AIBU to think that too many restaurants play their music ridiculously loud

Ha! Now That would have been funny.

But no, it was a place on the east coast of Yorkshire where a squawky waitress was the last thing you'd expect!

ITA. We had a family meet up, somewhere central in the country for six of us. Four of us, all over sixty five could barely hear anyone speak because of the music and background noise, due to no carpets and curtains. We won’t be going there again!

I wonder if anyone's done research on how many of us just leave and don't bother ordering anything if it's too loud

I find this everywhere too, and don’t understand why noise pollution isn’t taken as seriously as other types of pollution. I live in a touristy city and every time we are trying to shop in the city centre there are around 4 locations where buskers congregate. They all sing into microphones and also film themselves, so you not only have to avoid them but also their tripods. And most of them absolutely cannot sing!

I enjoy shopping in person but honestly it’s sometimes so loud I’m surprised the workers in the nearby shops don’t lose their minds. And it’s not like in Covent Garden where there is clearly a lot of quality control. At the very least they should not be allowed to use microphones. If your voice isn’t strong enough to carry across the near vicinity then you’re not a good enough singer.

I agree OP. I am deaf in one ear with reactive tinnitus and I just can't cope with noisy bars and restaurants. Even when I had both working ears I didn't like having to shout to friends and family. The idea of socialising is chatting and catching up. Loud music makes that impossible and is counter productive. Very annoying and in my case often stressful as hearing is a challenge. Background music should be in the background.

Knew it! I stayed in the hotel, very strange 😄

I haven't experienced the level of noise you're talking about in your OP, but there are so few places these days that don't have the music too loud. My DH wears hearing aids, so it's impossible for him. I hate not being able to have a conversation at normal volume. The last time I was at, my tablemate checked the decible level for our brunch venue and it was crazy high.

Unfortunately it's the one in this area so not much option to find a quieter one. No idea why they play it but it crashes through the Food Hall and the large ground floor. The first floor has the same,including a large café,but it is quieter there.
It's a fairly new store so maybe some whizz kid thought it'd be a good idea. It wasn't. I'm sure it's controllable but no one can be bothered.

I’ve never heard music in any M&S so that sounds store specific and controllable.

Never understood music in cafes, restaurants or pubs*. They are not clubs, and people go there to socialise, which funnily enough because near impossible against other background noise. I’ve always hated it, it’s bed enough when places have crap acoustics, add in the music and forget and verbal communication.
*I know some pubs are more like clubs and have a dance area, but I’m referring to the average ‘drinkers’ pub.

In my case it just means I don't eat there at all! so they lose my custom.

I completely agree.

I don't use shops, restaurants, pubs or coffee shops that have loud music on.

It is also really bad for the staff to have to be subjected to this all day.

There's research that people eat more and quicker when there's loud music . They want a high turnover of quick eaters . Hence why some chains are noisy with uncomfortable seating, its deliberate

I wondered the same. I was in Truman's recently having lovely afternoon drinks and we were about to order food when on came live music at 4pm. I was getting a sore throat from shouting by the time we finished our drinks. Other people hastily left too. I felt sorry for the guy playing, he was good but just sooo loud. Wondered if that was the place.

I loathe loud music in restaurants and alway check out where the speakers are when taking a table.
The other one I pull is say I'm hearing impaired and can't hear my dining partner speak. I'm early 70s, so get a result. My hearing is excellent by the way.

Loud music doesn’t usually bother me but I was in wingstop with my daughter last week and the music was so loud that we actually ended up asking for take out containers and left.

I don’t know how the people working there were coping. Customers were having to actually shout their orders to the poor girl on the till, who was also dealing with a language barrier, and she looked like she was about to explode

Was the restaurant in France and run by Rene Artois?

😆

We went to a restaurant recently and (as we were abroad, on holiday) asked if they had wifi. The answer was "no, we prefer our guests to talk to each other". Fair enough, don't have a problem with that. However, the music was deafening and we had to shout to be heard. It was 7pm. We asked if we could sit outside because of the deafening music. We weren't the only people who moved outside, and it wasn't a particularly warm evening.

We mentioned it to the waitress at the end of the evening and she said "yes, we get that all the time, but the owner likes the music and we aren't allowed to turn it down". The food was lovely, but I would never suggest that anybody go there!

We go to a local social club every 2 weeks - the music is always ridiculously loud. We ask for it to be turned down every single time so that we can hear each other and, to be fair, they always happily do this, but why not consider not having it that loud in the first place?

My sister is recovering from a brain injury and if we go for a meal out and its too loud we ask them to turn it down, they’ve always said yes. I’m happy because I absolutely hate loud music it stresses me out so much

I have noticed this fairly often. Often it's at lunch time when it's just a few couples and old ladies like me! Not sure what vibe they are trying to create with the too loud music when the customer base is mostly older/retired people but perhaps they don't want old folks filling their chairs? One was in a garden centre restaurant/cafe of all places just last week - 10.30am and the music was unpleasantly loud. Two older ladies came in and were trying to find the table that was furthest away from the speaker. Sadly for them, I'd already bagged that space!