The fucking noise in coffee shops

You are entitled to be annoyed at what you consider annoying, but that literal "buzz" is what other people are looking for: chatter, bustle, vibrancy, the sound of togetherness.

So maybe go somewhere else?

I'm with you OP. The constant banging with the coffee machine.....not relaxing at all!!

I know what you mean. The trend seems to be to look like a derelict building, rather than a cosy vibe, and the lack of soft furnishings make everything loud and echoey. I don’t like it either!

Completely agree. And then you add music into the mix - I don’t care what sort of music, even music I like just becomes part of the never ending, jangling noise.

I’ve bought a flask.

I agree. Our local Costa is very bad for this. The noise of the coffee machine seems extra amplified for some reason. It's impossible to hold a conversation sometimes. We just don't go there for a sit down drink, only take aways.

All of them will be the same. Those are noises coffee machines and blenders make. I don’t understand why you keep going in them.

This!! There are a few places I’ve stopped going because of this

They are not all the same! I recently went into the cafe at a major UK attraction and they had acoustic absorbing things hanging from the ceiling and upholstered chairs and it was buzzy but not clangy/cacophonous. Was such a refreshing experience for someone to have thought about sound (and probably thrown money at it to be fair).

Lovely independent one near me, the bloody coffee machine sounds like Concorde taking off. You can't escape it. So we go elsewhere.

YANBU. My hearing isn't great but out in public it always seems that I can hear every word uttered by the person 3 tables away who never shuts up but I cannot hear the person I am with and who is talking to me.

Trains seem suddenly loud too, crammed with people having Non Stop Very Loud Conversations.

I don't want to be one of those people who shuts themselves off from the world with noise cancelling headphones but it's getting so unbearable that's it's either that, being driven mad by the noise or staying away from other people.

Sounds like sensory issues to me

Doesn’t to me. It has been well documented that restaurants, bars and cafes have got louder for all the reasons mentioned above.

We take the piss but flock wallpaper and carpets actually serve a purpose.

There's a great Spanish restaurant near us but all the surfaces are hard and shiny. I can't hear myself think. On Saturdays they have live music. I love the food but never choose to go because it is simply unbearable.

It totally depends on the coffee shop. Some are kitcheny clangy places, others are more cosy. Just finding the right one is the challenge

My friend used to run a coffee shop

Honestly, I think she bought the noisiest machine available it was ridiculous

Completely agree. In my town dogs are allowed in every single cafe too so that's another layer of irritation. Fido is either yapping or sniffing out food at the tables (yes really) while the owner smiles benignly on.

Lolllllll it's Saturday and you were in a coffee shop. You're hilarious 🤣

Is the issue the lack of soft surfaces to absorb sound. Because to make espresso for any coffee drinks needs a decent machine and needs high pressure. The steam for milk for cappuccino will also make noise. The banging to get grounds out of the filter will be noisy, they're emptied into something that is called a knock box. Grinding beans will be noisy too. The only mitigation for it is to up the amount of soft or noise absorbing surfaces. But soft furnishings then need more cleaning and the 'industrial" look of many coffee places if because it's a heck of a lot cheaper to set up.
My favourite coffee place is in a railway arch though, so the noise of fresh espresso being made really isn't a problem for me.

The fucking noise in coffee shops

😳 People sometimes talk a lot but I’ve never heard actual fucking going on. We’re quite well mannered around here, so they probably do it quietly. With their eyes shut.

I agree.

It's unavoidable that making coffee comes with grinding, hissing and clattering about, but unless the person at the till is also making the drinks, it would make perfect sense to put coffee machines in the kitchen and have the finished drinks put out through a hatch. Not sure why it always has to be in the room with me while I'm trying to relax and chat to a friend or read a book.