In an article on fastcompany.com, the author, Christopher Zara, makes note of a survey that found the majority of the people who eat at restaurants find that the establishment plays their music too loud. And the results are even close! The survey, conducted by Cloud Cover Music, found that a whopping 66.7% of respondents thought that the music played in restaurants had the "Volume too high." "Poor sound quality" was a distant second at 21%.
The survey found that sports bars were the worst offenders. Sports bars were followed by casual dining, fast casual dining, and fine dining. A caveat about the survey: The survey only included 941 individuals and the results weren't weighted, but it still offers an interesting insight on how people feel when it comes to dining and loud music.
So why do establishments play their music so loud? One theory put forth by "Vox," a general internet news sight, is that loud music tends to make people eat and drink faster thus allowing restaurants to speed up turnover and generate more business. Interesting. Anyway, Its a fascinating study with interesting results. It appears that people still value conversation at meal time! So how do you feel about loud music and dining? Let us know!