Noisy Eateries

[talon]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/30/noisy.restaurant.business/index.html?hpt=C2

Ha! I am not the only one who dislikes the way restaurants have gotten so very, very noisy.

I've stopped eating out at any restaurant that is so noisy and dark (don't forget dark!) that I can't see what my companions are saying.

I'm already hard of hearing, so I depend a lot on lip reading, signing, and what remaining hearing I have. If a venue is noisy (and dark!), I can't communicate. A noisy venue annoys Itzl because he hates loud noises. They make him uncomfortable and he spends the whole time on high alert to make sure he doesn't miss any important sounds.

My sister likes these noisy restaurants and she always wants to eat out when I visit. I've finally (mostly) convinced her I'd rather cook a meal with her and eat that than eat out. I'm OK with eating at kiosks at street fairs, and that's mostly what we do now - I plan my visits to coincide with an arts festival or street fair of some sort, and we go there, browse the goodies and grab a burger or an Indian Taco or something and sit in the shade to crowd watch - and bonus? We get to bring her dog along, too.

I prefer making my own meals, but when I do need to eat out, I prefer take-out so I can eat somewhere quieter. If I'm at a con, we order take-out from several places and sit around sharing and catching up. I love that.

Those restaurants aren't increasing their turnover, they're actively losing business from people like me.