Creative visual and acoustic design of restaurants

Hospitality acoustics

Can visual design freedom be increased with broader acoustic material choices?

·         Excessive noise in restaurants is a widely acknowledged problem,

·         Reducing noise often compromises the visual aesthetic e.g. glue-fix polyester panels,

·         Visual design, and acoustic performance can and should be harmoniously optimised,

·         Creative options are readily available, so why not use them? 

Noise impacts reduce the time spent in a restaurant, the amount purchased, the likelihood of return custom or referrals.

 ·         Noise has an effect on the perception of food and drink1.

·         The journal Nature, recently published - “the more noise in an establishment, the more dissatisfied your customers will be, and the less time and money they spend there”.

Design of restaurant acoustics is specific to enhancing the customer experience and must be crafted to achieve the desired atmosphere whilst meeting practical and cost limits.

 ·         Restaurant noise is a balance between the occupancy (including the occupancy density and seating area per customer) and a good acoustic environment2. 

Example of one approach to optimisation;

 Acoustic design is not guesswork. Done properly, it reduces the risk of;

 ·         Underperformance due to insufficient or inappropriate materials and/or placement,

·         Overspending – typically uninformed approach of guessing,

·         Compromising the ambience

1.     Spence, C. Noise and its impact on the perception of food and drink. Flavour 3, 9 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/2044-7248-3-9

2.        To, Wai Ming; Chung, Andy W. L.1. Noise in restaurants: Levels and mathematical model. Noise and Health 16(73):p 368-373, Nov–Dec 2014. | DOI: 10.4103/1463-1741.14441