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Restaurant noise environment. (Read 2584 times)
Bobby.
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Restaurant noise environment.
May 27th, 2018 at 1:20pm
 
I don't know about other people -
but the older I get the more fed up I am with noise.
After a bit of searching I couldn't find a restaurant last night
to have a quiet meal with an old friend of mine.
We chose one but although the food was good the noise got to us.

Every restaurant seems to be the same -
they play some songs too loud on a PA system & everyone is shouting at each other.
We had to shout at each other to be heard & yet she was only
1 meter away from me.
She was shouting at me so that I could hear her at
the same time as she was trying to eat -
what happened?  -
she nearly choked on her food & had a coughing fit in the restaurant.
I thought she was going to choke to death.

I don't remember this problem when I dined in Europe -
it seems to be an Australian and American problem.



https://www.vox.com/2018/4/18/17168504/restaurants-noise-levels-loud-decibels

Why restaurants became so loud — and how to fight back
“I can’t hear you.”
By Julia Belluz@juliaoftorontojulia.belluz@voxmedia.com Updated Apr 25, 2018, 10:11am EDT
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When the Line Hotel opened in Washington, DC, last December, the cocktail bars, gourmet coffee shops, and restaurants that fill its cavernous lobby drew a lot of buzz. Housed in a century-old church, the space was also reputedly beautiful.

My first visit in February confirmed that the Line was indeed as sleek as my friends and restaurant critics had suggested. There was just one problem: I wanted to leave almost as soon as I walked in. My ears were invaded by a deafening din. I felt like a trapped mouse, tortured with loud sounds for the purposes of an experiment. The noise was so irritating, I asked my husband whether we should go before our drinks arrived.

We ended up lingering for about half an hour at the Brothers and Sisters restaurant, straining to hear each other. On the way out, I tried to mention the tough acoustics to someone at the restaurant’s front desk. I don’t think he heard me.

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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #1 - May 27th, 2018 at 1:21pm
 
And more here:


https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/tourism/articles/restaurant-noise-can-impact-din...

Restaurant noise can impact diners and workers
   

On exposure to noise above an intensity level of 75 decibels, the ear's sensitivity level will decrease. But, the level of noise in busy restaurants is getting louder, which can be a problem for both diners, and restaurant workers.

In 2011, Safe Work Australia received a submission from Restaurant and Catering Australia that said because “average noise levels in restaurants range between 50 and 90 decibels”, the acceptable standard for noise levels in the workplace should be lifted from 85 decibels to 100 decibels”.

This level of noise could be equated to standing close to a power drill.
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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #2 - May 27th, 2018 at 1:23pm
 
And more:

https://www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov/have-you-heard/noise-levels-restaurants


Noise Levels in Restaurants


Do you want earplugs with that burger?

Have you ever had to raise your voice to the level of a shout to be heard when dining out? Yes? You aren’t alone!
A family dining at a restaurant

The next time you eat out, look and listen. Is the restaurant a big room with a high ceiling? Are there lots of hard surfaces like metal and concrete? Are tables crowded together? Hard surfaces and open spaces make sounds bounce and echo, so the sounds seem even louder. And when you raise your voice, other people have to talk louder to be heard, too.

Noise levels in restaurants are a growing concern for patrons, employees, and restaurant owners alike. In fact, nationally known reviewers have started to include the loudness of restaurants as factors in their ratings. And with good reason. A recent Zagat Dining Trends Survey found that noise in restaurants was ranked as diners’ top complaint.
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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #3 - May 27th, 2018 at 1:28pm
 
http://aaronallen.com/blog/5-causes-of-and-solutions-to-the-restaurant-noise-epi...


5 Causes of and Solutions to the Restaurant Noise Epidemic

Would you sit a party of four at their booth and then ask them: “Do you mind if this construction worker uses a jackhammer beside you whilst you eat?” Of course not. Fact is, though, this evening in restaurants across LA and New York, diners are being put through torturous and noise-regulation-breaching ordeals of jackhammer proportions.

A 2015 Zagat Survey shows 24 percent of diners’ nationally rate noise as their primary restaurant gripe (second only to service). A similar Los Angeles survey proved some restaurant noise levels are the equivalent of diners enduring lawn mowers, power drills, heavy traffic and whirring blender annoyance whilst trying to enjoy their meals.

The ramification is revenue loss at the till. These lost dollars, however, are only the beginning of problems for restaurateurs who don’t act to reduce high noise levels.

“Would you like a side order of hearing loss with that?”

Sustained durations of 90 dB noise levels result in hearing damage when experienced for sustained durations. Those are levels where employers must issue sound protective safety equipment to workers, and many surveyed restaurants showed levels in excess of this figure.

