Loud people in restaurants

biko · 08-07-2015 10:00AM

I agree OP! Someone "else" should do something! It's gone too far!

Links234 · 08-07-2015 10:28AM

Ol' Donie wrote: »

Laughter.

God, I hate laughter.

Me too. But fortunately I've gotten so bitter and resentful of the world, I can barely hear people's laughter over the sound of my own misery. OP needs to practice dragging other people into their own misery, you can get so good at it you can walk into a crowded room and a hush will fall.

Aongus Von Bismarck · 08-07-2015 10:51AM

A good maître d' would have approached the party and asked them to keep it down before other customers complained. An experienced front-of-house will know the ethos of the restaurant, and can pitch the tone of the place accordingly.

If it was a causal dining sort of place, then you might expect to have a more relaxed and devil-may-care atmosphere. Think dried pasta, commercially bought sauces, cheap bottles of Chianti, hugely oversized pepper grinders, slightly sleazy Italian waiter with too much gel in his hair, large bunches of menopausal women guffawing at each other and being very loud. Or the type of place where a ‘bunch of lads’ head for a ‘good feed’ – think overpriced steak, frozen onion rings, perhaps bottles of lager in a bucket of ice. It still doesn’t give any customer the right to ruin the night for others by being overly loud, obnoxious, drunk or rude. Eating out is a real treat for some people, and they don’t want to have to listen in to some red-faced dullard in bootcut jeans and a Jack Jones shirt drone on to his mates about the ‘bird’ he pulled in Coppers last weekend.

If it was a more formal or fine dining type of place, then absolutely no excuses. You shouldn’t have to ask to move. You shouldn’t have to move. Many restaurants ask that patrons don’t use their mobile in the dining room. You are at a theatre of gastronomy, not the office. The same goes for extremely loud laughter, shouting, scraping your cutlery on your plate etc.

Sadly we live in a society where being loud, common and obnoxious is almost seen as a badge of honour. Manners and social etiquette appear to be antiquated theories in many of the lower stratums of society. The more money you pay, the less likely you are to encounter them though. You wouldn’t have a bunch of braying donkeys sitting around a table in Guilbauds.

kfallon · 08-07-2015 11:03AM

^^^^ Where does your nightly pot noodle and microwave dinner fit in with the above?

Menas · 08-07-2015 11:06AM

As said above, I would not be happy with excessive noise in a fine dining establishment...but would expect it in somewhere like TGI Fridays.
There is a lot of 'in between' though....but I certainly not begrudge another party having a good time. If it is too loud for me I would either ask for a different table or leave.

Aongus Von Bismarck · 08-07-2015 11:07AM

kfallon wrote: »

^^^^ Where does your nightly pot noodle and microwave dinner fit in with the above?

Stop projecting your own fears and insecurities onto me. It's rather unbecoming.

Egginacup · 08-07-2015 11:32AM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Stop projecting your own fears and insecurities onto me. It's rather unbecoming.

Isn't the boot-cut jeans and Jack Jones shirt a bit played out now?

Rakish Paddy · 08-07-2015 11:35AM

I'd normally try to identify the ringleader of the offending group and give them a good blast of the aul' electric cattle prod. Once they've seen their leader zapped once or maybe twice, the rest of the table usually fall into line. Simples.

Boring username · 08-07-2015 11:35AM

Links234 wrote: »

Me too. But fortunately I've gotten so bitter and resentful of the world, I can barely hear people's laughter over the sound of my own misery. OP needs to practice dragging other people into their own misery, you can get so good at it you can walk into a crowded room and a hush will fall.

