Eating out, I don't enjoy it.

Farzanah

Everywhere you go now, shops, restaurants, even the doctors there’s a soundtrack. I don’t think younger ones even notice it.

I absolutely detest the loud intrusive 'background' music that, as you say, is everywhere now.

I was in a hospital waiting room recently and the music was not only loud but (IMO) completely inappropriate. Most of the patients were middle-aged or elderly - do they really want to listen to someone almost screaming about "lurve" and longing at 11 in the morning?

If you go to a restaurant and you can't converse, what is the point? In your own home you probably would turn down any background music if you couldn't hear each other speak. If the proprietors of such restaurants are so cloth-eared that they refuse to lower the volume... I'd simply not ever go there again.

Ages ago now I went to a pub restaurant with my family and the music was so loud we couldn't discuss the menu with each other. Asked the waiter if he could turn down the volume only to be met with a pitiful smile of condescension and the explanation that it "was not possible". So we got up and walked out (not a flounce though!) and the people at the next table who'd finished their meal realised what we were doing and one of the group said that the whole experience had been a "nightmare" and they wouldn't be coming back.

I love eating out and do it fairly regularly, with my family or my neighbour. There are some great pubs around here, real country pubs. I also like Wetherspoons in various towns not that far away. Prices are increasing though so not going out as much now.

I enjoy eating out but overly loud music means I never go there again. Ditto restaurants that are overcrowded and too noisy to hear what my fellow diners say.

Germanshepherdsmum

We very rarely eat out as we love our home. North Norfolk is very peaceful and has some great, quiet, restaurants and pubs - good food with no loud music.

Oh so agree about North Norfolk - so many happy memories there over decades of family holidays.

I used to enjoy eating out. Here in Manchester we have a wonderful selection of ethnic restaurants and we are only a short drive from the famous "curry mile". Alas, that short drive is the killer. I dont drive and a taxi ride each way makes it a very expensive evening out on top of the meal. I have also stopped going into the city center at night as it can be very intimidating.

Im no longer very interested in food and prefer now to eat at home with a nice bottle of wine. All the restaurants do take out.

I like eating out, having lunch with friends, chatting over a glass or two of wine is a great way to spend a few hours. Combined with the fact that I have finally acknowledged that I really dislike cooking, eating out is a favourite. Having said that, I have really noticed steep price rises, but I do understand why. It is now a case not going out quite as frequently as I would like, but I am glad that I am still fit enough to do so, and financially able to make this choice to cut down rather than have to stop completely. Eating out with friends is my social life, the food is almost co-incidental, I am happy with an omelette or interesting sandwich as long as I am enjoying it with friends. Good for my mental health

Everybody is saying how much they like eating out, while the OP is feeling defensive that she doesn't.

I am sure Kirkcubbin is feeling even worse now, Kirkcubbin do not be put off. If you you do not like eating out. Don't. It desn't matter that other people like eating out. they are not you and surely by the time we are members of GN we can do what we damn well like and ignore other peoples preferences. If you do not like eating out, do not do so. Do not be apologetic or defensive. Just say you prefer to eat in if a meal out is offered and leave the others to get all tangled up in themselves. You do not want to eat out. End of.

MissChatelaine!
I envy you….been there twice, Hue is beautiful, with the Perfume river, and the food is wonderful.

Those of us who are lucky enough to have some disposable income, after paying all our bills, can chose to spend money wherever we like.

Those who like eating out are doing their bit to support the hospitality industry.

Others might buy stuff, give money to families, go on lovely foreign holidays, support charities or do all of these things.

One way or another we are privileged to have the choice and hopefully our money is put to good use.

I prefer going out for lunch rather than dinner and I agree with those who find loud music too much.

Yes, we prefer to eat out at lunch time. As our digestion time has increased with age, eating a meal late, especially a large one always led to a disturbed and uncomfortable night as we battled with indigestion and discomfort.

We now have our main meal at lunch time at home and the same when eating out.

We definitely prefer lunch out to dinner out. Obviously, we do have to eat later if on holiday but, even then, I can only really manage two courses. Goodness knows why I'm the size I am!

We only really eat out when a) we have guests, or b) are away from home, or are (separately) meeting ex colleagues for lunch. It’s not a question of money - we just don’t feel the need, and don’t particularly want to.

