Restaurant design question

[Questor]

We don't go to a lot of restaurants, but we've been to two in about a month's time to meet friends. One was Italian, the other Japanese. In both cases I was hoping for a good evening of conversation with these friends I had not seen in a long time. Unfortunately both places were so loud that I could hardly hear. The Italian place sounded like the inside of an echo chamber and every noise in the room seemed amplified. We could hardly hear each other. The Japanese place had a loud low-frequency white noise sound that made it difficult to hear.

I realize that McDonalds and Chipotle Grill, both fast food restaurants, are designed to keep people from lingering, so they design the dining rooms to be unpleasant. However, why would they do something like that at the kind of restaurant that is typically used for socializing?

All this does is encourage me to avoid restaurants unless I can be assured of a quiet atmosphere. We're never going back to either of these two restaurants. Maybe if we want nice quiet conversation we should meet at the gun range during a rapid fire pistol match.

[MGMorden]

I've kinda seen this trend lately too.  Not so much with the echoing, but with playing music.  A lot of newer places have a pretty prominent bar up front and try to be a combination "club" and restaurant. 

There's a local sushi place I go to for example that's like this.  The decor is amazing (a bit trendy, but still nice)- nice place with AMAZING food.  The only problem is the techno music playing in the place is loud enough to make it difficult to talk at your own table.  I still go because the food is admittedly very good, but it can be frustrating.

You mention McDonalds and wanting to shuffle people out though - I actually read that they (and some other places) are trying to get more aggressive on that now.  Main reason is that a lot of places (incluidng McD's) is now offering wifi computer access - customers using that are spending upwards of 30-45 minutes at a time there when they previously averaged between 5 and 15 minutes in the dining area.  It's causing somewhat of an issue .  Heck the other day I was in a Panera Bread (also with wifi - which was actually the reason I went on this trip ) and noticed a sign on the wall stating something close to:

"Wifi access is provided free to all customers, but please be respectful and limit your time to 30 minutes during peak times.". 

[Rustyinfla]

   I think we're just getting old. I've noticed the same thing.  Maybe it would help if after you ordered your meal and "realized" how loud it is you could just complain to the manager and leave. Here we have Applebees and Chili's which are both too loud for me.

[Hairtrigger]

In my travels I have seen some new McDonalds that have leather sofas in them, along with that they offer wifi. Seems to me they are trying to atract people.

[Questor]

I can understand that with McDonalds. The burgers and fries companies are facing a major shift in food preferences and are struggling to keep up with the times. I imagine they'll try many things before settling on an approach that works for them.  The recent Burger King remodeling initiative is a sign of a company that needs to re-engineer itself to survive.

[gypsyman]

Not at a restaurant, but a truck stop. About a year ago or so, went into the local Flying J to get gas. Standing at the pump, I had to listen to rap music. When I went in to pay, the manager on duty was standing there. I politley told him, I'ld rather not listen to any music at all, than to that crap. He smiled and said ok. Just got gas there last week, and the only thing on the loud speaker was meal specials and what shower was open. No music. I wasn't the only one to complain.  gypsyman

[Questor]

I've seen similar things here in Minnesota at the Holiday convenience store chain. They had ads and TV news-like stuff on monitors at the pumps. I quit buying gas there because it was annoying.

[MGMorden]

I've seen similar things here in Minnesota at the Holiday convenience store chain. They had ads and TV news-like stuff on monitors at the pumps. I quit buying gas there because it was annoying.

Yeah - the local Wal-mart does that.  They have little video screens at the pump.  This evening I saw an ad for "The Biggest Loser" while I was gasing up.

