Things that ruin a good restaurant experience…

Awful food – duh.

Waiters that hover around your table when the place isn’t busy, or waiters that are nowhere to be found.

Oh, and awful music. A restaurant is not an elevator, so please raise your game.

If you’ve ever eaten at RocoMamas, you’ll know they take their music seriously. So seriously, in fact, that they’ve become the first brand in South Africa to launch a dynamic playlist on Spotify.

“@RocoMamas, where can I download your restaurant’s tracks?”

“It’s a request we receive regularly on Twitter and our various social media platforms”, states Brian Altriche, RocoMamas founder.

“It makes perfect sense to leverage streaming technology, and a Spotify playlist that constantly changes and is updated will ensure that the tracks our customers love from the in-store experience will lead them to relevant other bands and artists that complement our Not Normal environment”, adds Altriche.

Not normal is good, when you consider what some restaurants in this country consider suitable dining music.

There’s also a little something for local bands keen to get their music out there, because South African Indie and Alternative Rock bands can share their original tracks with RocoMamas on social media, using the hashtag #SmashHitsRM, to have their songs considered for addition to the playlist.

Here’s a sneak peek at the playlist, although you can go ahead and jam to the full Spotify playlist here:

Portugal. The Man, Kings of Leon, blink-182, Mr. Brightside (they had to) – now it’s a party.

Treat yourself to some bangin’ beats and let’s power through this Monday together.

Oh, and if you want to get the most out of Spotify you can follow Sloane Hunter’s tips from earlier this year.