You know for a moderator, that was an extremely stupid and nasty post. The OP hasn't said anything about dragging other people down to their own misery, as you so patronisingly put it.
They were simply pointing out that a group was being extremely loud, to the point that people around then were getting uncomfortable. Think lager louts in a restaurant and you might have an idea about what the OP was talking about. Some people just don't know how to behave themselves in public. You can have as much fun as you want, but when it starts to interfere with other people having a good time too, then it's time to lower the tone.
No doubt the usual arse kissers will be falling over themselves to thank your post though since you are a mod :rolleyes:

Greenmachine · 08-07-2015 11:36AM

Some people seem to forget they have an "Indoor voice"

galljga1 · 08-07-2015 11:37AM

KTR1C wrote: »

I had the same problem with a group behind us in Captain Americas a couple of weeks ago. Came in and started shouting at each other about nonsense including "heino" "rugger" and other such tripe. I promptly told them to shut it because I literally couldn't hear my missus.

Who are these people? That is a marketable service.

smeal · 08-07-2015 11:39AM

KTR1C wrote: »

I had the same problem with a group behind us in Captain Americas a couple of weeks ago. Came in and started shouting at each other about nonsense including "heino" "rugger" and other such tripe. I promptly told them to shut it because I literally couldn't hear my missus.

Hmm.. Captain America's probably not the best place to take the lady for a romantic, quiet meal.. People have no choice but to shout over one another because of the tunes that are pumping anyways

gandalf · 08-07-2015 11:40AM

Actually just curious OP which restaurant were you in ?

anto9 · 08-07-2015 11:41AM

I understand the OP .Thats why i dont eat at restaurants that are likely to be full or have the tables too close togeather .Its not just loud voices ,i dont want to hear other peoples conversations .full stop.

spurious · 08-07-2015 11:45AM

Greenmachine wrote: »

Some people seem to forget they have an "Indoor voice"

So true.
I was in a tiny little place last week (seating for about 20 people at most, all in a space no more than 4m by 4m) when this loud woman started blasting. She seemed oblivious to the fact that nobody at any other table was speaking/competing with her. Her companion noticed though, which was sort of amusing to watch, as he tried to speak quietly to her in an attempt to get her to stop roaring. Almost an audible sigh in the room when they left.

Links234 · 08-07-2015 11:56AM

Boring username wrote: »

You know for a moderator, that was an extremely stupid and nasty post. The OP hasn't said anything about dragging other people down to their own misery, as you so patronisingly put it.
They were simply pointing out that a group was being extremely loud, to the point that people around then were getting uncomfortable. Think lager louts in a restaurant and you might have an idea about what the OP was talking about. Some people just don't know how to behave themselves in public. You can have as much fun as you want, but when it starts to interfere with other people having a good time too, then it's time to lower the tone.
No doubt the usual arse kissers will be falling over themselves to thank your post though since you are a mod :rolleyes:

Magnificent example of being a buzzkill, that's exactly the kind of po-faced condescension that'll really stick a spanner in the works of someone having a laugh, a truly great misery guts can have folks second guess themselves before making a joke in their prescence again, the added begrudgery is the icing on top! 10/10, would have my buzz killed again.

TL;DR, lighten up and have a sense of humour, I was playing along with a post from Ol' Donie

kfallon · 08-07-2015 12:10PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Stop projecting your own fears and insecurities onto me. It's rather unbecoming.

Aye aye Sergeant.....

Boring username · 08-07-2015 12:12PM

Links234 wrote: »

Magnificent example of being a buzzkill, that's exactly the kind of po-faced condescension that'll really stick a spanner in the works of someone having a laugh, a truly great misery guts can have folks second guess themselves before making a joke in their prescence again, the added begrudgery is the icing on top! 10/10, would have my buzz killed again.

TL;DR, lighten up and have a sense of humour, I was playing along with a post from Ol' Donie

I should get you some stabilisers for your jokes, because that one fell flat.

DarkoT · 08-07-2015 12:19PM

Ok, I can understand loud people in a group, but I really hate when there are to people and they are loud as hell, laughing and screaming about their stupid past so everyone can hear them. GOOOD!!!!

conorhal · 08-07-2015 12:32PM

Links234 wrote: »

Magnificent example of being a buzzkill, that's exactly the kind of po-faced condescension that'll really stick a spanner in the works of someone having a laugh, a truly great misery guts can have folks second guess themselves before making a joke in their prescence again, the added begrudgery is the icing on top! 10/10, would have my buzz killed again.

