Huh? What are the noisiest restaurants in top food cities in America? Our research tells all.
Nothing’s worse than going to a restaurant and not being able to follow a conversation with friends and family. For many Americans su ering from hearing loss, restaurants are one of the toughest environments. Some evidence even suggests they’re getting louder, due to industrial design trends and use of harder surfaces.
To uncover just how noisy restaurants can be, Oticon, a leading hearing aid manufacturer, sent mystery diners to ve top-rated restaurants in 10 of America’s most prized food cities.* Equipped with a sound level meter, the mystery diners measured sound levels during the Saturday dinner rush. Here’s what we found.
Noise levels at restaurants in 10 American foodie cities
Average sound level (dB) ......
Soft Normal Gas-powered Standing beside or near Highest sound level (dB) whisper conversation lawn mowers an ambulance siren
30 60 90 120 dB dB dB dB
AUSTIN
Lamberts Downtown Barbecue 82.08 113.5
Swift’s Attic 78.70 105.2
Shady Grove 77.84 111.2
Corner 71.90 104.2
Gourdough’s Public House 67.50 101.5
CHICAGO
Siena Tavern 83.54 138.2
Girl & the Goat 80.90 112.5
Tanta 80.18 101.1
The Gage 78.24 112.7
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse 71.86 99.3
DENVER
Work & Class 85.14 114.3
Acorn 83.14 117.6
Vesta 82.60 104.5
Guard and Grace 78.24 108.6
Root Down 72.48 112.1
DETROIT
Chartreuse Kitchen 84.94 110.6
Republic Tavern 81.74 121.8
Selden Standard 81.24 106.9
Wright & Company 72.64 110.0
The Apparatus Room 71.68 103.3
NASHVILLE
Skull’s Rainbow Room 86.50 120.3
The Southern 84.98 110.4
Urban Grub 82.18 133.4
The Stillery (Downtown) 81.04 108.4
Barlines 76.26 102.0
PORTLAND
Portland City Grill 86.22 119.9
Andina 83.44 109.8
The Observatory 82.22 109.6
Q Restaurant & Bar 78.98 119.6
Deschutes Public House 78.74 109.1
SAN DIEGO
Barleymash 82.22 114.7
Ironside Fish & Oyster 81.94 114.3
The Lion’s Share 79.86 105.8
Half Door Brewing Co. 79.32 99.6
CUCINA urbana 72.80 102.3
SEATTLE
Radiator Whiskey 81.94 113.1
Metropolitan Grill 80.86 124.8
Von’s 1000 Spirits 75.44 108.5
Orfeo 74.98 105.1
El Gaucho 69.34 105.5
ST. LOUIS
Stacked STL 83.0683.06 121.7
The Shaved Duck 82.7882.78 116.7
Schla y Tap Room 80.8080.80 103.6
Bridge Tap House 73.76 111.5
John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub 70.28 97.1
WASHINGTON, DC
Jack Rose Dining Saloon 82.6882.68 103.1
Logan Tavern 82.6282.82 108.8
Estadio 81.1081.10 116.7
Ambar (DC location) 81.0481.04 111.0
Commissary 74.7674.76 107.1
Noisiest and quietest dining scenes: by average noise level
82.19 81.92 76.51 75.60 dB dB dB dB
Nashville Portland Seattle Austin
Trendy design features contribute to high noise levels
Industrial designs with minimal decor Hearing care professionals High ceilings advise that over time, exposure to noise levels above 85 decibels Open kitchens can contribute to hearing loss.
Hard tables and oors
Tall open windows For individuals with hearing loss, there are solutions to help you engage with companions while dining out. Oticon Opn™ hearing aids deliver a more natural, open sound experience that enables wearers Blaring music to better navigate conversations in crowded, noisy restaurants.
Sources:
1 https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html
2 https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss
www.oticon.com
*Restaurants included in the Oticon study were selected from TripAdvisor’s top-rated restaurants in 10 American cities known for their restaurant scene, and excluded national chains. Mystery diners sampled each restaurant on Saturday, April 21, 2018 or Saturday, April 28, 2018 between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time. Mystery diners used the NIOSH Sound Level Meter app to take ve one-minute decibel readings in the main bar area of each restaurant over the course of about one hour. www.oticon.com/restaurantdilemma
Oticon is a global hearing device manufacturer with more than 110 years of experience providing advanced solutions to individuals with hearing loss. www.oticon.com.
Copyright © 2018 Oticon, Inc.