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.

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.

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.

I usually don't notice anything other than my 1 year old screaming his tits off

Bobby. wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 6:47pm:


I do when I'm playing the pokies.

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... 

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)

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.. 

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 7:32pm:
 



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

That looks very poofy to me.
I wouldn't go there.

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 7:49pm:



That looks better:

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 7:57pm:



Thanks Mechanic,
I'm going to be here in Geelong - or out this way for quite a while.
I appreciate some good tips on Geelong.

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 8:04pm:


Very nice thanks.
It will take me a while to find my way around Geelong.
Luckily I have a sat nav in the car.

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 8:18pm:



Looks good.
When my knee is finally better I'd like to walk around & see some more places.
I only stopped using crutches 2 weeks ago.
It will still take at least a month for me to get fully better.

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 8:35pm:



I have a car so no need for buses.
Thanks for the tip.

freediver wrote on May 27^th, 2018 at 6:24pm:



Restaurants built in perfectly square rooms are the noisiest. Also, restaurants built in historic places like warehouses can be noisy ...  high ceilings make it even worse. And any hard surface. Acoustic panels are expensive. Also, most restaurants these days have the bar in the dining room - more noise.