When you step out for a meal these days you expect a lot more than just good food. You expect drama. You expect good service, ambience and lighting. You almost expect it to be like an event of sorts. And restaurant owners are well aware of this, and increasingly are spending a lot of money in ensuring that the look and feel of their place makes a statement.But, in India especially, we all seem to be overlooking one crucial factor.Think about this. When was the last time you stepped out for a meal and managed to have a chat with who ever you were with, without having to use your lung power to its fullest? For the last few months, I find myself, more often than not, straining to hear what the other person has to say across the table. And I'm not talking about those restaurants that blast music in your ears, where its almost an unspoken rule that you will not indulge in any talk while you're drinking or eating.I'm talking about restaurants where you end up yelling, because the acoustics of the place are so lousy that everyone's voices become louder, shriller and unbearable. And since its unlikely that I am going deaf at this age, I decided to analyse why this is happening. Here's my take.With newer restaurants opening in quick succession, each one wants to outdo the next when it comes to the way they look. Most of them are opting for a more modern, and minimalistic décor - be it The Smoke House Deli, Café Diva, 360, Mamagoto, Blanco, you name it.Gone are the days when you see stuffy sofas and heavy carpeting. Drapes have given way to blinds. Sofas have given way to wooden backed chairs. And you have large expanses of glass instead of walls. The question that needs to be asked is - how does the sound then get absorbed? With so many reflective surfaces, it isn't surprising then that the cacophony only keeps increasing.
I had a friend who called the other day wanting advice on where to go and eat. And one of the first criteria was, she wanted to talk. "Most places are just too noisy to be able to have a meaningful chat".Poonam Gupta of FCML tells me, "I prefer to now call people home and order in, because we want our peace and want to be able to talk. Come to think of it, this phenomenon is also spreading to our malls. There is no concept of piped music anymore. Its so loud that you have to step out to take a call."It's high time restaurant designers combine technology, art and aesthetics to create a space that's user friendly. And restaurants owners should not turn a deaf ear to this advice, lest they start losing some serious business.
One easy solution is to use sound absorbing tiles on the ceiling. We could easily do the same in India. In fact, now you have access to tiles that are have cloth or leather surfaces that come in various shades and textures. Now, apparently this could be a worldwide phenomenon. It's not for nothing that the Washington Post's Dining Section now features noise ratings or decibel levels along with the other information, like prices, timings etc. The ratings are determined by combining the readings of a sound-level meter and the reviewer's personal reaction to the acoustics over multiple visits. Just to confirm that I am not getting hard of hearing, I called a few friends. Shafali Khushalani feels the restaurants are certainly getting louder, and as someone who travels around the world, she feels it's more of a worldwide phenomenon. Even in London, whether it was Nandu's, Patara, or Busaba, you have to yell to be heard.
I had a friend who called the other day wanting advice on where to go and eat. And one of the first criteria was, she wanted to talk. "Most places are just too noisy to be able to have a meaningful chat".Poonam Gupta of FCML tells me, "I prefer to now call people home and order in, because we want our peace and want to be able to talk. Come to think of it, this phenomenon is also spreading to our malls. There is no concept of piped music anymore. Its so loud that you have to step out to take a call."It's high time restaurant designers combine technology, art and aesthetics to create a space that's user friendly. And restaurants owners should not turn a deaf ear to this advice, lest they start losing some serious business.