I’ve consulted for Zagat for the past few years. For them, the second most complained-about part of a restaurant experience is noise (second only to poor service). People hate airstrip-loud restaurants, yet they abound. When I reviewed for the SF Chronicle I covertly took a noise meter to each review and that information was listed at the end of each story.

• Under 65 decibels: pleasantly quiet, can talk easily
• 65-70 decibels: 60-70 is the level of normal conversation at 3-5 feet, normal piano practice, or a fortissimo singer 3 ft. away
• 70-75 decibels: talking normally gets difficult
• 75-80 decibels: can only talk in raised voices (75-85 is the level of chamber music in a small auditorium, 80 decibels is the dial tone of a telephone)
• 80+ decibels: too noisy for normal conversation

Continued exposure to noise at 85 decibels or higher eventually can cause hearing loss, according to standards set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The restaurant I’m reviewing next week has a serious noise problem. I’d love to get readers’ thoughts on noise:

Is it a deterrent?
Should restaurants concern themselves with noise abatement?
Which restaurants are noisiest?