In gastronomy, we tend to assume that memory lives on the plate: in a flavor, a texture, an aroma that takes us straight to another time in our lives. Proust’s famous madeleine scene reinforced this idea for decades.
Yet a study published in the British Journal of Psychology found that, in its participants’ everyday lives, music evoked more autobiographical memories than food. Those memories were also more involuntary and personally significant.
The finding concerns the recall of past memories, not the creation of new restaurant memories or customer loyalty. From a design perspective, it invites us to give music attention as part of the dining experience and seek coherence between what is heard and what is served.
The research, led by music psychologist Kelly Jakubowski, compared how music and food trigger personal memories in everyday life.
Over several days, each participant kept a diary, recording every time a song or something they ate made them remember a specific moment in their life.
The pattern was clear:
Music evoked more memories than food.
On average, those memories were more frequent, more involuntary, and more personally significant.
In this everyday-life comparison, music proved a particularly effective cue for recalling earlier personal memories. The finding offers a starting point for thinking about music and hospitality without measuring what would happen in a particular restaurant.
As a curatorial interpretation for hospitality, the proposal is straightforward:
Your cooking may be impeccable, and music also deserves thoughtful direction. The study did not compare how much each element of a restaurant contributes to forming new memories.
In a premium setting—starred restaurants, international rankings, leading hotels—the experience is built from the product, service, interior design, and atmosphere.
Within that atmosphere, giving music care is a design decision consistent with the project’s standards. Relying on a generic playlist may leave out identity, the pace of service, and the listening context.
If music is so powerful at reactivating memories, it makes sense to put it to work in support of the story the kitchen wants to tell.
Some practical ideas for aligning food and musical atmosphere:
An equal degree of identity. If your culinary offering is recognizable (menu, pairings, narrative), the music should have a clear identity, too.
The pace of service versus musical tempo. Opening, peak service, and closing are different; adapting musical moods to each stage improves emotional connection.
Aligned flavors and atmosphere. Incoherent music can disrupt sensory harmony. Well-chosen music enhances the menu’s nuances and emotions.
Jakubowski’s study is not about restaurants; it is about people. But its conclusions fit what many professionals already sense: music is not a neutral backdrop. It is a trigger for memory, emotion, and meaning.
That is why, in hospitality sensory marketing, music should be designed with the same intention as a dish or an interior.
Music can reconnect us with earlier experiences. Giving its relationship with food careful attention is a strategic proposal for making the present experience coherent; claiming that it will create longer-lasting memories or bring customers back would require specific evidence that this study does not provide.