Restaurants with loud music and background noise can make dining out difficult for many. But an Adelaide audiologist says she's developed an app to take the 'din' out of dinner.
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00:00Audiologist Laura Drexler says restaurants with open kitchens and minimalist furniture
00:07are friendly on the eyes, but not the ears.
00:10And her clients often say they cannot hear speech over background noise.
00:14It's very echoey, sound bounces around, so those places can be quite lively by accident
00:22and some turn up the volume to create a vibe.
00:25Learning that many of her clients stop dining out due to sound sensitivity, Ms Drexler
00:30says she created the Ambient Menu, a web app to help people find and rate restaurants based
00:35on their listening needs.
00:37There are so many benefits of dining with other people.
00:40We get that endorphin rush, we get to engage, we get to be social human beings.
00:47Ms Drexler says research has shown that excessive background noise causes people to eat faster
00:53and consume more alcohol.
00:55But it also negatively affects our sense of taste.
00:58Once the background noise level gets to a certain level, your sympathetic nervous system
01:02kicks in.
01:03You have an increased heart rate, increased adrenaline, increased respiratory rate.
01:10Adelaide retiree Stephen Morris says he's had several negative experiences in lively
01:15restaurants.
01:16Many times I've actually felt I'm being attacked by the noise, which, it's not a nice feeling.
01:26Mr Morris says people shouldn't have to feel isolated catching up over a meal, and businesses
01:31should appeal to all diners.
01:33Regardless of what age you are, it would be nice to go out for a meal and not have to
01:38shout at each other to have a conversation.
01:40Ms Drexler says she hopes to secure sponsors to develop a smartphone app and roll out the
01:45service nationally in 2025.