The Laurel Street Phenomenon

It’s a curious thing when one speaks of San Carlos and how a flock of restaurateurs have turned a two-mile stretch into a fine medley of restaurants. With immense growth in restaurant business compared to the rest of the Bay Area, this downtown neighboorhood had gone through an ambitious gentrification a few years ago. As a result, many new restaurants have sprung up all over town like flowers after an April shower; Ever since, there has a been an incessant increase of patrons pouring into San Carlos for a bite.

If you are a newcomer to this neck of the woods on the peninsula, you’ll find San Carlos to be a charming little city, conveniently situated between San Francisco and Palo Alto. It is characterized by a strong community and its businesses thrive with many loyal locals. Yours truly, WCD, also proudly calls San Carlos its home and lately, we’ve noticed that our phones haven’t stopped ringing as many business owners are inquiring about our services. Perhaps its the buzz on the street about our collaboration with numerous restaurateurs, but whatever the reason, we call this the Laurel Street Phenomenon. More restaurants in this area have addressed their acoustic issues or are in the process of doing so as we speak and the demand is continuously skyrocketing.

Reflecting upon the new friends we’ve discovered along the way, listed below is a handful of their fine establishments on Laurel Street with our installations in progress, if not already completed:

Cuisinett
Mythos
Locanda Positano
Limone
Piacere
LuLu’s
Serendipity
Morty’s
The Office
Station Café

And what have we done with these hot spots? We simply kept them lively while eliminating the debilitating effects of excessive noise on patrons as well as employees. Over several great years of providing the Bay Area with affordable solutions, I have found that most restaurateurs equate the use of acoustic panels to compromising the liveliness of their restaurants. However, every business we have improved in aesthetically subtle ways has proven this notion false. For such a sacrifice to ensue, a business would have to “soften” up over 60% percent of the surface area within a space. Logistically, this would never be the solution nor focus. The aim is not to isolate noise in the way a sound studio does— we directly target customer and employee safety by eliminating the unpleasant decibels. The solution is only as little as 20% to 40% of acoustical product to ceiling or wall space that can make a world of difference in dining experience.

In celebration of our success at WCD, we encourage you to come by and visit our clients. Here in San Carlos, you can take an epicurean trip around the world and enjoy exceptional cuisine with refined ambiances accentuated by our acoustic installations. Let them know that WCD sent you there! Bon appétit!