Dining With All Five Senses
Dining is a multisensory experience. From the aromas that entice a guest at the door to the weight of the utensils, from the sounds of glasses clinking and diners chatting to the flavors of every dish and drink, it may seem obvious that all five senses should be engaged in restaurants.
Yet without realizing it, restaurants and diners alike often focus far more on the visual aspects of the meal, not only due to society’s Instagram obsession, but because people are generally more literate, or more comfortable, with their sense of vision. Broadening that perspective in order to understand and engage all five senses as a whole is called sensory literacy — and it’s the key to taking hospitality to the next level.
Sensory literacy is top of mind for the team at Senspoint, a sensory brand development company with offices in the U.S. and Australia. Founded in 2017, the agency works with companies and brands around the world, particularly in the food and beverage space, to bring a multisensory perspective to creative strategy.
But sensory literacy doesn’t necessarily require a system overhaul; it can start small, using the concept to better understand guests and improve their experiences. “A lot of sales in general can benefit from understanding and listening to the customer, and that is multisensory,” says Dr. Hoby Wedler, the sensory innovation director for Senspoint. “A lot has to do with eye contact, but there is also a major element of non-visual stimuli: what their mood is like, and how they say things, for example.”
This is particularly true in hospitality, where human interaction is integral to the industry. Senspoint often consults with restaurants individually to refresh how front-of-house team members describe food and drink to guests. At The French Laundry in Yountville, California, for instance, Wedler (who has been blind since birth) conducted an exercise where staff members were blindfolded and asked to taste and describe a set of wines — without vision getting in the way. Not only did the tasters discover new ways to discuss aromas, flavors, and textures, but those listening learned how to better assess the best way to engage the hypothetical guests, based on the tone and content of their descriptions.
“Particularly in fine dining, where people are paying top dollar, it’s important to sense what the engagement level of the client is,” says Wedler. “It’s not just about going out to the dining room and repeating what the chef said; instead, use what you learn about the guest to describe a dish at his or her level.” While much of Senspoint’s work has been with fine dining establishments, as younger generations in particular dine out more often, this philosophy becomes applicable to restaurants of all levels.
But the idea of sensory literacy goes beyond individual guest interactions; in fact, it’s applicable to all aspects of restaurant design. “The fundamentals of sensory design are closely related to psychology,” says Wedler. “Many factors go into our overall experience of a restaurant concept.”
Like conventional design, because each restaurant is different, each sensory design concept is different as well. Jody Tucker, the Adelaide, Australia-based creative director for Senspoint, often visits or meets with a client several times before creating a design strategy for them. “It’s about understanding the overall goals and branding with all five senses in mind,” says Wedler. “There’s no single formula for getting it right.”
The restaurant experience starts from the moment guests step in the door, so think about the first aromas they might smell upon entering (for a more casual spot, Wedler might even suggest using a fan to emit aromas onto the street and entice passerby). What guests hear and subconsciously sense matters as well. “Is there someone greeting them?” asks Wedler. “Is it fake or genuine? Those factors immediately affect the overall experience of that restaurant.”
Noise is a huge consideration for restaurants, as has been hotly debated by professionals and enthusiasts alike. At some restaurants, excessive noise may diminish the experience by making it difficult for a diner to hold a conversation with other guests at the table, so Tucker might employ noise-canceling tiles to absorb sound without compromising the visual aesthetic. On the other hand, an establishment designed to have a more lively, bar-style atmosphere might invite the sounds of kitchen and dining room activity by incorporating hard surfaces into the design.
While dishware, flatware, and glassware choices might largely rely on visual design, there’s a non-visual component to these selections too. “It’s all about defining the mood,” says Wedler. For a rustic, homey feel, clay plates with some texture might be appropriate, while smooth, shiny dishes with hard edges might convey more formality. And when it comes to stemware, Wedler — who also specializes in wine — recommends light, easy-to-lift wine glasses without a rolled lip, which feel nicer and enhance taste.
And pay attention to the little things, too — dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, and chemicals used for water filtration have a lasting effect on scent and taste. “Most people aren’t even going to be perceptive enough to realize that this is the issue,” says Wedler. “They’re just going to smell that something is off.”
Understanding sensory literacy can help restaurants improve hospitality, but taking a multisensory approach to dining doesn’t fall on the industry alone. Guests, too, can improve their own dining experiences by utilizing all five senses, and the method is quite simple. “Are we letting our guards down and allowing ourselves to pay attention?” asks Wedler. “We’re often quite numb to what’s going on around us, with our heads down and in our phones, causing us to miss non-visual aspects of dining. Put yourself in a mindset where you are open to having that experience.”
