Improving restaurants soundscape
S2015; 2020 - 2021
ITHQ, Saint-Gobain Research
Institut du Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), Saint-Gobain Research
Consumers spent more time and money in the studied restaurant when the sound level was higher.
However, lower sound levels foster higher satisfaction and acoustic comfort.
Much attention has been given to the problem of how loud restaurants can be. High restaurant sound levels have been identified as a culprit in contributing to fatigue, difficulty in social situations, and even affect the taste of the food.
Sounds in the City began working with the ITHQ in Montreal in 2015 with the goal of first documenting and then fine-tuning their restaurant’s soundscape to encourage a more pleasant dining experience. This ongoing collaboration has paved the way for a new project in 2019 with Saint-Gobain Research to investigate the effect of sound environments on diners’ experiences.
Initial findings showed that, as the sound levels increased, diners spent more money and time in the restaurant, but they were not more satisfied with the experience and did not find the restaurant more convivial. However, this does not mean that diners enjoy a louder sound environment: acoustic treatment applied by Saint-Gobain in the same restaurant during the pandemic led to increased satisfaction, increased acoustic comfort, and a sound level considered more appropriate by diners, as well as more positive soundscape evaluations and lower vocal and listening effort.
For details, please contact: Cynthia Tarlao, Catherine Guastavino