Acoustics in restaurant design

How many times have you gone to a restaurant, only to have the evening ruined by incessant noise?  All the time spent getting ready, not to mention spending a fair few pennies on the food, only to have to shout yourself hoarse just so your dining companion can (barely) hear you from two feet away.

When we go to restaurants, we’re not just paying for food we’re paying for the experience.  But no matter how good the meal or friendly the service is, the experience won’t be a positive one if you’re subject to deafening noise all night due to poor restaurant acoustics.

It’s no surprise this is a problem as restaurants have lots of people crammed into one space, along with waiters rushing to and fro, noises from the kitchen and the clash of knives and forks.  In fact according to Action on Hearing Loss, 79% of people have had difficulty holding a conversation when eating out and 91% would not return to noisy venues.

Acousitcs in restaurant design with Oscar Elite in Tish Restaurant.  Daniel Monk Design Ltd & Tim Atkins Photography.

SonaSpray fcx in HIDE restaurant. Credit to Lusted Green & Andrew Meredith photography.

If you’re a restaurant owner you may want to consider this if you want to make sure customers come back and recommend your establishment to their friends.  Fortunately there are ways to mitigate excessive noise in your restaurant without sacrificing design, ever important in today’s hip eateries.

Lots of places will opt for hard flat surfaces such as timber or exposed brick, which can be a nightmare for reverberation, exacerbating noise levels.  As it gets louder, people will raise their voices to be heard, creating an even worse cacophony.  It is important to consider acoustics in restaurant design and take noise off the menu once and for all.

A great way to combat the din is with our recycled, acoustic decorative finishes that can be applied to almost any substrate configuration and in a relatively short period of time.  Acoustic models help us determine the required material depth, allowing us to fine tune the acoustics to the client’s needs; more often than not, allowing for easy conversation but retaining an atmospheric buzz.