🕒 5.5 min read

There’s much more to dining out than professionally made food and drinks. Aspects such as lighting, décor, and of course. service must be considered. But it’s sounds that establish the mood: from dining room - vibration of people’s voices, peals of laughter, clinking glasses, cutlery gliding across plates – to kitchen - the whoosh of items being fired on the grill, loud pops as ingredients are plunged into hot oil , the whack, whack, whack of knives rapidly hitting cutting boards as staff slice, dice, and julienne.

That din, a profound part of our collective dining experience, vanished on March 17 when all foodservice businesses were required to close their dining rooms, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now secluded in our homes quarantining, we dine in relative quiet. Even if your household is bustling with chatter or Zoom meetings, there’s an eerie hush that accompanies eating at home.

Another part of the joyful restaurant experience that has been stripped away – music. Think back to some of your favourite meals out at restaurants and bars before all this happened, and it’s highly likely your memories are accompanied by a soundtrack – even if it’s a slightly mangled or fragmented one. Because almost every restaurant and bar has music on. Whether you know the actual songs or singers not, the feelings music evokes are burned into your brain, melded with various details – what you were eating, wearing, who you were dining with... It creates a sensory-rich snapshot that you can revisit time and again.

And music actually enhances our food. Studies show that certain types of music, and even instruments, affect our palates. So you want to choose wisely. But where to start?

Eat. Play. Repeat.

Music must match the restaurant and dining experience, and the same should be said at home. There’s an art to creating a successful soundscape. But what does that entail exactly?

The Playlist Co. carefully curates music for many of Canada’s top restaurants. Managing Director Dali Bikich shared the work that goes into it: “So much goes into consideration when designing soundtracks for restaurants. Everything from food/drink offering, interior design, operating hours, location/competition dynamics, guest's demographic profiles, desired entertainment experience, musical disposition of ownership, cultural influences inspiring offering/brand, acoustics of the space, sound system quality, etc.”

Without all that expertise, it would be difficult to try and replicate at home. Luckily, the team created the Spread Good Vibes 25 Project, featuring 25 of their favourite tracks created for 25 restaurants across Canadao. Starting today, they will release one restaurant playlist on Spotify* for 25 days. The link for each playlist can be accessed online or here below.

It looks like we’ll be dining in for a while longer, so bring as much of the restaurant experience home as you can. While serving up takeout, delivery, or a home-cooked meal, cue one of these playlists, and imagine a time when we’re gathered in our favourite spots, dining together again. Music to our ears.

Schedule of restaurants and their respective release dates:

Monday May 4
Cucina Buca > Playlist

Tuesday May 5
Bar Isabel > Playlist

Wednesday May 6
Babel > Playlist

Thursday May 7
The Diplomat (Hamilton) > Playlist

Friday May 8
Chúuk (Pickering) > Playlist

Saturday May 9
Rosalinda > Playlist

Sunday May 10
Pearl Morissette (Jordan, Ont.) > Playlist

Monday May 11
La Banane > Playlist

Tuesday May 12
Kiin > Playlist

Wednesday May 13
Maison Selby > Playlist

Thursday May 14
Oretta > Playlist

Friday May 15
Playa Cabana > Playlist

Saturday May 16
Saint John’s Ale House (Saint John, New Brunswick) > Playlist

Sunday May 17 
Canoe > Playlist

Monday May 18
Ascari Enoteca > Playlist

 Tuesday May 19
Il Covo > Playlist

Wednesday May 20
Constantine > Playlist

Thursday May 21 
Bar Raval > Playlist

Friday May 22
Seaside Provisions (North Vancouver, British Columbia) > Playlist

Saturday May 23
Island Lake Lodge (Fernie, British Columbia) > Playlist

Sunday May 24
Tabule > Playlist

Monday May 25 
Tennessee Tavern > Playlist

Tuesday May 26
Osteria Rialto and Bar Biltmore > Playlist

Wednesday May 27
Auberge Du Pommier > Playlist

Thursday May 28
Aloette > Playlist

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* To access and listen to these playlists requires a Spotify account. There’s a free version (with commercials), or premium (commercial free, $10/month).