Background music in restaurants - a rant

Just spent a week away.

Hotel had background music in breakfast room.

Taverna at lunchtimes had background music*

Restaurant at dinner had background music*

Plus background music playing around hotel pool.

I hate it, it doesn't relax me -- lets have some peace!!

Or how about a quiet area in restaurants?

* = loud and intrusive.

hmmm...do not know what yo tell you hear. It sounds like most places that you go have musical accompaniment and you do not like it. I would suggest not going to those places anymore as I am sure its just routine for them to have music playing for ambiance. You said it was blaring or loud and intrusive though, so would just steer clear and know that you do not like those places.

[Jenise]

Jordan, you're so right that we can all vote with our feet. But at the same time I feel Pete's pain--background music should be just that, IN the background, ambience. After all, we're going there for a meal--in the average restaurant the music shouldn't be so loud you have trouble hearing the person you're with, or find yourself having to speak up to be heard. Sure, some places make loud noise part of their style on purpose, but I doubt Pete is choosing those kinds of places.

And welcome to WLDG!

There is a scene in "Unbearable Lightness of Being" -- one of the characters (female) (I am not looking it up)(Lena Olin in the movie) is in a restaurant, this happens to be in Switzerland, and in the book she goes on and on in her head about how she is surrounded by "kitsch" and that the music she is being forced to listen to is just another example, and you can't shut it out. Evidently this was a particular problem for Milan Kundera. So she gets up and yells at the staff in the restaurant and leaves.

This scene is a wonderful example of something which can work well in a book, and make no sense whatever when translated to film. She is in a restaurant, she gets up and throws a fit, but in the movie, you really don't get much of a sense about what is bothering her. And if they HAD presented her inner monologue on the sound track, it probably would have made it worse because it would have gone on for 15 minutes.

At any rate, I see the point, I don't like intrusive music although normally I can tolerate it. One of the worst things is on the telephone, where when you are put on hold there is often the scratchiest nastiest most annoying music in the world. It is as if they really would like you to hang up instead of waiting.

Gail hates being in an Italian restaurant when they pipe in opera.

I expect background music in certain places as part of the ambiance -- I can usually tune it out as my head is busy with my conversations or my book (in which I am usually very involved). But, its the music they play on the telephone while you are hold that drives me crazy. Often times it too loud, usually something I can't stand, and periodically it gets interrupted when they check to see wehther I'm still holding (with or without saying anything).

Gail hates being in an Italian restaurant when they pipe in opera.

Because it's so much better when the waiters sing it?

The music is annoying enough but around here I've noticed Televisions are becoming ubiquitous and I'm not just talking just about sports bars. If I want to watch TV, I'll stay at home where at least I have a choice of what to watch.

I think one of the advantages of music in restaurants is not having to overhear conversations at the next table.

I'm not a huge rock fan by any means, but I love it when they play it in the dentist's office. Keeps my mind off other things.

My brother is 6 ft. 5 1/2 inches tall...former law enforcement, good looking and has a "in control" presence about him. He does not like annoying background music in restaurants, and he lets them know that when he makes reservations. If he happens to be in a restaurant with loud annoying music, he pulls out a 20.00 bill and hands it to the wait person, and says, "please turn off the music until my wife and I leave." He thanks them nicely when they leave. I've seen him do this. Works every time for him. As for Gene and I, we usually ask nicely for the music to be turned off, and most times they tell us they can't turn it off, but will turn it down. It is a deal breaker for us if they don't. Gene wears hearing aids and we tell them this when we make reservations, always asking for a table near a wall or a booth, and no loud music. There is a place in Redding that plays loud music all day and night, their staff is loud, we know this, so just don't go. They are always busy.

[Robin Garr]

Soft music appropriate to the restaurant is fine, and as others have noted, a stylish restaurant without any background music might seem a bit sterile. Some restaurants seem to feel that loud music is part of the corporate persona, and that's fine ... for me it's a mood thing, and I might embrace it or shun it on any given occasion. I'm not sure I would rant about it, though.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned: Maybe it's just silly, but I enjoy it when ethnic music sets an appropriate mood at an ethnic restaurant, whether it's sitars or gamelans of Irish harps and pennywhistles or marimbas. Sitars at a Mexican restaurant might seem a little strange, though.

[David M. Bueker]

Three nights in a row in Argentina we were in the hotel restaurant (the dinners were included as part of the tour package - besides in El Chalten there isn't much else) and they were playing Norah Jones! I'm sorry, but I did not fly 6000 miles south to listen to Norah Jones. I asked them to change it hte second night & they put on some quiet tango music. The third night I just asked them to turn it off as we were the only ones in the place. Food was quite good, but the music...GAAAAAAA!

Why, do you think, grocery stores, restaurants, Dr's offices, telephone calls on hold, even some movies play loud and obnoxious music? Even today as I was getting a haircut, the music was driving me nuts. I finally asked my hair cutter to turn it off, since no one else was in the shop. I used to think the idea behind it was relaxation, but I don't feel that way now.

I'm not a huge rock fan by any means, but I love it when they play it in the dentist's office. Keeps my mind off other things.

I was getting my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago and the music was there, but not bothering me. My hygienist asked if the music was bothering me , and I told her no, but she said it was driving her nuts. She asked another tech to turn it off. As soon as I could I asked what it was that bothered her and she said, "the words". Funny, I rarely listen to the words, unless it is music of my era, 50's and 60's. Good thing too after she told me what they sang!

My son and I went to Rochester today and before leaving, we had dinner at a well known BBQ place (Dinosaur). They had some great blues playing, 24 beers on tap and some very good BBQ. http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/rochesterIndex.php

Seems like most of the restaurants around here are so noisy due to bad acoustics that you can't tell whether they have the music cranked or not.

Unfortunatley there were no restaurants without music at that location. Indeed -- how many restaurants are there these days that do not have music?

I walked out of a restaurant once when I found we had been placed next to the grand piano ... which was being played with some gusto by a chap in white tie and tails. The restaurant was full so we could not be moved to a different table.

I have in the past been hired to play wallpaper music in a cafe while people dine. It was a horrible experience for me as a musician. I haven't done it for 25 years and I won't do wallpaper music again any time soon.

I hired a folk singer to play at our NiagaraCOOL picnic one year. I think it was enjoyable.

There are quite a few restaurants I won't go to due to noise issues. With the exception of some hip/bar type places, it's seldom just the music, but the combination of music and hard surfaces, and then people talking louder to be heard over the noise (and then someone turns up music so you can heard it over the talking, ....)

I have in the past been hired to play wallpaper music in a cafe while people dine. It was a horrible experience for me as a musician. I haven't done it for 25 years and I won't do wallpaper music again any time soon.

My wife is a musician, and finds it harder to ignore background music- especially classical- than I do- music is to be listened to. She also has a pretty strict policy about not taking those gigs (though she did play one wedding reception recently as a favor for a friend).