Exclusive | NYC restaurants are too loud so this New Yorker is trying to make decibel levels public
He’s making a racket with this noise complaint.A retiree enraged by clamorous cafes and rambunctious restaurants has started a petition to have Big Apple eateries publicly post their decibel levels so those looking for quiet can make informed decisions about where to dine.
“Good food and bad conversation is a lousy meal,” Howard Davis, 87, told The Post, saying he’s sick of struggling to hear his dinner dates above the din.“It’s practically impossible to go to a restaurant where the noise is not overwhelming,” the retired attorney, who lives on the Upper East Side and dines out up to four nights a week, further proclaimed.
Among the list of Davis’ noisiest offenders: The Smith and Becco, both in Midtown, and Sojourn and Blue Mezze, both located on the Upper East Side.More than 230 people have added their signatures to the petition, which was posted to Change.org late last year.“Wouldn’t it be nice to know how loud a restaurant is before you decide if you want to eat there, especially since loud noise can cause hearing loss?” Davis declared, petitioning Hospitality Industry Associations to have an “expert” measure the decibel level of each eatery.
Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations warn of permanent ear damage at decibel levels above 70.Some noisy New York City restaurants roar above 90 decibels — the sound equivalent of a motorcycle zooming right past your ears.
Diners are divided over the proposal, with some saying a noisy restaurant only adds to the Big Apple’s appealingly frenetic hustle and bustle.“Stay home if you hate noise,” advertising account director Frances Hughes, 29, bluntly told The Post.“The city’s dining scene is so much fun and so vibrant.”Former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg agrees, implying that the hubbub shows the city has roared back to life after the crippling Covid pandemic.
“I was just at a restaurant last night.You couldn’t hear, the noise was so l...