To ask the restaurant to turn it down?

[DataNotLore]

Went out for lunch on Saturday with an elderly relative who uses a hearing aid.

They've recently had surgery too so feeling a little fragile.

Restaurant was only about a third full and remained so.

The background music was so loud though. They couldn't hear the conversation and ended up turning their hearing aid off.

We left early. I found it barely tolerable too.

We had asked the restaurant to turn it down but they declined.

WIBU?

I wonder how long these style over substance businesses wil last?

Talking is neither instagramable nor profitable

Instagrammable 😂 what a load of vacuous, immature shite 😂

Which one is that please so I don’t accidentally book a table there?

This is when MN needs a like button!

If you had described a kid who ‘doesn’t like the noise’ I’d have rolled my eyes, but your poor elderly guest who actually can’t hear - yeah they should have compromised. I wouldn’t be returning.

And I would have rolled them back at you. There are a lot of ND children and adults who really can't bear loud noises, and a lot of NT children and adults who would rather eat in a quieter environment.

The loudest place I ever ate in was the Rainforest Cafe in Orlando. The background noises were incredibly jarring and spoiled the meal for us (the food was great though).

This is why I avoid Wagamama as although I love the food, they’re always really noisy and being stuck sat on a long bench with people I don’t know isn’t fun.

The loudest place I ever ate in was the Rainforest Cafe in Orlando. The background noises were incredibly jarring and spoiled the meal for us (the food was great though).

Surely the sounds are a big part of the experience though? The theming is generally why people go there.

I didn't know that before we went. It was late, and we liked the look of the menu. I remember thinking how much a child with sensory issues would hate it.

I work at McDonald's and I'm constantly turning the music down. I hate it blasting!

I didn't know that before we went. It was late, and we liked the look of the menu. I remember thinking how much a child with sensory issues would hate it.

Oh right. I've never visited Disney World and I know that the restaurant has animal sounds and thunderstorm effects so assumed that you knew but if you didn't then yes that would certainly be an overwhelming and unpleasant experience.

I'm autistic and probably would have loved it as a kid(And might still now). I also really love The Hard Rock Cafe's music and yet I find loud music/sounds where I'm not expecting them, unbearable. It's strange how it works.

That's very unkind and ageist. Why is it okay for elderly people with hearing difficulties to mind loud music but ND or hearing impaired children should be treated with contempt?

It's disableist to do this because it excludes hearing impaired people and ND people. We've had to stop going to a favourite cafe because of the loud music they now play. The place is mainly frequented by older people so why they need to keep blasting the likes of cardi b is beyond me. I suspect it's to keep the staff happy. Why is everyone who works in catering/hospitality hard of hearing?

I’ve often walked out of restaurants and cafes, even before I’m taken to a table, because I can’t stand the noise. I wear hearing aids and if I can’t speak at a normal volume, I won’t spend my money eating or drinking in that place.

Why is everyone who works in catering/hospitality hard of hearing?

Because they are deafened by the music where they work! Why is everyone who works in catering/hospitality hard of hearing? Seriously though there are limits on noise levels in work places and some of these most reach the levels where ear defenders are needed.

I've also turned round and gone straight back out of a restaurant when faced with a barrage of noise. The worst one by a mile was in a ski resort. We were trapped and the restaurant was in a stone vaulted cellar. Normal conversation was impossible and we were yelling at the waiting staff to be heard. Out of curiosity I downloaded a decibel meter on to my phone and it was recording levels of over 100 which can cause hearing damage with exposure of around 30 minutes.