When I saw the thread title I was wondering if it was the article I thought it was. It was! The author has a blog called McMansion Hell that is funny as, well, hell.
I think there needs to be a distinction between the different kinds of loud. This article references the kind of noise that I’ve noticed and have a problem with. A few people in this thread have referenced loud music/TV sounds as a problem.
Personally I don’t mind loud music or loud TV, usually sports, because that is something that is typically expected at certain bars. Occasionally there’ll be bad acoustics or a floor manager being careless with the levels that pushes to unbearable heights, but that’s the exception.
What I loathe is the general ambient clatter that seems the norm in these new minimalist industrial designs. There’s a handful of places here in Chicago that I LOVE the food at, they are some of my favorites, but me and the wife have stopped going because the clatter is just unbearable. There’s something about that noise, a combination of echoing conversations, glass and serving ware clanking, background music and footsteps that create an unbearable sense of anxiety. The place sometimes raises the music levels to compete with that clatter amplifying the problem. I think this article is on the mark about root cause. The trend away from soft booths, exposed wood and fabrics to exposed metal beams, HVAC ducts, distressed concrete floors and metal framed tables and chairs has given restaurants and bars the ambiance of a mechanics garage or a metalwork shop. It sucks.
I’ve observed this trend getting worse over the years. I’ve stopped going to many places because of the noise level.
My favorite bar-restaurant is a one-off historical building. There is no sound deadening material but the owner has a policy of continuous but low volume music. Even when it’s packed I have no problem hearing people around me.
That tells me it’s not always building design. Unless it’s something obvious like a vaulted ceiling it’s often a function of music level. The louder the music, the louder people have to talk to be heard. It’s a natural feedback loop.
That’s something I can understand. What I don’t understand are movies that deliberately flood the theater with noise that is completely divorced from the scene. You don’t try to blind people watching a film so why the frick would you assault them with noise? It’s not the specific level of sound as much as how disconnected it is with the scene.
Five Guys is the worst offender in my experience. Eating there while enduring the din of rock music (which I like, btw,) convinced me once and for all that it is “too loud” and I am “too old”.
Oh, jeez, yes. I took our boys to other kids’ birthday parties at CECs over the years and it got to be that I could feel a headache coming on almost the moment I stepped through the door.
Same here in my local downtown. I want to support the local businesses and keep the place vibrant, but I want to be able to talk to my partner. The Italian place has really, truly awesome Italian-from-Italy food, and I wish I could go there. The Mexican places isn’t all that good, but we don’t have good Mexican anywhere, so I’d be a fan if they’d just do something with the acoustics. (The Indian place has great acoustics, but no alcohol, so not a dinner destination.)
Loud restaurants aren’t new but I have noticed over the years that there is a greater proportion of them. Back in the 80s I was at a TGIFriday’s and mentioned to a friend how loud it was. He was very perceptive, said that he believed it was designed that way on purpose to create a specific atmosphere.
Including decibels. The fact they even do this bears out that noise has become more of an issue in restaurants, and patrons care aboutit.
“My left ear is only there for aesthetic purposes.” - Ted Nugent
Nugent is deaf in his left ear from years of leaving it unprotected during his performances while using an earplug in his right ear. So if you think it’s too loud, you’re simply not deaf.
Do they allow BYOB? Our favorite Sushi place is BYOB, with no corkage fee, making it a huge bargain.
Years ago we went for sushi with one of my nephews. The waiter brought wineglasses for the table. He asked my nephew if he was 18, and my nephew said indeed, he was. So, he was given a wineglass and shared our wine. Pennsylvania’s drinking age is 21.