The Impact of Acoustics on Restaurant Experiences
By Martin J. Mann, B.Eng., B.M.
Valentine’s Day and the weeks before and after are some of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. From a young couple having their first date to a couple that has been married for 60 years, eateries are packed with people yearning for romantic dining experiences. The first challenge is to find a space that has an open table. A second challenge arises that many do not realize until they are inside the restaurant. Many people ask themselves whether they can have an intelligible conversation without straining their voices when exposed to noise. If the restaurant is especially loud, they may also wonder if they can leave the restaurant with their ears ringing!
Customer Experience
Excessive noise levels inside of a restaurant can make customers uncomfortable and dissatisfied with the experience. It can have an even greater effect on people with hearing impairments. Noisy spaces can cause people to strain their voices trying to talk to one another and/or the noise level can cause people’s ears to ring, potentially to the point of pain. These discomforts are then reflected in online reviews of the restaurant, which affect the restaurant’s reputation, even if the food is outstanding. Poor acoustics in restaurants have been the topics of many conversations including this article in the Washington Post. The noisy restaurant topic was debated in this article in the New York Times.
In an independent research project during my final year at Baldwin Wallace University, I joined the University of Nebraska’s restaurant acoustics research group led by Dr. Lily Wang, Director and Distinguished Professor of the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, and PhD Candidate, Samuel Underwood. Our research (“Extracting and classifying psychoacoustic features from online restaurant reviews”) examined how acoustically relevant phrases and words affected online restaurant reviews.
Results from this research indicated that when these phrases and words were used in a negative context, a reviewer tended to give a lower rating for that restaurant. This occurred even when everything else with the restaurant was great. When I read through thousands of online reviews, I found that there were numerous instances where a reviewer raved about how great the food and service were at a restaurant, but they had to give a 4-star versus a 5-star rating because the restaurant was too loud. When customers are in a restaurant that is too loud and their experience is negatively affected, they let others know about that experience.
There is an app called SoundPrint that helps people find restaurants that have noise levels to their preferences. The app allows users to anonymously take a minimum of 15-second noise level measurement in a restaurant and upload it for others to see. Thousands of users have uploaded recorded noise levels in restaurants, which has helped noise-sensitive people to select an appropriate dining place.
FUN FACT: You may notice your ability to selectively understand a conversation in a noisy environment. This is called the cocktail effect and is described in more detail in this article. Not all people have this ability, and it can decrease as you get older. Poor room acoustics can also reduce the skill of tuning out background noise.
Business Operations
A group that is often overlooked when discussing excessive noise in restaurants is the staff. Employees are often exposed to high noise levels for hours without a break, which can affect their hearing. It reduces staff members’ communication with one another and with customers. Difficulties with communication can lead to accidentally giving a customer the wrong meal, slower productivity because of having to repeat words, and higher levels of stress.
Excessive noise levels in a restaurant can be detrimental to the business. Low scoring online reviews can reduce the number of customers and decrease revenue for the business. A restaurant could be forced to leave a neighborhood or a building if the noise is impacting the community or adjacent tenants.
Restaurant Acoustical Design
Architectural and interior design trends have become increasingly industrial and minimalistic. These trends have removed acoustical tile ceilings exposing the structure above, added more glass walls, hard floor surfaces, and painted walls without acoustic treatments. These interior finishes are often chosen for cleanability and durability. However, noise levels can quickly buildup to excessive and uncomfortable levels, which can severely affect the ability to have a comfortable and coherent conversation. We often work with architects, interior designers, and engineers to provide detailed design analyses to make sure that the restaurant meets the appropriate acoustic criteria.
Another common source of acoustic problems in restaurants is the background music, whether this is from a live band or other audio systems. In both instances, loudspeakers are often turned up to generate excitement in a space. Nonetheless, it causes everyone in the restaurant to speak more loudly thus further increasing the ambient noise level. In some establishments, live music may be the focus and expected. But in many instances, the additional noise contributes to a poor dining experience especially when combined with poor room acoustics.
BABICHacoustics has been contacted frequently to review excessive noise levels in restaurants and catered event spaces. If the establishment is in operation, it involves conducting a noise survey to measure background noise levels and reverberation time. The noise survey may also include a sound transmission test of wall or floor-ceiling assemblies separating the restaurant from adjacent spaces. This on-site survey helps to diagnose the issues that are causing the noise problems in the restaurant, within the building, and/or in the community.
After analyzing the results of the noise survey, recommendations are made. These can be related to additional acoustic treatments, changes to the construction of the walls or floor-ceiling assemblies, or changes at the building façade. A variety of treatment options are presented to meet the desired aesthetics for the restaurant.
If noise from mechanical or electrical equipment is the concern, recommendations are made to control the noise levels. Mechanical noise can be associated with excessive air velocities, supply fans, or exhaust systems. Electrical noise sources include transformers and emergency generators.
Poor acoustics in restaurants is a concern that can directly impact the owners’ bottom line; a noisy establishment can be a reason that guests do not return. BABICHacoustics has completed several acoustical assessments for restaurants to help control noise buildup, decrease reverberation time, isolate noise from the restaurant to adjacent spaces, and reduce noise and vibration from mechanical and electrical equipment. We have worked with restaurants, building owners, architects, engineers, and contractors to tailor our recommendations to the specific needs and aesthetics of the restaurant to ensure a quiet and pleasant dining experience.