Murals That Sell: How Restaurants, Cafés, and Pubs Use Art to Create Atmosphere

Why Hospitality Spaces Are Turning Walls into Storytellers

Walk into any popular café these days and you’ll notice something: people aren’t just looking at their phones. They’re looking at the walls. Then they’re taking photos of the walls. Then they’re posting those photos. That mural behind the espresso bar? It’s doing more than filling empty space. It’s working.

Restaurant owners are catching on. A good mural isn’t decoration anymore. It’s part of the business plan. It tells your story before the menu does. It gives people a reason to come back, and more importantly, a reason to tell their friends. The question isn’t really whether you need art on your walls. It’s whether you can afford not to have it.

When a Wall Becomes Part of Your Brand

Think about it this way: what makes a space memorable? Not the chairs. Probably not even the food, at first. It’s the vibe. The feeling you get when you walk in. That’s where restaurant mural design comes in.

A mural sets the tone immediately. A taco spot with bold, colorful street art tells you something different than a wine bar with soft watercolor botanicals. Both are saying “this is who we are” without a single word. That visual identity sticks with people. They remember where they felt something, where they saw something worth sharing.

Plus, murals solve a practical problem. Blank walls feel unfinished. Stock art feels generic. But a custom mural? That’s yours. Nobody else has it. It’s the difference between playing Spotify at a party and hiring a live band. One’s fine. The other makes the whole night.

Instagrammable Wall Art: The Effect Is Real

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: social media. You’d be surprised how much foot traffic comes from a single viral post. Someone takes a photo in front of your mural, tags the location, and suddenly you’ve got free marketing to thousands of people. That’s not luck. That’s smart design.

Instagrammable wall art isn’t about being trendy for its own sake. It’s about giving customers an experience they want to share. People don’t post photos of beige walls. They post things that make them look interesting, creative, fun. Your mural can do that for them. And when they post it, they’re advertising for you.

Some restaurants have turned this into a full strategy. Chatime worked with mural artists to create custom artwork across their locations. Each store got something unique, but it all felt connected. That kind of consistency builds brand recognition while keeping things fresh. People hunt down these spots just to see the art.

If you’re curious what works, check out some of the most Instagrammable murals in the USA. The common thread? They’re bold, they’re photogenic, and they fit the space perfectly. They don’t feel forced. They feel like they belong there.

Murals Create Loyalty Without Saying a Word

Here’s something interesting: regulars often describe their favorite spots by the art. “You know, the place with the big flower mural.” “That pub with all the local history painted on the wall.” The mural becomes shorthand for the whole experience.

That’s because art creates emotional connections. A well-done mural makes people feel like they’re somewhere special. Like they’re in on something. It’s the opposite of a chain restaurant where every location looks identical. Your space feels like your space.

This matters for loyalty. People come back to places that make them feel something. The coffee might be good at ten other spots, but this is the one with the jungle scene that makes you smile every morning. That’s worth a lot.

Different Styles for Different Vibes

The beauty of commissioning a mural is you can match it perfectly to what you’re going for. Sports bar? Get someone who can paint action shots or team logos with energy. Farm-to-table restaurant? Maybe something earthy and organic that reflects your sourcing philosophy.

Chalk artists are great if you want something that can change with your menu or seasons. That specials board can become part of the art itself. Graffiti artists bring urban energy and bold color that works perfectly for breweries, late-night spots, or anywhere trying to tap into street culture authenticity.

The style should feel intentional. Not like you grabbed the first artist you found, but like you thought about what your space needed and found the perfect person to bring that vision to life.

The Business Case Is Pretty Clear

Let’s get practical for a second. Murals are an investment, sure. But so is everything else in your restaurant. The difference is a mural keeps working long after you’ve paid for it. It doesn’t need maintenance like equipment. It doesn’t expire like a promotional campaign. It just sits there, making your space better, day after day.

The return shows up in different ways. More people coming in because they saw photos online. Customers staying longer because the space feels good. Press coverage because local media loves visual stories. It all adds up.

Some owners worry about trends. What if the style becomes dated? That’s actually where working with a real artist helps. Good restaurant mural design has staying power because it’s rooted in your specific story, not whatever’s popular this month. Trends fade. Your brand doesn’t have to.

How Book An Artist Makes This Easier

Finding the right muralist used to be a hassle. You’d ask around, scroll through portfolios, hope for the best. Book An Artist changed that by connecting hospitality spaces directly with vetted artists who specialize in this kind of work.

The platform lets you browse styles, see past projects, and match with artists who understand restaurant mural design. You can find someone who gets your vision instead of settling for whoever’s available. That matters because the relationship between space and artist is kind of like any other creative partnership. When it clicks, the results show.

Book An Artist handles the logistics too. Proposals, timelines, pricing. All the stuff that usually takes forever gets streamlined. So you can focus on running your restaurant while the mural comes together.

Making Your Walls Work Harder

Most restaurants treat walls like an afterthought. Something to deal with eventually. But what if you flipped that? What if the walls were part of your strategy from day one?

A good mural doesn’t just fill space. It creates the experience you want people to have. It gives them something to talk about, something to photograph, something to remember. In a competitive industry where everyone’s fighting for attention, that’s not a small thing.

The restaurants that get this are the ones people can’t stop talking about. Not because they’re doing something gimmicky, but because they understand that atmosphere matters. That story matters. That giving people a reason to choose you over the place next door really, really matters.

Your walls are already there. They’re either working for you or they’re not. A mural makes them work.

FAQs

Why are murals important in restaurants and cafés?
Murals do something special right when people walk through your door. They set the mood instantly and tell customers what kind of place you are before they even look at the menu. Good restaurant mural design creates that visual punch that makes you memorable in a way that generic decor just doesn’t. In neighborhoods packed with dining options, sometimes it’s that striking wall art that tips the decision in your favor. And here’s the thing: once it’s up, it’s always working for you. No ongoing costs, no expiration date.

How do murals affect customer experience and footfall?
People gravitate toward spaces that feel intentional. A mural gives your restaurant personality, makes it feel less like just another place to eat and more like somewhere worth being. Customers linger longer when they’re surrounded by something interesting. They come back because they remember how the space made them feel. They tell friends about “that spot with the amazing wall art.” You’d be surprised how many new customers wander in just because they noticed some striking instagrammable wall art through the window.

Can murals increase a restaurant’s visibility on social media?
Oh, absolutely. Think about it: when someone posts a photo from your restaurant, they’re essentially endorsing you to everyone they know. Instagrammable wall art makes that happen naturally. People want to share beautiful, interesting things. Every photo with your location tagged reaches hundreds or thousands of potential customers you’d never reach otherwise. Some murals catch fire online and suddenly you’ve got people coming from all over town just to see it in person and grab their own shot. That’s marketing you can’t really buy. The right instagrammable wall art basically turns your customers into your marketing team.

How can restaurants commission murals through Book An Artist?
Book An Artist takes the guesswork out of finding the right artist. You can look through portfolios of muralists who actually understand restaurant spaces and what works in hospitality. See their past projects, get a feel for their style, figure out who clicks with your vision. The whole process happens through the platform, so you’re not juggling emails and phone calls trying to coordinate everything. It’s basically designed to get you from “we need a mural” to “wow, that looks amazing” without all the usual headaches.