TL;DR, lighten up and have a sense of humour, I was playing along with a post from Ol' Donie

I think you mean TLDR:

Generic Dreadhead · 08-07-2015 12:34PM

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 08-07-2015 12:44PM

Links234 wrote: »

Me too. But fortunately I've gotten so bitter and resentful of the world, I can barely hear people's laughter over the sound of my own misery. OP needs to practice dragging other people into their own misery, you can get so good at it you can walk into a crowded room and a hush will fall.

What a daft post. How is objecting to people shouting and shrieking at the next table in a restaurant so that your table can't have a proper conversation 'bitter and resentful'?

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 08-07-2015 12:47PM

gandalf wrote: »

Actually just curious OP which restaurant were you in ?

The Kitchen, off Grafton Street. Lovely restaurant, and the only time we've had this issue which the staff dealt with very nicely.

Turfcutter · 08-07-2015 12:50PM

The problem can be large groups where there are 2 or 3 simultaneous conversations going on.
They might all raise the noise level to drown each other out.

gandalf · 08-07-2015 12:56PM

Bonnie Strong Zinc wrote: »

The Kitchen, off Grafton Street. Lovely restaurant, and the only time we've had this issue which the staff dealt with very nicely.

Haven't eaten there myself but from looking at the website it wouldn't be the kind of place I'd expect an overly boisterous client to be tolerated.

All I can think of is the group making the noise were from corporate regulars who drop a fair bit of cash there.

Eugene Norman · 08-07-2015 02:01PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

A good maître d' would have approached the party and asked them to keep it down before other customers complained. An experienced front-of-house will know the ethos of the restaurant, and can pitch the tone of the place accordingly.

If it was a causal dining sort of place, then you might expect to have a more relaxed and devil-may-care atmosphere. Think dried pasta, commercially bought sauces, cheap bottles of Chianti, hugely oversized pepper grinders, slightly sleazy Italian waiter with too much gel in his hair, large bunches of menopausal women guffawing at each other and being very loud. Or the type of place where a ‘bunch of lads’ head for a ‘good feed’ – think overpriced steak, frozen onion rings, perhaps bottles of lager in a bucket of ice. It still doesn’t give any customer the right to ruin the night for others by being overly loud, obnoxious, drunk or rude. Eating out is a real treat for some people, and they don’t want to have to listen in to some red-faced dullard in bootcut jeans and a Jack Jones shirt drone on to his mates about the ‘bird’ he pulled in Coppers last weekend.

If it was a more formal or fine dining type of place, then absolutely no excuses. You shouldn’t have to ask to move. You shouldn’t have to move. Many restaurants ask that patrons don’t use their mobile in the dining room. You are at a theatre of gastronomy, not the office. The same goes for extremely loud laughter, shouting, scraping your cutlery on your plate etc.

Sadly we live in a society where being loud, common and obnoxious is almost seen as a badge of honour. Manners and social etiquette appear to be antiquated theories in many of the lower stratums of society. The more money you pay, the less likely you are to encounter them though. You wouldn’t have a bunch of braying donkeys sitting around a table in Guilbauds.

I'd say you and your trader buddies would be the loudest at any local diner. Not renowned for their politeness are the bankers and traders and other nouveau riche, and from what I saw in London that is accurate.

Some restaurants cause the problem by pumping loud music to begin with, loud enough that any table on its own needs to raise its voice, thus starting an arms race with everybody else.

Kev W · 08-07-2015 03:10PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Manners and social etiquette appear to be antiquated theories in many of the lower stratums of society.

The plural of stratum is Strata. You sound like a dockworker.

Menas · 08-07-2015 03:20PM

Kev W wrote: »

The plural of stratum is Strata. You sound like a dockworker.

in fairness, better to sound like a dockworker than an IT techie.

colossus-x · 08-08-2015 12:57AM

Restaurants are the new pubs, now that everyone can afford to go to them.

Loud people in restaurants

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