Comments on: Turn Down the Volume on Restaurant Noise

By: JeanE

JeanE — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 03:44:27 +0000

Most Phoenix restaurants are so noisy it is impossible to have any conversation with companions. I simply do not return to noisy places for a repeat experience. I had not thought of speaking with managers of my concern. have become so “fed up” with noisy restaurants that I prefer to prepare dinner with friends at home now, so we can enjoy the company of dinner companions and hear the conversations.

By: Tom McNamee

Tom McNamee — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 00:23:12 +0000

A reply to Richard: If the customer is always right, then you’d expect quieter restaurants. I wanted to hear from an owner of a noisy restaurant telling us why he or she thinks that’s such a desirable quality. Still waiting.

Glad to hear from TomG, however. Bravo!

By: TomG

TomG — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:42:54 +0000

As a restaurant owner in Austin for 36 yrs., I can honestly say that I agree that restaurants
are often too noisy, beyone the level of jet takeoffs. Restaurateurs need to be told about their
being mistaken about what patrons want. Neither to quiet (whispering) nor eardrum busting.
There IS a happy medium…..

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:56:19 +0000

Why do we need a restaurateur’s defence? Isn’t the customer always right?

By: Tom McNamee

Tom McNamee — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:20:14 +0000

Okay, so–so far everybody who has written in agrees that way too many restaurants are way too loud. All these writers-in, however, are customers. Can we now please hear from a restaurateur or two? That is, can we please hear a DEFENSE of noise, for God’s sake?

By: Penelope

Penelope — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:06:37 +0000

This past Sunday, we were invited to lunch, at a new – and 3rd – location of a familiar local restaurant in Austin , TX. The two older restaurants are housed in old buildings and are VERY colorful and noisy, but both have patios for those who wish to escape the din within. The new location was custom-built for the restaurant, with a soaring 2-story rock fireplace, lots of glass, and natural wood, and no patio. And . . . the new location is even noisier than the old, with “hard surfaces, and no sound-deadening materials.” as stated in the article above. In addition, the 2-story ceiling is a metal roof. I asked my partner, “Why in the world didn’t they learn from their original locations and use sound dampers in the construction.” She quickly replied, “Because restaurateurs think that noise equals excitement and fun. Guess who thinks the restaurateurs are wrong, and will not be returning to that location!

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:47:27 +0000

I have never enjoyed noisy restaurants, where it is difficult to hear the person sitting across from you and you are asking each other what specials the waiter just said but we couldn’t hear. Since having recently become partially deaf, noisy restaurants are now a complete misery. It does seem obvious to me that in many restaurants noise is encouraged by loud music, and open spaces with little if any sound absorbing materials. The owners may be encouraging people to “drink more, eat faster and leave sooner”, but they are also encouraging many diners to never return again, no matter how good the food and service are.

By: wendy

wendy — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:50:39 +0000

i live in phoenix. i am constantly amazed at the number of restaurants here that are just downright obnoxiously noisey. it’s almost as if the designers of these spaces purposely find ways to increase noise levels- lots of hard surfaces, open ceiling designs, etc. thank goodness we can eat al fresco most of the year. i wont patronize a loud reataurant, don’t care how hip or how great the eats.

By: Nicholas Gilman

Nicholas Gilman — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:34:54 +0000

Cara Buckley recently wrote in the NY Times on the same subject (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/nyregion/in-new-york-city-indoor-noise-goes-unabated.html?pagewanted=all); seems to be in the air. Here in Mexico City, where space is not at such a premium as it is in SF or NY, the problem is not the blaring voices of yuppies but too much ‘bad’ music and blaring TVs. I just returned from France and Spain whose restaurants feature little or no ambient music at all, but people tend to ‘shut up and eat’!

By: Elaine Corn

Elaine Corn — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:26:34 +0000

Excellent piece. [Although I think we're done with the word slim]. Restaurant noise is a constant irritant. In pick up bars, how can one even hear the words “will you go home with me?” Many of my friends avoid the most popular spots in my city because it is so unsettling and ruins our digestion. There’s a fine line between what Tony May calls excitement and a room filled with conversation and bearable din.