Do you want an environment where servers must wear ear protection, where customers can’t have a conversation? The threshold where normal conversation can occur is 45 to 50 dB, according to the ACC Audiology Awareness Campaign Report, by the way…

The good news is that noise levels can be substantially reduced with a retrofit and by applying procedures in line with restaurant design best practices. First you need to determine where the noise is coming from and, for new restaurant designs, where the problem areas will be.

The problem areas and solutions to auditory woes:
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #4 - May 27th, 2018 at 6:24pm
 
I suspect this is deliberate - makes it sound busy and popular. A lot of them have smooth walls, even polished concrete etc. It's like an echo chamber. They could easily kill the sound.
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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #5 - May 27th, 2018 at 6:34pm
 
freediver wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 6:24pm:
I suspect this is deliberate - makes it sound busy and popular. A lot of them have smooth walls, even polished concrete etc. It's like an echo chamber. They could easily kill the sound.



Hi FD,
Maybe it is deliberate.
When I was young I used to think that the louder a place was -
say a disco or nightclub that the better it was.
When you get older you'd like to be able to have a quiet meal &
a chat with an old friend - your priorities change &
the noise irritates you.

There should be acoustic tiles on all the walls & ceilings &
even carpet tiles under the tables
to reduce the noise & echos.

I have dined many times in Europe -
places in: Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, London,  Tewkesbury Gloucester, Barcelona &
I never found that problem of noise.
They seem to have more class in Europe -
nice white table cloths, excellent cutlery & plates,
top service by waiters & a quiet atmosphere if you want, plus
of course some fantastic food.

Here in Australia & in America I didn't find that.
Both countries have hoards of loud screaming bogans
with no culture & the food is usually not as good as you could cook at home.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #6 - May 27th, 2018 at 6:47pm
 
I usually don't notice anything other than my 1 year old screaming his tits off
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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #7 - May 27th, 2018 at 6:47pm
 
Gordon wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 6:47pm:
I usually don't notice anything other than my 1 year old screaming his tits off



Leave him in the car.  Grin
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #8 - May 27th, 2018 at 6:53pm
 
Bobby. wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 6:47pm:
Gordon wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 6:47pm:
I usually don't notice anything other than my 1 year old screaming his tits off



Leave him in the car.  Grin


I do when I'm playing the pokies.
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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #9 - May 27th, 2018 at 6:59pm
 
Gordon wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 6:53pm:
Bobby. wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 6:47pm:
Gordon wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 6:47pm:
I usually don't notice anything other than my 1 year old screaming his tits off



Leave him in the car.  Grin


I do when I'm playing the pokies.



Very funny - as if.   Smiley
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President Elect, The Mechanic
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #10 - May 27th, 2018 at 7:22pm
 
I'll never go back to loud places.. they poo me to tears and I'll walk out..

if I see kids in one part of the Restaurant I'll go to the opposite side of the dining room...

same as a train... I wont sit anywhere near kids and useless parent.. or groups of people for that matter... they dont know how to talk quietly and to be respectful of others around them..

basically... people are arseholes...

try going to a fancy restaurant like Macca's...  Grin Grin Grin

I like Macca's coffee... its "consistent" in taste and temperature mainly.. and I get to use their free wifi while im working away at the moment...

some of the Macca's I don't go into here around Geelong...

except the Belmont Macca's...

its clean and quiet (for a Macca's) old folk flock to there... (hint)
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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #11 - May 27th, 2018 at 7:26pm
 
President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 7:22pm:
I'll never go back to loud places.. they poo me to tears and I'll walk out..

if I see kids in one part of the Restaurant I'll go to the opposite side of the dining room...

same as a train... I wont sit anywhere near kids and useless parent.. or groups of people for that matter... they dont know how to talk quietly and to be respectful of others around them..

basically... people are arseholes...

try going to a fancy restaurant like Macca's...  Grin Grin Grin

I like Macca's coffee... its "consistent" in taste and temperature mainly.. and I get to use their free wifi while im working away at the moment...

some of the Macca's I don't go into here around Geelong...

except the Belmont Macca's...

its clean and quiet (for a Macca's) old folk flock to there... (hint)



I'm in Geelong right now.
I went to the Novotel by the waterfront & they overcooked my steak
till it was like a piece of leather.
It was very noisy as well.
One day I'll find a nice restaurant in Geelong.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #12 - May 27th, 2018 at 7:32pm
 
yeah most places down on the waterfront are noisy...

hey... go down to the Edge cafe tomorrow and have a look inside the Mens Toilets...

thats a real treat..  Smiley
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #13 - May 27th, 2018 at 7:39pm
 
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Bobby.
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Re: Restaurant noise environment.
Reply #14 - May 27th, 2018 at 7:39pm
 
President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27th, 2018 at 7:32pm:
yeah most places down on the waterfront are noisy...

hey... go down to the Edge cafe tomorrow and have a look inside the Mens Toilets...

thats a real treat..  Smiley
 



No thank you - there could be poofs in Geelong too.   Embarrassed
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