Dining Out
Tips for Dining Out with Hearing Challenges
Pick a socially compatible party to dine with. No one likes to dine with complainers.
No more than 4 or 6 in the party. If you have a large group, consider splitting into two tables of 4 or 6 instead of one long table to help everyone hear and enjoy the event better.
Avoid the rush. Dine early or late to avoid peak dining hours of the restaurant. This will give you better service, easier accommodations for special dietary needs, and a quieter space in which to enjoy the meal.
Let the restaurant know ahead if you have any special requests and call to let them know if they change.
Ask for a quiet table – these are typically around the periphery of the restaurant such as a corner table. Never sit in the middle of the dining room.
Ask if there is live music and if so, what time it starts. This will help you pick your reservation time so you can hear and converse without the music drowning out the conversation.
Ask your friends for recommendations about acoustically friendly restaurants. For example, Liliana’s Restaurant in Fitchburg has tables specifically set aside for those with hearing challenges and a special room to converse well, the Card Room, for groups up to 8 people. In addition, the floor is carpeted, the ceilings are acoustically treated, and the walls are plastered by hand to decrease reflection and reverberation. Hard surfaces reflect sound and make it more difficult to hear.
Do you have favorite places to dine and hear well?
In San Francisco, the newspaper rates restaurants not only based on food and service but also according to how loud they are.
Here is their rating system:
1 bell - Pleasantly quiet – under 65 dBA
2 bells - Can talk easily – 65-70 dBA
3 bells - Talking normally gets difficult – 70-75 dBA
4 bells - Can talk only in raised voices – 75-80 dBA
1 stick of dynamite - Too noisy for conversation – over 80 dBA