CREJ - Journal

/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / MARCH 2015

n some cultures, rather than asking someone

to whom they were just introduced, “How

are you”, they ask, “Have you eaten?” They

figure that if you answer “yes,” you are relatively

well and happy, but if you haven’t eaten, some-

thing is wrong. Sharing food is a very social ac-

tivity that links to our basic need to survive. It is

a common practice across all cultures and nations

to share food, and it brings us together as families

and friends. It gives us the opportunity to hopefully

put down our smartphones and actually talk to each

other. Unfortunately, this opportunity is being chal-

lenged by an ongoing trend.

In the last few years, a study was done and distrib-

uted widely to the restaurant industry. The study jus-

tifies noisy restaurants because they encourage pa-

trons to drink more and eat faster. This means more

liquor sales and quicker turnover in the dining area.

Both of these mean more money. In my opinion, this

is shortsighted. Unless you intend for your business

to last only a few years, noise will hurt sales in the

long run and has a negative impact on the wait staff

and other employees.

When I say noisy, I don’t mean just slightly loud – I

think some background noise is helpful. It helps to

mask conversations and provides a sense of privacy.

Normal human speech levels are between 55 and 60

decibels. If the background levels in the restaurant ap-

proach this, it is like being at a party where everyone

talks louder and louder as the crowd size increases.

In the acoustical industry, this is known as the “cock-

tail party effect” and its affects are well documented.

Acoustical research has been done that allows us to

calculate noise levels based on the number of people

Ed Logsdon

Associate

Principal,

D.L. Adams

Associate

TRENDS

in Restaurant Design

Sharing food helps us bond.