Photo credit: Following NYC
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition, and Honorary Chair, Quiet American Skies
This article on Grub Street, an online food blog by New York Magazine, portrays former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as someone who is pleased with the loud sounds in restaurants. But we should remember that when Bloomberg was Mayor in 2007, he strongly supported updating the city’s Noise Code. I believe Bloomberg was noting that the loud sounds were indicative of a restaurant full of diners. During the pandemic, people were not dining out much but now with less concern about COVID (despite upticks around new variants), individuals are dining out more. In this case, louder restaurants represent more diners and that is indeed better for business.
Bloomberg expressed his enthusiasm about the city’s future. “Never been more optimistic about the city’s future or its energy,” he said. I believe he saw the crowded, loud restaurant as a sign of the city’s recovery. It is interesting to note that one comment on this article calls for Bloomberg’s return, as the writer believes he “could fix this mess in nine months.”
However, many diners have expressed a desire for a quieter dining experience when they eat out. Soundprint is a website that directs diners to quieter establishments in their city. An app was developed to measure the sound levels in restaurants and that data was used to identify quieter dining spots. There are also architectural designs that can lessen the din of restaurants.
I think that people who dine out, including Bloomberg, would like to converse with the other diners at their tables and for this reason, restaurants should aim to lessen the din. However, many New Yorkers are happier to see more diners in restaurants because this represents an energetic and more financially stable city.
