Finding quiet places to eat & drink
It’s a noisy old world and many of us wish it wasn’t!
When it comes to eating out or meeting people for a coffee, pint or glass of wine, there is plenty of market research to suggest that people do not want so much noise. This is especially true of people who have sensitive hearing or hearing loss.
We’d love more restaurants and cafes to promote themselves on the basis of the hearing and listening environment they provide. They could stand out from the crowd by offering hearing-friendly environments.
They could win new customers and delight current ones by taking steps to:
- Control noise
- Offer quiet zones
- Turn down or switch off music
- Ensure lighting is suitable for lipreading
- Train staff to speak clearly and be aware of different communication needs
Complete the quick polls below to share your views on noise in restaurants and cafes.
Quick polls
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Loading ...Help map noise levels
You can make a difference by mapping the noise levels in the places you visit. Do this by downloading and using an App called iHEARu – find it in the App store on your smartphone. It has been developed by a team in America and they have asked Ideas for Ears to find out what people in the UK think about it.
The app is FREE to use and makes it simple to record the noise levels in a place you visit by clicking a button. You can also leave a few comments to explain your view of the noise levels (e.g. what caused the noise and whether it was enjoyable or not – a jazz band might be great but crashing crockery might not).
By the way, the app doesn’t literally record things. It monitors the sound waves and turns this into a measurement, so don’t worry about conversation being accidentally recorded!
The app is due to soon be upgraded. Feedback you provide will help inform what that upgrade looks like.
Tried it? Like it? Loathe it?
Consider joining Quiet Scotland
If you live in Scotland, we also encourage you to join Quiet Scotland, an informal network of people who are campaigning for freedom from intrusive background music in public places. They want cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops to reduce or avoid use of ‘musak’. They also recognise the value of other environmental noise being managed more effectively.
Find out more by dropping them a note.
A focused approach
We focus on topics and subjects where we feel we can make most impact and where we feel change or improvement is both necessary and possible. By participating in our surveys and other activities, you can help bring about the outcomes you want.