Artisan Roam Burgers, Union Street, San Francisco
With a true passion for acoustics and a much less pronounced affinity for writing, my first post will be an attempt to articulate what I do best. The pain of writing is comparable to that of ear-piercing noise, and since my forte lies in the art of quality acoustics, one can imagine the distaste for it. However, I don’t remember having the same aversion to “noise” or hubbub even just a decade ago. Perhaps it is the result of age, sensitivity to noise or just plain appreciation for peaceful environments. But, one thing is for sure: I often find myself gravitating towards calmer arenas.
As the founder of the Din and the Hubbub blog, I’m thrilled to share some recent news with my readers. The blog has taken quite an eventful turn after an exciting month in June, as we featured two posts by Michael Bauer, an acclaimed food and wine editor of SF Chronicle! I’ll share with you what I’ve learned, restaurants we’ve helped to enhance in dining experience, testimonials, photos, feedback and more.
What I have discovered to be the most crucial part of a restaurateur’s desire in creating the best possible dining experience is to maintain the lively and vibrant feel of the establishment. And we aim to do that just that. Our goal is to end the “bleeding-ear syndrome.” Many of you may believe that acoustics are about quieting the room, but for Wall Covering Designs, it’s more about eliminating the jarring echoes we so often must endure in restaurants or bars.
Recently, we worked with Lyn Gorfinkle of Artisan Roam Burgers. I met with Lynn and we discussed her options while keeping her budget in mind. Considering the beautiful artwork draped on her walls and her aversion to altering the décor, the ceiling become the best area of installment. We tested the space before and after for decibel readings:
Decibels before installation: 80 to 82
Decibels after installation: 73 to 75
Although the music, at times, would launch the meter to 77db’s, I made a point of taking my decibel meter to lunch the same time and day of week, just one week apart. I felt that this would help us reach the fairest readings.
The panels chosen were enshrouded in a gorgeous, but transparent fabric for acoustic purposes. This product has an NRC of .95, which means that 95% of the sound that hits the panels is absorbed. An acoustician’s definition would likely elaborate in further detail, but I find illustrating otherwise to be the simplest way to grasp a basic understanding of the results we’ve achieved:
BEFORE
AFTER
TESTIMONIAL
Artisan Roam Burgers
On 6/14/2011
Hi Connie,
The panels are fantastic and are making a huge difference!! Thank you so much! It’s so much more pleasant now. Thank you for all of your great work on this and working with our tight budget. You’re awesome!
Lynn
Soi Four, College Boulevard, Oakland
Todd of Soi Four, found us prior to the SF Scoop articles via a referral from an associate restaurateur. I met with Todd and as we reviewed his space together, we decided on three different installations. The first being 2 inch thick fabric-wrapped panels on the ceiling in the main dining room. The second and third installation locations are usually difficult for most acousticians to locate since they require clever camouflage, but we pinpointed an excellent solution. Unlike the ceiling installation, these two acoustic installations are mounted on vertical surfaces: One above the bar at the soffit and the second, in tandem with Todd’s artwork on the mezzanine level.
I briefly connected with Todd after a booked weekend of lively and festive crowds and took the opportunity to put my camera to work. Todd was ecstatic. He mentioned that he had posted on his website about the completion of his acoustic installations. He hadn’t received any negative remarks about noise levels from his customers, but he did, however, receive a complimenting email from a patron who proclaimed that they would soon return. WOW, customers were anxious to come back!
TESTIMONIAL
Soi Four
On 6/7/2011
Can’t wait to this weekend to see how the 3 strategies work. I do want to let you know that I am very pleased with the look but more importantly, the professionalism of your crew. You have a great team there. I will be doing a lot of traveling starting next week all the way to the end of July but would love to have your input on our location in Berkeley when I return.
Thank you very much,
Todd Sirimongkolvit
BEFORE
AFTER
2” inch thick acoustical panels on the ceiling
BEFORE
AFTER
Soffit acoustics: Can you tell? Hidden behind a camouflage monolithic installation.
BEFORE
AFTER
Artwork acoustics: Another creative way to camouflage your acoustics.
Locavore, Mission Street, San Francisco
Mario Duarte (from Locavore) and I hit it off immediately. He had read the Michael Bauer article and did not hesitate to contact me right away about improving the dining experience at Locavore.
I met with Mario the morning after the first MB article and he was ready to proceed with tackling the conundrum of reducing noise levels. He was most concerned about the area of large tables that filled the center of the room. Typically, large parties or groups occupy these tables and as their excitement rises, so do the decibels within the space. We installed acoustics panels on his ceiling and completed the job within a week without interrupting the hours of operation. Here’s what Mario had to say:
From SF Scoop, Michael Bauer
“ I want to express my gratitude to you for writing about Wall Covering Designs as a solution for reducing noise. The most common issue that I hear from my customers is how loud Locavore is, especially on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. I don’t have a problem visiting loud restaurants — I actually like it. However, a significant number of my customers don’t.
I have been searching for possible solutions for over four months, but they were either too cost-prohibitive or they negatively altered the look of the restaurant. So it was with guarded optimism that I contacted Connie Norlander after reading your blog. She was extremely helpful and appeared to understand my apprehension in dramatically altering the look of the restaurant. Moreover, her quote was surprisingly reasonable, even for a new restaurant like Locavore.
My partners and I opted for a phased approach whereby the first phase involves the installation of echo-reducing ceiling panels. We have now completed the first phase and I am happy to report that it has not negatively impacted the look of the restaurant.We have also implemented a new music policy to turn off the music upon reaching half capacity in the restaurant (I also have to credit you for that suggestion).”
BEFORE
DURING CONSTRUCTION
SHATTUCK HOTEL
Any solutions for the Shattuck? We are getting hammered on our comments. I’m looking to spend maybe $5-7k. It could be a piece to a larger solution.
Perry Patel, owner
THE TIPSY PIG and MAMACITA
Connie, I would be happy for you to give me an idea of what you would do while maintaining the same esthetic. Pop in any time and then let me know what you think. Ifyou could take a peek at Mamacita as well.
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