Going out to dinner in a restaurant with a well-designed atmosphere and music playing can be a challenging activity for individuals with difficulty hearing, especially as they age. The common element in this challenge is the bouncing of loud music off the walls and ceiling, which can affect the overall enjoyment of the basic pleasure of dining out with loved ones.
It is difficult to have a big conversation when you can’t hear each other without shouting across the table. Even when my husband and I are by ourselves, we find ourselves gravitating towards these places. Since at least one of my parents has a hard time hearing, finding a place where we can all enjoy eating out and hear each other is slightly challenging. One of the benefits of visiting my parents is that I now have good knowledge of virtually all the quiet restaurants in my city.
Since I live in Washington, DC, it’s been relatively easy for me to find local venues that are quiet. The Washington Post restaurant critic has long included decibel ratings in his reviews, making it convenient for me to locate peaceful places in the city.
In Stuart, Florida and Portland, Maine, we have discovered how to create a conversation-friendly living space in our two mid-sized parent cities. However, our quest has been more challenging outside the limits of our cities.
This site does not have a specific way to search within specified geographic areas, but it directed me to Chowhound.Com Loss Journal Hearing. Similarly, TripAdvisor and Yelp do not have a separate search function for quiet seekers. Many younger generations and older people commonly experience loss of hearing, which is why I am mystified about this decision to enable conversation without yelling that many desire. Disappointingly, the website for Zagat’s discontinued its “quiet conversation” search function for restaurants, and I found several online resources that do not provide what is needed.
There doesn’t appear to be a mechanism based on acoustics to filter reservations on Reserve.Com and Resy.Com. Other table reservation services, such as Open Table, do not offer this criteria on their site. When searching for restaurants in the Washington DC area, I’m presented with limited options and not much luck. However, if you’re in a locality included in this resource, you may be fortunate to find a “quiet” option when running searches on Table Open.
In August 2017, Soundprint, a database app, was launched in New York City. It has already received over 3,000 reviews. The app allows users to measure the decibel level of venues and geographic regions. Currently, the app is able to locate where users are and collect and publish decibel data. There are two other apps, “IHearU” and “Soundprint,” that may be future applications in this wave.
In March 2018, when I was searching for regions with good acoustics, I had neither the app nor the databases populated with reviews in Florida (specifically Stuart) and Maine (specifically Portland).
Not all senior citizens, or even their adult children, utilize smartphones as a source of data. And understandably, they might not have the inclination to do so, which presents another concern.
With all of this in mind, I started my recent search for quiet restaurants in Portland, Maine by using a simple Google search for “quiet restaurants” and “Portland”. I then cross-checked these lists by using Opentable.Com to search for additional options and narrowed it down to a list of 68 places. To further summarize and meet my criteria, I also checked Yelp and Foursquare.Com. From an article I found on Foursquare.Com from 2018, I compiled a list of the top 15 quiet restaurants in Portland. I am pleased with the best results I have obtained so far.
Based on positive customer reviews on TripAdvisor, I discovered two restaurants in Stuart, Florida that were highly praised for offering a serene dining atmosphere. This prompted me to conduct a broader Google search on the topic.
Enhance, rather than decrease, background noise. If you are looking to establish a place that is likely to be open, such as a kitchen or a place with bare walls and a concrete floor, you might want to consider walking into a place like this. In this article, you can see different materials that can be used to cover the ceilings and walls, such as carpeting for dining areas. If you are not relying on the internet and prefer good old-fashioned visual cues, this restaurant could be a good option for conversations.
Considering the same kinds of design considerations, it’s worth noting that exploring other options among carpeting, tiles, and acoustic tapestries can create more enjoyable and social spaces in our own homes, as well as make good acoustics for restaurants.
I hope this assists you and your loved ones in relishing and listening to each other during numerous upcoming meals!