I can't hear you: Here's why restaurants seem to be getting louder

It’s a restaurant owner’s dream: a lively ambience with delicious food, crowded tables, vibrant music and buzzy energy.

But is it a diner’s nightmare?

A bustling eatery can feel like a dreadful enclosed box if the noise level gets too high, making it impossible to converse with friends or even hear the server.

When the South Florida Sun Sentinel asked readers if restaurants were getting too noisy, many admitted that dining out has become a challenge for them due to extreme sound levels.

“Lately, more and more places have become unbearably loud,” Coral Springs resident Steve Feinberg said. “In some, background music is played at concert volume. This forces guests to practically scream over the music just to have a conversation.”

The noise can be close to unbearable, said Steve Ruprecht