It's not just to set a romantic mood
Here’s the Surprising Reasons Why Restaurants Keep Their Lighting So Dim
Published on May 26, 2025
You go out to dinner and notice the lights are getting dimmer: Are you about to black out … or is that just that dark and glowy restaurant thing?
It’s a vibe, all right! If you’ve ever wondered why restaurants turn the lights so low, you’re not alone. We were curious to find out why (and how) fancy food joints recreate a candlelit radiance with high-tech lighting, so we consulted interior designers in the hospitality industry. They shared restaurant secrets, including why they like it dim and how they strike the perfect balance. After all, sexy lighting is great for date night, but who wants a “Netflix and Chill” mood when you’re just grabbing a meal with your co-workers?
Read on for the inside word on why restaurants turn the lights down low—and whether dim-dining is here to stay.
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Why do restaurants keep the lights dim?
You know when you’re having dinner in a good restaurant—as opposed to a casual joint—by how low they take the glow. These are the surprising reasons why restaurants go with a soft, dusky light:
It’s relaxing and inviting
Restaurants aren’t just serving food: They’re delivering a mini break from the pressures of real life. By taking the lights low, they help us unwind and enjoy the evening. “Dim restaurant lighting gives a sense of intrigue and relaxation,” says interior designer Sarah Kuchar-Parkinson, owner and creative director of Kuchar, which designs for the hospitality industry.
To achieve this, restaurants go with warm lighting because it makes guests feel more relaxed, Kuchar-Parkinson says. “We always recommend a 2700K light temperature to achieve this look.” Compare that to a restaurant kitchen, which might go with crisp 5000K lighting.
The effect this combo has on us dates back to our caveperson ancestors. “Our eyes and bodies relax in dim, warm light in the evening, conditioned by hundreds of thousands of years of ending the day by a fireside,” explains Mark Simpson, director of lighting design for Celano Design Studio Co. in New York City.
It makes us want to return
Was it Maya Angelou who basically said that “people won’t remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel”? Well, the same goes for restaurants: You’ll remember how a restaurant made you feel—and if it makes you feel calm and blissed-out, you’ll want more of that.
“We return to places where we feel comfortable,” Simpson says. Creating positive associations via lighting (as well as through the food) can help turn a one-off meal into a weekly habit.
It encourages us to linger … and order drinks and dessert!
A soothing ambience isn’t going to transform your personality if you’re the grab-a-quick-bite type, Simpson notes. But “the environment can give you permission and encouragement if you have the inclination to take your time.”
And this might even make you seize the day—or at least the dessert menu. In fact, a 2017 study published in the Journal of Marketing Research found people chose less healthy food in dim lighting. It’s like that gauzy lighting is whispering in your ear, “Go ahead, have the cheesecake.”
So how, exactly, do restaurants get that gauzy glow?
Interior designers give eateries that soft, candlelit vibe by layering lighting, Kuchar-Parkinson says. That means using a mix of wall, ceiling and table lights—plus ambient lighting that grazes the walls. “It gives depth to a space and offers different levels and layers of light throughout,” she says.
Can the lighting ever be too dim?
We’ve all had that experience of going out to eat and not being able to see a thing. Needing a flashlight to see the menu has got to be one of the signs of a bad restaurant. As it turns out, murky lighting isn’t just inconvenient—it makes food taste more blah, according to a study in the Netherlands published in Food Quality and Preference. When participants tasted identical dishes in bright and dim restaurants, the flavors tasted more intense in the well-lit spot—even though they were the same meals. So that super-dim lighting may not be helping the chef rack up Michelin stars.
Still, most people are willing to put up with low visibility to feel like they’re in the center of the action. “There are plenty of ultra-trendy restaurants with extremely low light levels that keep packing in the younger crowd, almost as if turning away middle-aged and older clients is part of the draw,” Simpson says. He has pulled out his light meter at the NYC hotspots Tao and Buddakan and been surprised at how low the light level is at the table. “The atmosphere and vibe is far more important than practical visual perception.”
Is this trend changing at all?
Restaurants aren’t cranking up the lights, but more are making sure we can see the delicious feast in front of us. “Nicer restaurants put more thought on the light levels at the table, leaving other areas to be darker and more moody,” Kuchar-Parkinson says. It’s a way to shine a (subtle) spotlight on the food—so we can see, and appreciate, what we’re eating. “They want their food to be well lit (and photographed for social media), so good lighting at the table top is key,” she explains.
The one type of restaurant that likes its dining room bright? Healthy ones, like farm-to-table and organic restaurants. “It gives a clean vibe that diners translate to the brand messaging,” Kuchar-Parkinson says.
What is up with the dark-dining trend?
If trying to pour wine blindfolded in a pitch-black room sounds like your idea of fun, you’ll love the dark-dining trend. The idea of this murky movement—which began in Europe in the early aughts with chains like Dans le Noir (French for “in the dark”)—is to create a more distilled culinary experience by removing the sense of sight. You aren’t distracted by your phone or the mirror over the bar or the cute server, and that (allegedly) gives you a heightened sense of taste and smell.
If you want in on this shadowy chowdown, you can dark-dine in cities like Vegas, New York and Washington, D.C. Or you could just stick with a softly lit restaurant, fully see your ribeye … and call it a (dreamy) night.
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Sources:
- Sarah Kuchar-Parkinson, owner and creative director of Kuchar; interviewed, May 2025
- Mark Simpson, director of lighting design for Celano Design Studio Co.; interviewed, May 2025
- Food Quality and Preference: “On the bright side: The influence of brightness on overall taste intensity perception”
- Journal of Marketing Research: “Shining Light on Atmospherics: How Ambient Light Influences Food Choices”