(and I drift off topic yet again ) Speaking of the pumps though - I've noticed an annoying trend starting there too.  I always pay at the pump.  Unless I know I'm gonna need it I don't even carry cash anymore.  99% of the time you swipe your card and the first thing it asks is "Do you want a receipt? Yes or No"  I'm pretty much accustomed to hitting yes every time.  Just a paranoia from when the pay at the pump trend first started and prepay wasn't always required - I wanted to make sure I had my receipt so I couldn't be accused of driving off without paying.  Anyways, it seems that some companies are catching on that customers often are just used to hitting Yes to the first Yes/No question that appears - they're starting to throw in a question BEFORE the receipt prompt.  At the Wal-mart you swipe your card and the first thing it asks is if you want to purchase their automatic fuel additive. It's like an extra $3 added to your total. 

Another place is even more devious.  They've got a car wash out back.  Now if you want a wash you can pull around and buy the thing with your card - no problem.  However when you swipe your card to pay for gas the first thing it asks is "Car wash? Yes/No".  If you happen to hit Yes then it prints out a code on your receipt to pull around and get your car wash (naturally with a $6 charge for that already having been added to your gas bill).  I had bought gas from this place for years and the first time I ran into this I admit I actually accidentally bought the car wash - didn't even use it just threw the ticket away.  I don't buy gas there anymore though.

[Graybeard]

I've never been much of a restaurant goer really but when I was still working and on the road at times I really had no choice if I wanted to eat. I've been in darn few that were quiet enough for a conversation at normal voice levels. I've been in far more that you could barely hear each other than in those where a conversation at normal voice levels was possible. Some almost required shouting to place your order.

[no guns here]

That's one of the things I really like about Europe.  The restaurants are generally smaller. They are quieter too.  Nobody chases you off before you have had a chance to finish your food.  Most of the time you have to wait and almost beg them to bring the bill.  It's actually a relaxing dining experience.  You don't stand in line for 45 minutes with a pager in your hand and then get a bill before you even decide whether or not you want dessert or an after dinner drink.


NGH

[Empty Quiver]

It does seem like the trend is towards a party atmosphere. Or maybe I'm becoming a curmudgeon as are so many of my peers. When younger I had little to talk about and less I wanted to hear about especially from those I hung around with. The music was a welcome distraction, now it has become an unwelcome distraction.

The more I think about it it's not all that different. Mabe my folks didn't really enjoy the food at the boring places they just wanted some peace and quiet.

[Siskiyou]

It is hard to drive one of my brother’s away from food, but it happen.

The brother had suffered major hearing loss and the day he was fitted with new hearing aids at the VA  I bought him lunch at a buffet.  Normally I have to blast him out of there with dynamite, but on that day he did not go back for seconds or dessert.  He finished his plate and said he had to get out there.  He could not deal with all the noise.

His hearing had not been up to par every since a RPG went off next to his head on Hill 861.

I have noticed that restaurants in smaller communities in the West do not push customers out the door.  When we visit restaurants located near freeway off ramps there is more of a push to get out the door, but we are pushing are self’s to get on the road.  Recently we travelled to a small city to visit another brother, his family, and granddaughter.  I took them out to dinner, and they picked the restaurant.  We enjoyed a good meal and a lot of conversation.  When it came time for dessert the adults were full, and did not want any.  I told the grand niece she could have dessert for her birthday.  The new nine year old went over to the dessert display to find what she wanted.  She must have said something about her birthday because the waitress and hostess who had been very nice earlier brought the dessert with a candle on top to the table.  We than became a noisy table singing happy birthday.  When the bill came it did not have the dessert on it, when I mention it was not on the bill I was told it was on the house. 

The next morning we met at a restaurant that is part of the motel we stayed at for breakfast.  This time of year and with the economy the travel industry is dead.  We walked in the door about 0730 and left about 1000.  I must have had five or six couples of coffee that morning.  There was no push to get us out the door.  I have just about stopped going to Denney’s for breakfast.  They seem to have raised the price of coffee a couple years back and started rationing it.  Most likely I was one of the more noise people at breakfast because I was enjoying visiting the grand niece while waiting for our meal.

There are a lot of restaurants failing in the tight economy.  A number of them have improved their service.