customers have a great experience—even as everything changes around them. This often requires step-by-step execution by the wait staff when the time comes. Unfortunately, “step-by-step” can be a little difficult during a rush, especially for restaurant staff who were hired to be great with customers, not to serve as AV experts.

Thankfully, it is possible to automate this transition. Whether you are dealing with simple changes in background music throughout the day or a full audiovisual experience transition, the changes can happen subtly with little to no interaction required by onsite staff. This ensures these changes occur correctly and on time, without the AV interfering with restaurant operations or intruding on the customer experience.

There are various ways automation can simplify mood transitions, depending on the needs of the restaurant. At the simplest level, the audio system can respond and adjust system settings. Input selection can fade to a different input, where a different type of music is playing. Volume levels can also adjust, with effects applied or adjusted to make the sound more dynamic and lively during evening hours or more compressed and smooth during the daytime’s quiet dining.

However, it is not only the sound itself that can be adjusted. Audio systems can be tied to other systems, such as lights, so the feeling of the entire restaurant changes, depending on the selected “scene” for that time of day. Overhead lights can dim, architectural lighting outside the building can come on and performance lighting for the dance floor can start up along with the music. You can also integrate video systems, with TVs switching to different inputs and digital signage adjusting to advertise food items appropriate for the time of day.

Of course, for some restaurants, there are often other events that occur from time to time that may require a room to take on a “nighttime scene” during the day. For restaurants that host events like wedding receptions or otherwise need to initiate system transitions at different times of day, a control interface allows the staff to transition the room—or the whole restaurant—to the desired setting. With the press of a single button on a keypad or a touch-based control panel, restaurant staff can transition the room, adjusting the audio, video and lighting simply and easily. A control interface also allows staff to adjust volume, change channels or make other adjustments without worry and with minimal training required.

Technology can go a long way to creating an atmosphere that ensures customers have a great experience. However, the most important factor to great customer experience is the staff itself. That’s why truly effective restaurant technology gets out of the way, allowing staff to focus on customers, not on the AV system.

Remember to chime in down in the comments and let us know about your experiences with restaurant AV.