London - Restaurant diners generally want their meal to be accompanied by the gentle tinkling of glasses, laughter and sparkling conversation – not annoying music and background noise.
But campaigners claim people are increasingly avoiding restaurants because they are too loud.
Experts say echoing minimalist interiors and intrusive music makes them too noisy.
Paul Breckell, of the charity Action On Hearing Loss, said: “Restaurants are social spaces just as much as they are eating spaces.
“One of the things that people say is that they won’t come back to a restaurant if it’s too noisy. This resonates with people whether they have hearing loss or not.”
A study by the charity found that 90 percent of people with hearing difficulties felt background noise was the biggest problem they faced when eating out.
As a result, 79 percent said they had left an establishment early because of the sound levels, and 91 percent said they wouldn’t go back to a noisy venue.
Professionals advise you shouldn’t endure 94 decibel noise levels for more than an hour. But an investigation by the Mail found the racket in some restaurants reached 110 decibels.
A normal conversation averages around 50-60 decibels, while a plane taking off is about 180.
Daily Mail