If you opt for a meal out at a restaurant, chances are, you'll have to deal with noise. Whether it's whimpering babies, clattering dishes, or raucous bachelor parties, it's gonna be noisy, and it will probably increase as the evening continues.Last week, Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema published an article on this very controversial topic (NPR then interviewed him about the article, which you can listen to here).
Sietsema claims the main reasons that restaurants seem to have gotten noisier in the past few years has to do with both new technology and building design. In addition to diners chatting and typing away on cell phones and Blackberries, restaurant design trends are leaning toward hardwood floors and tall ceilings, with wooden and glass accents.
Combine these characteristics with limited space and tables being shoved close together, and you're practically yelling at your table mate to make yourself heard.
Just how loud are these restaurants? Sietsema took a sound level meter to about 20 DC restaurants in the evening hours to measure their decibel levels. This video gives a good example of his findings: while some restaurants clocked in at 60 decibels (the level of a normal conversation), many approached 90 decibels, which is the sound of trucks in city traffic, or a gas-powered lawnmower.
So, you've heard Sietsema's take - what's your take? Do you enjoy noisy eateries, or do you prefer a quiet, more subdued setting?
And for the record? In the twenty minutes or so it has taken me to write this in my local cafe, the noise level went from practically silent to so distracting that I was forced to jack up my iPod to concentrate.
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-13-2008 @ 5:20PM
kim said...
I had this experience last night at Straits in San Jose, CA. This restaurant seems to be under the impression that it's a nightclub. The music was fairly loud to begin with, enough that you had to raise your voice to be heard at the table. Then every 20 minutes or so, they'd dim the lights slightly and turn the music up a little. By the time we finished our meal (an hour and a half) it was damn near impossible to converse.
They need to decide what's more important: the restaurant or the club. Also, their hostess needs to put on some clothes; any restaurant with prices as high as Straits shouldn't let people work in hot pants....
Reply
4-13-2008 @ 7:38PM
Jacqueline said...
It depends on the situation - in a trendy place with a popular bar, a reasonable noise is fine (provided it's not all cell phone conversations - some of my favorite places have banned cell phones and I'm a huge fan of that) and I kind of expect it.
Reply
4-13-2008 @ 10:55PM
Chip said...
There are places you expect to be noisy, night clubs, sports bars on game night, the airport....
I don't go to those places as a general rule because they are loud. When I go to my local whatever I would like to sit down with my dinner mates and be able to hear what they are saying.
But that is just me. A few people I know say it just seems better when it is loud, like the place is doing better somehow.
Reply
4-13-2008 @ 11:14PM
Kim said...
I wouldn't mind so much if it was just the patrons making the noise, what I find is happening is the background music is blaring loud making people have to talk louder and everything escalates from there.
Reply
4-14-2008 @ 12:35PM
Dana said...
I have an inner ear disorder that makes it incredibly difficult for me to pick out conversation amongst background noise. But some of these restaurants are so bad now that even my husband has trouble hearing me over the pervading din. Who wants to sit in silence with their dining partner as they eat and listen to loud music or other people's cellphone chatter? I'd rather go somewhere where we can at least have a chance of having conversation and socialisation over my meal.
Reply
4-14-2008 @ 12:38PM
James UK said...
I used to enjoy going to my local Starbucks here in the UK, mainly to try and relax a bit, but the noise level has gone up and up and up and now it's getting to the point where I really can't stand going in there because of it. :-(
Reply
4-14-2008 @ 12:41PM
Victor Agreda Jr said...
Even nightclubs don't *have* to have pervasive noise everywhere. There was once a very large club in London where they had areas with very little noise, but plenty of room to lounge and, SHOCK, actually converse. I don't know if there is some cultural aversion in the US to talking to others at a club, but this was, by all accounts, a fabulous thing. The bar and lounge areas were filled with conversation, and the noise-isolated but loud dance floor was for music. Crazy, no?
Reply
4-14-2008 @ 5:35PM
Alex said...
Has anyone noticed how much iPod headphones leak?
By jacking up your iPod you were just contributing to the noise pollution! What makes you think your neighbours in the cafe are that interested in your taste in music?!
Reply
4-25-2008 @ 5:05PM
racendirt said...
I agree the noise level should not be above the level of a normal speaking voice. If I'm in a public place I expect public noise. People need the presence of mind where to use a cell phone. In grocery stores and such it would go unnoticed. Nix on movie theaters and restaurants. I really don't like being privy to someone's conversation in the booth/table next to me.
As far as music, it should be at an enjoyable level. If you're talking to the person next to you, you shouldn't need to shout.
Reply
4-26-2008 @ 6:14PM
Virgil Villani said...
Most restaurants have had an increase in noise level as a result of not only restaurant design but reduced dining space to allow serving more patrons in tighter quarters. This is not to mention in the increase in cell phone use or other devices. The noise level can even be unbearable if you do have children who are well behaved. The noise level is amplified if you are seated near the speaker system, do not care for the music selection or have seats near a high traffic area, such as; the kitchen or bar area that usually have over head screens. I believe the main reason in my opinion is trying to serve more quests in less space in a quicker fashion...
Reply