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How Restaurants Got So Loud (theatlantic.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Other sounds that reach 70 decibels include freeway noise, an alarm clock, and a sewing machine. But it's still quiet for a restaurant. Others I visited in Baltimore and New York City while researching this story were even louder: 80 decibels in a dimly lit wine bar at dinnertime; 86 decibels at a high-end food court during brunch; 90 decibels at a brewpub in a rehabbed fire station during Friday happy hour. Restaurants are so loud because architects don't design them to be quiet. Much of this shift in design boils down to changing conceptions of what makes a space seem upscale or luxurious, as well as evolving trends in food service. Right now, high-end surfaces connote luxury, such as the slate and wood of restaurants including The Osprey in Brooklyn or Atomix in Manhattan.
This trend is not limited to New York. According to Architectural Digest, mid-century modern and minimalism are both here to stay. That means sparse, modern decor; high, exposed ceilings; and almost no soft goods, such as curtains, upholstery, or carpets. These design features are a feast for the eyes, but a nightmare for the ears. No soft goods and tall ceilings mean nothing is absorbing sound energy, and a room full of hard surfaces serves as a big sonic mirror, reflecting sound around the room. The result is a loud space that renders speech unintelligible. Now that it's so commonplace, the din of a loud restaurant is unavoidable. That's bad for your health -- and worse for the staff who works there. But it also degrades the thing that eating out is meant to culture: a shared social experience that rejuvenates, rather than harms, its participants.
This trend is not limited to New York. According to Architectural Digest, mid-century modern and minimalism are both here to stay. That means sparse, modern decor; high, exposed ceilings; and almost no soft goods, such as curtains, upholstery, or carpets. These design features are a feast for the eyes, but a nightmare for the ears. No soft goods and tall ceilings mean nothing is absorbing sound energy, and a room full of hard surfaces serves as a big sonic mirror, reflecting sound around the room. The result is a loud space that renders speech unintelligible. Now that it's so commonplace, the din of a loud restaurant is unavoidable. That's bad for your health -- and worse for the staff who works there. But it also degrades the thing that eating out is meant to culture: a shared social experience that rejuvenates, rather than harms, its participants.
I avoid loud restaurants; I'm sure I'm not the only one. They may look nice, and maybe their looks attract more people than their loudness scares off; but, I do take note if a place is too loud and I don't return- so there is a downside to being loud, they do lose some customers... unless I'm just a unique freak.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Sorry, while the acoustics of a lot of restaurants leave much to be desired it's really the self-absorbed patrons and staff. You see we like to think we're all in our own world while eating out but the thing is your conversation levels tend to be a bit loud. People when they're going out and eating with others tend to be a little more boisterous anyway, hey they're having a good time right? Because your conversation is above a normal tone, the folks text to you can't hear their conversation. To compensate, they retaliate subconsciously and talk louder too. It especially gets bad with large groups with more than 4 people or with families / groups with kids under the age of 7 are seated nearby. Restaurants/bars et. al. could do us a favor by putting up some noise dampening material but that still won't fix the loud obnoxious clods two tables over who are in their own little world.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
You can buy a variety of acoustic baffling and other sound treatment that looks sleek and modern. In the end, it's just the restaurant being cheap ...
Cheap and ignorant of the problem. I have, personally, attempted to quiet the equivalent of a loud bar: a conference poster session in absolute worst-case acoustic conditions of hard surfaces and an arched ceiling that concentrated noise. The noise absorbing panels cost a total of $3000, delivered at about $100 per panel, two dozen of them, plus shipping. They took the punishingly-loud situation down through very loud, to merely loud --- with 100 people all talking together in a confined space, you can't do much better than that. The panels are sleek, would look good in any modern decor, and, mounted on the ceiling, are entirely unobtrusive.
So we aren't talking a ton of money, which means the restaurant and bar owners are indeed, being either ignorant, naive, cheap, or some combination of those three.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
Table turnover is one of the key metrics for profitability.
No 1 reason why the American dining experience is utterly crap.