I think there’s another thing that comes into play. Some people fill their days with noise. When I visit family, they each have to have something constantly running in their house- My mother requires the food channel on TV, my brother- 70’s music, my sister- cable TV. I went crazy when we all spent the day together, and my sister could not abide my silent abode.
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That’s definitely a factor. As much as people who like a quiet restaurant are often louder in terms of complaints. Most people genuinely seem to enjoy lively restaurants and bars with music and some level of noise. Having worked at a lot of restaurants if things are too quiet people walk away because the place is “dead” or “not fun”.
To a point anyway. Outside of bars noone seems to like a place so loud you can’t hear the person across from you. And it’s only a special sort of douche bag who asks for the music to be turned up. Or seeks out places playing thumping club music at dinner.
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That’s why most restaurants are rather unpleasant to be in. The loud blaring music, harsh lighting, and generally toxic atmosphere are intentionally there to make sure you eat the slop and clear off so that the next guy can get served.
Restaurants live razor thin margins, so throughput is very important.
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Do they sever the BBQ on metal prison trays lined with butcher paper?
Def what I’m speaking to. Also, most of the time they’re just remodeling previous bars/restaurants in the first place. I know a few contractors who do these jobs, and they usually love them, for two reasons- free drinks/food when the restaurant opens, and the easy picking up sells for bar tops etc.
The Dardens of the world have a pretty homogeneous building stock, likely designed by a nondescript firm that specializes in cheap, easily replicated and creativity free design. Then it’s updated periodically by firms like this. but that’s really just adjusting details, superficial stuff.
I’m sure there’s some fancy pants chefs out there that have hired starchitects to build them unique and imaginative spaces who would certainly take care with acoustics.
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Right. And most restaurants rent so control over anything structural is limited. Even where you can make big changes it’s not typically a good idea because your often not seeing any equity, you get nothing out of it in terms of assets. Where as the landlord gets an increase to their property value.
So just like when you rent an apartment, people keep improvements cosmetic. And any changes that prevent a place from being turned into an empty white space if you leave. Tend to be a no go.
There isn’t very much consistency across the restaurant business as a whole. And it encapsulates a lot of different types of businesses. So when you hear these sorts of “the restaurant industry does x” it’s very often about corporate. Your TGIFridays, Hilton sort of places. Since that’s the only thing to draw on.
Your corner casual bistro doesn’t have an architect, didn’t build it’s own space, and doesn’t have expensive consultants telling them how loud to make the music. Neither does the craft cocktail place your significant other likes for special occasions. Or the local Chinese take out.
But Mario Batali and Hardrock Cafe do. Assuming those two sets of things have the same access, priorities, and approaches is a bit weird. For the most part your restaurants are louder because excessive noise just isn’t a priority. And regular people just don’t know any better.
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and, conversely, when I’m drunk, the music sounds louder.
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Most of the restaurants in my area that get complaints are in historic buildings, like former banks. They look great on the outside, but have that problem of too many tables in a big, open space.
I’m expecting a similar articles about “open plan” living spaces soon. I enjoy a kitchen, dining room, and living room with doors that close - so that noise and aromas from cooking can be contained.
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They don’t even wear a hat and gloves when they leave the house, much less a suit and tie for going out to dinner! shakes fist at clouds
I think part of the reason for the noise situation is that owners want people to think of their restaurant as happening and people equate quietness with boredom and loudness with social fun. Restaurants don’t want to fix being loud partly because they want people walking by on the street sticking their nose in to think it’s where the cool kids are going.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has wrestled with a restaurant to turn down the music and being met with steely resolve to only turn it down ever so unnoticeably slightly. They want it loud.
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Same. My neighborhood is full of trendy bars and restaurants in spaces that historically were large industrial buildings–warehouses, auto shops, and the like. The amount of reverb is ridiculous.
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I have a theory that louder bars sell more alcohol not only because people can’t talk so they drink more instead, but also because the noise is painful and people drink to dull the pain.
ETA: Oh, and also because shouting at your friends becomes painful after awhile; your throat hurts and your mouth gets really dry, thus more drinks please!
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For a couple reason. Most people really will walk by or complain about the little quiet place. It really does give the impression that a place is empty or unpopular or boring.
The other reason is the music needs to be loud enough to cover up work noises, but not so loud as to cause an issue. It’s kind of a catch 22. If you turn things down all those people who want the music up may complain. Or people will complain about being able to hear the kitchen or the table next door. But if you let that music get too loud it just sort of escalates the ever growing noise. People try to talk over the music, then the music has to go up, and people get louder.
Also just be aware your server doesn’t control the music, they often aren’t allowed to touch things. My servers sure as shit weren’t allowed to. It’s either a manager or the bar that controls that so “steely resolve” could very well be " oh shit what do I do". The best a server can often do is tell a manager and hope some one has the time to tweak it (which they often don’t).
The food is good, though; order it to go.
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At one time in the 1980’s, the rise of the exposed air conduits, steel beams, concrete block walls and floors, molded plastic counters, stainless steel displays, etc. was seen as “clean, efficient, appealing” for indoor/outdoor stylists. Not only for businesses but also in homes, apartments, social gathering points (and many mega-rich people style their homes in this aesthetic…no organics/grass/plants/curved surfaces…concrete everywhere for everything!). Unfortunately, this styling hasn’t disappeared…yet.
I frequent a local chain restaurant called Souplantation. The one in my town is of the LOUD exposed styling with hard chairs/booths, tile floors, and their occupancy is rather low. Another one 8 miles away always has carpeting, cushioned seats, plants, and a line of people entering the establishment. People need the social interaction volume-level and don’t care about “style” in restaurants!
TQQdles™
I went to a wedding reception last year, held in an old bank in Hartford, CT. Granite walls, granite floors, and a 40 foot ceiling.
When they turned the music up, I never heard another word from anyone for the rest of the night, try as we might.
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If only the mic didn’t get in the way of shoveling food in my mouth…
http://www.lightspeedaviation.com/Tango/subgrouping.htm?cat=35717
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Whenever I read restaurant reviews, two of the most common comments below the review are invariably:
- Who designed this place, all those hard surfaces will make this place incredibly loud
and
- Look at those chairs- Can you imagine sitting in that for a couple of hours?
All of which suggests that the actual diners are never consulted when it comes to designing these places.
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I’m 99% sure this is a deliberate effort to make diners too uncomfortable to stay very long- the restaurant equivalent of those park benches designed so that nobody can lay on them. If it weren’t, why would they play blaring music over the already obnoxious level of noise?
Given the choice, I would always eat in a silent restaurant, or at least one with no deafening kitchen clatter or reverberating voices everywhere, and soft music… but they essentially don’t exist anymore. At this point anything that isn’t a sports bar has become tolerable.
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I came to the conclusion staff liked it loud while dating in the 90s, I was sitting in a Greenwich Village faux English pub with a date and we could barely talk over a tiny table. I got the same contempt from the server’s when I asked for the music to be turned down. For god sakes, it was a fucking pub, where people go to talk!
My in-laws love to go out for big family meals at trendy restaurants, I hate it. You can only talk to the person next to you. Same thing at weddings and bar mitzvahs. I long ago concluded the bands figured the best way to fill the dance floor was making it impossible to talk.