Having said that, I do really miss a brilliant Thai restaurant that used to be walking distance down the road. That was our favourite by a mile - lovely food I’d never even try to replicate at home.

If I really can’t be bothered to cook, feeling rough or just tired, there are a couple of super-lazy meals I can make, or else dh enjoys the odd raid on Waitrose’s ready meals.

We eat out less now. As Kircubbin said, high prices and Muzak put us off and I like home cooked food.
We do eat out though, especially with some friends who we used to entertain at home. People’s dietary needs e.g. cœliac, or requirements, e.g. low-carb, low-fat, vegan, or vegetarian make cooking a meal for a group less simple. When we go out, it’s easier to find a restaurant that serves dishes for all those groups, leaving us free to enjoy conversation along with the meal.

Re the noise factor, we once booked a table at a riverside Argentinian steak restaurant, for 6 of us, inc. 2 lots of old friends we only saw about once a year. One couple were Indian and believe it or not, he was a great carnivore and ate no veg at all except potatoes - hence the choice of restaurant.

We’d been to look at the place one lunchtime - it seemed fine.
But in the evening, oh dear, there was deafeningly loud, banging music - conversation was almost impossible unless you shouted across the table.

After that (it was an annual thing) we made sure to stress when booking anywhere that we absolutely did need relative peace and quiet.

I hate eating out,i only do it because Dh likes to.
I find i get het up with peoples bad table manners,especially noisy eaters GRRRRRR.

You have to know the hidden places where we live. The popular or ones in Newspaper articles are booked up months in advance even in winter..One DD intending to visit at Easter could not get bookings at Christmas for where she wanted.
We have a local pub that does good basic meals the rest are a tedious drive not suitable after a drink so we entertain the family at home.
We pop out for special meals for birthdays, anniversaries etc. ourselves.

I wouldn't be able to hear anything if music was on as well as being in a busy restaurant.

Perhaps we need to explain to shops and restaurants that they are losing customers if they impose MUZAC on them.

I assume they mistakenly think that MUZAK attracts customers. Otherwise why would they inflict it on us?

Those who are responsible for the MUZAC should listen to a the celebrated musician Daniel Barenbaum.

"When I hear something like "Muzak" in a mall or on some public place, I don't really care about it. I hear it and find it tiresome usually. But most of this music is intended as background-music. What I find disgusting is, when I hear a classical piece of music, which really "deserves" to be listened to with care, as some sort of “aural background”. I once heard the beginning-chords of the Hammerklavier as a jingle in a drugstore. No more Moonlight at the meat-table, no more Claire-de-lune in the underwear-section!

This is my point of view, the view of a musician."

What Daniel Barenboim means is the effect of the music-pollution on the "not-music-addicted" people. I fear I cannot judge that, so I'll keep my cents at my own for now.

www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=6f4d35ccac6c1ab19b7a8e23e2dcf2a2&topic=17074.msg182852#msg182852

I love eating out, even though I am on my own now. I make a point of having a nice lunch out if I have a day out shopping. Don't feel awkward at all, I sit enjoying my glass(es)! of wine while perusing the menu, and then enjoy a meal cooked by someone else. Background music doesn't bother me.

Eating out isn’t attractive choice for me. I’m always disappointed. I haven’t eaten out since before Covid shutdown. I do enjoy a coffee and a piece of cake but can’t remember my last visit to even a cafe possibly last September.

We do eat out as often as possible. I was glad to see a lady on her own in Cote yesterday. She had taken herself out for a lovely lunch and gave every impression of enjoying it.

I don't enjoy eating out either, with me it's more about sitting on the hard wooden seats in most pubs/restaurants. Even though I'm only 58 I have alot of arthritis and tendinopathy in both hips . Makes sitting for too long uncomfortable,

varian

Perhaps we need to explain to shops and restaurants that they are losing customers if they impose MUZAC on them.

I assume they mistakenly think that MUZAK attracts customers. Otherwise why would they inflict it on us?

It’s true though, studies show that Muzak really does make people buy more, and they use classical music in expensive shops so they spend more too. In restaurants it’s to relax you so you eat and drink more. If they get it wrong they lose business, but if they get it right it enhances their profits - all very clever.