How Restaurants Got So Loud
There&#x27;s an ice cream and bagel place in town.  In the late evening it&#x27;s consistently packed with people on their laptops or reading books.<p>One day I noticed the music was much louder than usual, and asked the staff to turn it down.  I figured it was a mistake because it was normally much quieter.<p>They told me this was the new company policy.  To set the music uncomfortably loud to make people leave, after finishing their food or drink.<p>(Around the same time they also instigated a 30 minute time limit on Wifi if you bought something.  Even though I was willing to keep buying, I couldn&#x27;t get through a new tea every 30 minutes!)<p>Theory being it&#x27;s more profitable to make your customers leave and make room for others, than to make a place people want to go to.<p>I haven&#x27;t been back.  Even with noise-cancelling headphones(∗), and earbuds under the headphones, it was too loud for me.  And the wifi policy was really annoying.<p>Sadly, I&#x27;ve noticed ultra loud music seems to be the policy at a lot of places these days.  I find Starbucks and Costa ok - but some of my friends won&#x27;t go with me because they find the music there too loud as well.<p>(∗) I wear noise-cancellers at most places now.  It probably makes me look unsocial or &quot;hipster&quot;, but it&#x27;s to protect my ears from the loud music just about everywhere insists on playing, and helps me concentrate when I&#x27;m working in a café.  I enjoy talking with people if they want to.