I have written before in my blog about the increasing levels of noise in restaurants across the country, and how patrons are less than enthused about the din. So a recent article in the Los Angeles Times called “Noisy restaurants: Taking the din out of dinner” was welcome news on several fronts.
I have written before in my blog about the increasing levels of noise in restaurants across the country, and how patrons are less than enthused about the din. So a recent article in the Los Angeles Times called “Noisy restaurants: Taking the din out of dinner” was welcome news on several fronts.
The LA Times story notes that restaurant ratings sites have started posting consumer feedback on noise. According to the nationwide Zagat survey, noise has become the second-biggest complaint among diners, behind poor service. In Los Angeles, 18% of diners ranked noise as their top peeve last year, up from 12% in 2010. Yelp has also begun listing noise levels in its ratings. OpenTable, a reservations service, allows reviewers to rate restaurants as "quiet," "moderate" or "energetic." Several national restaurant reviewers now factor sonic quality into their reports. The Rundown LA, which sends email blasts on local activities, provides noise ratings when it reviews eateries.
This is good news for diners whose hearing aids can’t adjust to the racket, or those of us who just want to eat and converse at the same time. Knowing what to expect of the noise level up front will save many diners from an unpleasant experience while eating out.
On another front, restauranteurs are starting to realize that being able to actually converse is the reason many people dine out in the first place. A variety of new products has been developed for helping to absorb sound in the commercial space. They include soundproofing paint, and eco-friendly options created from cork, recycled tires and wood. Noise-catching aluminum panels, which use varying thicknesses and heights, can reduce the din by as much as 28%, and other restaurants are using in artificial grass on partitions to help cut noise.
If restaurant noise is an issue for you, be sure to read the full story here.