"It's a Restaurant Not a Museum"

I’m a big foodie … not the cooking kind but the restaurant kind. Going out to lunch, brunch, or dinner is relaxing for me. Whether with my family, friends, or both. Or even just alone.

When we go out with family, friends, and work colleagues … or all of the above … we tend to be loud. There, I said it. LOUD! Just recently we were at a really nice restaurant and we noticed a few side glances from a few tables, presumably because we were laughing quite loud.

So I said to the waiter, "Are we being too loud?” His immediate response … “This is a restaurant, not a museum. You are having fun and it’s really nice to see.”

Exactly. Restaurants are meant to be for socializing. While one shouldn’t be utterly horribly loud and completely disruptive to the enjoyment of others (certainly!), it doesn’t hurt anyone to laugh with delight or to raise your voice a bit in excitement. I like hearing it from other tables because it’s contagious!

That’s what restaurants are for. And we need them now more than ever!

Quiet and solitude? Museums. Libraries. Parks. But not most restaurants. Not IMHO, nor our waiter’s opinion either! Thankfully!

What’s your experience? JIM