Restaurant noise: how much is too much?

I went out for dinner this weekend at a tapas restaurant. The food was great, and the ambiance could have been great, too, if the restaurant had taken some steps to reduce noise. After all, going out for Spanish tapas should evoke feelings of pleasure, relaxation, great flavors, and a general "chilled out" environment.

However, like many trendy eateries, the floors and walls were made of hard surfaces, and the sound just bounced and amplified. Every table was full of patrons -- which was great, of course. But when we walked in, we were greeted to a blast of noise. We had to yell at our table to hear each other. So I pulled out my mobile phone and checked one of my decibel-reader apps. It was 88.8 decibels.

This article from Restaurant Engine states that normal conversation ranges from 55 to 65 dB, conversation gets difficult at 75 dB, and noise becomes "damaging" at 85 dB. Yet our table was clocking in at over 88 dB when we were just sitting across from each other and not even trying to talk.

Primacoustic is a Canadian-based company that makes acoustic panels and wall treatments for noisy environments, including restaurants. Watch their video as they take you step by step through the before and after of different sound treatments. Listen to what a difference the treatments make. (Good news: Primacoustic distributes internationally.) It seems like a win-win for restaurants to use acoustic panels as part of their interior decor.

How many of you think that a restaurant feels more successful if the noise level is really high? Do you think restaurant owners intentionally keep their businesses noisy to increase the table turnover? Have you ever walked out of a restaurant because the noise level was too loud?

Comments

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soundproofing for urban people

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