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More and more of them are complaining regarding excessively loud music in restaurants. Between business strategy and health risk, music in restaurants seems to be less and less bearable for some customers.
“The music is louder and louder, especially from 10 p.m., so it’s impossible to discuss even two people” or even, “the sound is too loud and therefore the exchange with your table comrades is quite difficult”. These are opinions given on restaurant recommendation sites.
The sound environment has become a criterion for selecting and evaluating restaurants. Some online directories rate restaurants by the noise level of the establishment ranging from “very quiet” to “very loud”. Indeed, while some appreciate loud music, others complain regarding it once they leave the restaurant.
“We would like to be able to sit in a restaurant, on weekends for example with the children”, explains Oumaima. It was in a restaurant on Tamaris beach that this mother thought she might enjoy her followingnoon. “It’s not even 6 p.m. and the restaurant is blasting its music. I sometimes ask to lower the sound, but nothing helps, they increase a few minutes later and we have to shout to hear each other speak.
A business strategy
Since the post-Covid recovery, restaurants have been trying to attract as many customers as possible in order to counter the effects of the crisis. So between the speakers and the summer music, there is actually a real commercial strategy.
According to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, music may influence our food choices: the louder the background music in a restaurant, the more likely we are to order junk food ( junk food).
“Noisy places are stressful for our brain. This is why we will tend to order greasy and unhealthy food. Quiet places accompanied by soft music are on the contrary soothing and allow us to be fully aware of our food choices. In these cases, we will be more likely to lean for a salad, ”analyzes Dipayan Biswas, professor of marketing at the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida.
Consumer influence, but at what cost?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a dangerous sound level can be, for example, exposure to more than 100 decibels (dB) for 15 minutes, the equivalent of the noise felt next to a large loudspeaker propagating music in a restaurant…
Indeed, scientific studies agree on one point: “If you have to raise your voice, the level of the crude is greater than 80 dB. If you have to shout to make yourself understood, it is over 90 dB”.
According to the Department of Health, exposure to loud sounds can cause temporary hearing loss or tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing sensation in the ear. When the sound is particularly loud, regular or prolonged, it can permanently damage the sensory cells of the ear, causing irreversible hearing loss.