Dining and decibels: How loud is your favourite restaurant and why does that matter?

A Michelin Guide-inspired revolution of Dubai dining has seen chefs and restaurateurs take aspects of their restaurants and the food they serve more seriously than ever. However, one area stands alone as almost unspoken of in the realm of diner comfort – noise levels.

I’m not talking about the loud hubbub of a busy restaurant or bar (which hovers at an estimated 80 decibels; while a normal conversation registers at about 60 decibels), but those places that blow your ears off – be it 9 in the morning or 6.30pm – when all you fancied was a quiet midweek meal. All the care that goes into everything from PR and marketing, to menu design and customer satisfaction can be potentially ruined with badly designed sound systems – as well as by jarring music choices.

When it comes to decibel meters, the comfort of diners is not the only factor at play, but also that of the employee, given that persistent exposure to noise levels can be damaging. Any sound that requires you to raise your voice, or causes you to mishear what others are saying, is loud enough to damage your hearing. Working for up to 12 hours a day under such conditions can have a damaging effect on servers and bar staff.

Dinner by Heston, a one-Michelin-star restaurant by British chef Heston Blumenthal at Atlantis the Royal has capitalised on the knowledge that interpreting sounds can determine how we taste food – his famed dish, complete with headphones that mimic the sound of the sea, was thus born. Put simply, getting the noise and tunes right means your food will be more enjoyable.

The science and innovation behind noise in restaurants is well-established but underutilised. Applications, including the SoundPrint app, have inbuilt decibel meters – the measure of how loud a noise is – or you can download decibel apps from both Google and Apple stores.

Consumers are becoming more mindful of their environment and this conflicts with the common “trick” that louder music means diners eat faster, thus freeing up tables for more paying customers. There are restaurants that aim to “recycle” noise and achieve acoustic bubbles so that your conversation is only heard at your table. This offers a potential, if not expensive, solution to those venues that cram too many tables close together, another factor in excessive noise levels.

Paul McElroy, founder of Studio KKD, says: “Professional design agencies should direct clients to incorporate acoustic considerations into hospitality and public spaces. The context of the space in terms of scale and the surrounding architectural finishes are all factors one would consider. Utilising specialist acoustic ceilings, considering the choice of material for vertical wall surfaces and adopting soft floor finishes where appropriate will all combine to create a comfortable, enriched environment for all.”

Restaurants that get it right in Dubai

Sumosan was one of my more enjoyable Japanese meals of recent times as the atmosphere was the sound of chatter and conversation alone; it was noticeably agreeable when we had a double date there and were able to chat freely.

Honeycomb HiFi has its loudness level displayed behind the bar and it warns the DJ where required. The tight spaces and hard surfaces are also supported by noise-absorbing design and absorbent walls.

Samer Hamadeh’s Akiba Dori has invested heavily in a playlist that complements its Japanese street food vibe and is consistently pleasing on the ear, so you can enjoy a conversation about just how awesome the Tokyopolitan pizzas are.

Chez Wam is playful with its music, which remains a core part of the restaurant, yet it is mindful both in terms of the location of the DJ booth and the tunes that emanate. The urge to blast loud tunes is resisted and the ambience is the winner as a result.

Caro Steakhouse has a fantastic live band that somehow blends into the background while you’re enjoying a steak dinner. It’s a fine, albeit rare, example of a band that plays music for you, the diner, rather than themselves.

Jara by Martin Berasategui had had its sound levels checked and balanced by experienced industry engineers, which makes a massive difference to a large, almost industrial-chic interior.

Ways to enhance dining experience vis-a-vis sound

According to the experts we spoke to, some ways in which restaurants can support their customers aurally include:

· Be proactive rather than reactive by investing in sound design at the planning stage itself.

· Use absorbent materials rather than hard surfaces.

· Identify a key person to monitor sound levels in all areas, who can then be aware when and where to crank it up or tone it down.

· Use sound engineers to carefully reduce and balance sound levels in key areas, and to design playlists that do not jump 5 dB from one song to the next.

· Front-of-house teams can include noise monitoring as part of their service just as they would with cleaning tables, topping up customer drinks or replenishing cutlery.

· Include sound readings in mystery diner scenarios to see how loud different tables are in reality.