3 Reasons Why Restaurants Are So Loud

When I was in college in the mid 1970s one of my college professors told a story about how he, his wife and his parents were in a restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. The owner suddenly became obsessed with the restaurant being quiet. The professor said the owner demanded that everybody, on the count of three, say "QUIET" and then the owner wanted quiet. Instead of saying "QUIET" the professor's mother said "!@#$%^&*!!!" End of dining experience for the party of four!!! Some conversation is necessary for ambiance in a restaurant-to demand total silence is a bit extreme. Shouting an expletive is a bit extreme as well.

The loud music and general noise is much of what creates the screaming kids and loud diners. Perhaps we all should be more diligent about asking to have the noise level decreased, or walking out and telling the manager why. Or complaining when the Whitney/Celine/diva/screaming pseudomusic is being forced upon us. We should all also get on the restaurants' websites and make our opinion known. If it happened enough, they might do something about it.

I have noticed with my wifes college course in business management that good taste and class are not required in the modern world. Most high class restaurants are obviously overlooked in this article. When in the states I only frequent restaurants requiring jackets and ties. Places that are more lax I consider low end. But please enjoy your 5 star McDo and keep your noise and children away from your betters.

Lively - yes..! But, not TOO loud. Ya know.. too much of a good thing..? yep..! I like the ambiance of good background music, just loud enough that you can talk with someone up to 3 or 4 feet away - without raising your voice.

Just say "No" to loud, overhead "trash music" described in this article. Not just in eateries; many retail stores, for some reason I cannot understand, blare loud, very low caliber music. Tell the manager why you are walking out; call the posted customer comment 800 number to complain; avoid these establishments like the plague. Did you realize that business establishments compensate a "service" to supply this "music"

Disagree -- the main reason is that they are too cheap to do what is necessary to muffle the noise -- same reason as Walmart -- just annoy people to no end, so they won't spend a lot of time thinking about a purchase -- just see, grab, go. Impulse buying! And restaurants don't care if you stick around and eat it or not -- you still have to pay for it. And empty the table rapidly -- and get somebody else to sit down.

You omitted to say they keep low lights and menus with small print, so the older people have difficulty reading them. i.e. I recently ordered a meal priced $13 (so I thought) but when the receipt came, my cost was $18...I hadn't my reading glasses with me that day.

I have to agree with everyone. Loud music and too loud an atmosphere isn't a good thing. I work in a casino as a bar waiter and am not the loudest person to begin with. Like in a restaurant when it gets loud and noisy I have to make sure people can really hear me when asking them if they want to order anything and also make sure that I can hear them as well when they do order something so that I don't get them the wrong thing. If it's too loud all it does is make your ears ring and dosn't do anybody any good.

I quit eating out altogether because of the noise levels. If I have to eat restaurant food I take it to go back to my peaceful home. No tips, no wine. Stupid restaurants.

I disagree with loud restaurants being a 'draw'. These days my wife and I shun TGIFridays because it is so noisy (although we loved the food). I like a mix of styles of background music that is loud enough to hear but not loud enough to drown out conversation. However, some of the music that is piped into restaurants is the never-ending 'diva/screamer/how great I am' din that passes for music. It grates on the nerves. Just walk into the Yorba Linda Albertsons market to get a dose of what I'm talking about. I make it a point to get out of there as soon as possible. (Who picks that crap anyway?)

Doesnt work for me also especially in the morning. Our local McDonalds has music, a TV AND the noise of the staff and machines all going at 7am. Im sorry but thats a huge turnoff. I order to go and eat in my quiet car.

If I can't hear people at my table I won't go back. Case inpoint. I like the food at both Olive Garden & Romano's Macaroni Grill, but the noise of the open cooking at the latter is disruptive. I prefer the quiet rooms at Olive Garden. Also I hate the high bar stool tables at Applebees & some other places.

I've made it as far as the table then turned around...can't handle the noise!

What really annoys me about restaurants, and this applies almost exclusively to US restaurants, is the over confident, artificially bubbly waiter, insisting on describing every item on the menu, parrot fashion, using stock phrases (e.g. "grilled to mouthwatering perfection, and liberally garnished with our own special, secret sauce, invented by our founder in 1837") whilst I am trying to concentrate on the menu. I don't require a 1,000 word essay on tonight's special (usually last nights leftovers). I can read, I do not need a talking menu, I am capable of making my own decision on what I'd like to eat, and if it's not quite clear what I might expect from an individual dish, I can ask.
Proper waiters wait attentively, and don't speak unless prompted!

Most, if not all, of these comments indicate that the results of the described research is pure BS!!!

Because people yap at the top of their lungs as if the whole word wants to hear what they say... especially on their foolish phones.

What they all said, the only thing loud does is move the tables over. If I want loud music I will stay home and play my own play list at my own prefered level. I also hate tables where I have to listen to my neighbors. I don't care how good the food is, if I have to hear and see my neighbors. Give me high back booths and an feeling of intimacy, I will pay a price for fine dining and ambiance but not for loud and crowded.

WOW! I'm seeing a new market niche for quiet restaruants! Anyone with me on this?

NO, to us over 50 loud music means we veto your restaurant. If your restaurant is too loud I won't eat there, and once at PF Chang's I got up and left in protest, I will never go back.

I want DEAD silence, please.

I too stay away from loud restaurants. Case in point, I haven't been to an Elephant Bar in over 2 years. They're music is so loud none of us at our table could carry on a conversation.