How to get the best acoustic experience in restaurants?

Mhmm! Now that sounds good
Poor acoustics in restaurants are a growing trend, and looking at the reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor and Yelp, the customers are voicing their opinions on their experiences. US National Restaurant Review found that the 2nd most common complaint from restaurant visitors was noise. When a customer walks into a restaurant, they should feel like they want to be there. The busyness mustn’t drive the people away and a restaurant ceiling shouldn’t give the feeling of being done at the last minute. Both bold and subtle colours will be on the top of the restaurant design menu as it influences the customers’ senses.

Give the right welcome
Reception and bar area
A comfy restaurant reception and bar areas is an integral part of the restaurant landscape and plays an important role in keeping the customers from leaving on a busy night. These areas are major focal points and a great opportunity to tie a slightly different design theme from the other sections. Unfortunately, the reception and bar area have many hard and reflective surfaces that’s terrible for the acoustics. By adding an acoustic solution you can easily create a space that sounds as beautiful as it looks.

Acoustic tips:
• Be playful and fun with adding colours and other design elements to create a social environment
• Have round edges or three-dimensional features to break up the smooth surfaces that reverberate noise 
• Use highly sound-absorbing material to control the noise levels. 
• Add artwork, greenery and soft furniture 

We recommend products like Rockfon Blanka® and Rockfon Eclipse® as they both give outstanding acoustic comfort. Rockfon Eclipse is frameless islands with excellent sound absorption, and it’s a great element to complement an industrial-style design. 

Play with colours
Be bold and play around with our 34 bold, long-lasting and inspiring colours. Rockfon Color-all® is a versatile acoustic ceiling solution available in concealed, semi-concealed and visible grid solution giving you the total design freedom.

Kill the noise, not the vibe
Dining area
Food and the décor is the focus in every restaurant, and many of them don’t realise that they have a serious noise problem affecting customers and staff, potentially hurting the business. Modern restaurant design tends to be minimalist with open kitchens, hard, smooth surfaces and materials like concrete, wood and glass. Together they create stunning visuals but terrible indoor climates that kill the atmosphere. The dining experience is more than just great and exciting food, it’s creating special moments for people. People in restaurants want to feel comfortable, almost like they were at home. It’s important to get the right sound levels to kill the noise and enhance the vibe.

Acoustic tips:
• Focus on enhancing the acoustic environment with using highly sound-absorbing ceiling and wall solutions to control the noise levels 
• Add other porous materials in the dining area like, tablecloths, curtains, rugs and chairs with fabric on them to limit the number of hard surfaces where the sound can reverberate. 
• Creating a better experience for the guests, adding extra sound absorbing materials underneath the tables will absorb excessive noise. 

We recommend products as Rockfon Blanka® and Rockfon Eclipse® wall panels. Rockfon Blanka gives you the best acoustic properties to ensure a comfortable noise level. The deep matt and super white surface help to capitalise on natural light. Rockfon Eclipse wall panel is an aesthetic, frameless wall solution perfectly fitting a clean, minimalistic design. They can be used on their own or ideal for complementing every space. 

Stand out with excellent sound
Rockfon Eclipse® is innovative and aesthetically pleasing frameless islands giving excellent sound absorption. It’s a great way to complement a minimal style restaurant as they’re quick and easy to install to improve the acoustic environment.

Quote:
“Speaking louder to be heard continuously escalates the noise and makes a room even noisier. This is known as the “Lombard effect”. Pascal van Dort, Global Acoustic Ambassador, Rockfon

Great hygiene that sounds beautiful
Kitchen
Speed, consistency, communication and hygiene are all critical success criteria in restaurant kitchens. They are bustling and high-stress spaces requiring a thoughtful design that prevents sound levels from escalating, safeguarding the wellbeing of the cooks and people working in the kitchen.

A clean kitchen is the number one criteria, which is why sanitation regulations are so high. It’s vital that the building materials including the ceiling can be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis to maintain a high sanitary standard. It’s no secret that kitchens have a lot of activity and since the sanitary requirements are very high it requires a design with sleek and reflective surfaces. It’s great for cleanability however, it’s terrible for acoustics. The constant talk between chefs, grills humming and pans clinging create a cacophony of noise that most likely will disturb noise as well as it create an unhealthy working environment.

Acoustic tips:
1. Use sound-absorbing solutions that meet the most rigorous hygiene codes and safety regulations and that are resistant to mould and bacteria.
2. Make sure sound absorption is high to avoid that sound bouncing off the surfaces.

The lively kitchen space requires a high hygienic design that also prevents sound levels from escalating, safeguarding the wellbeing of the cooks and the people working there.

Make it about the food and not the noise
We would recommend installing Rockfon(r) System T24 S/E ECR™ as it’s suitable for a humid and harsh environment where corrosion resistance, longevity and safety are key factors. And combined with our non-hygroscopic, durable and specially treated ceiling tile, Rockfon Hygienic(r) that fits perfectly for areas with food preparation. Choosing a ceiling solution resistant to mould and bacteria gives you a safe foundation for a healthy space.

Don’t forget the last space to create the whole experience
Restroom
The full customer experience counts for all the touchpoints a customer enters and don’t forget the restroom as it also adds to the experience. Privacy and good hygiene gives comfort for visitors however, restrooms often have hard surfaces and ceramic walls for optimal hygiene and cleanability. But it’s not ideal for privacy. To dampen sound reflection, it’s highly important to look into acoustic solutions that also can withstand regular cleaning.

Acoustic tips:
1. Use sound absorbing solution that meet the most rigorous hygiene standards and safety regulations
2. Make sure that the ceiling solution can resist mould and bacteria. 
3. Avoid the sound bouncing off the surface by implementing high sound absorbing materials.

Create a moment of privacy
We recommend the Rockfon Color-all(r) range with 34 inspiring and exclusive colours to enhance the comfort of the space. Also our non-hygroscopic, durable and specially treated ceiling tile, Rockfon Hygienic(r) is perfect for restrooms as it requires frequent cleaning. 

Learn more products information, you can visit to en.rockfon.international