Tips for dining out when you have a hearing loss

Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein

I hope you find these tips for dining out when you have a hearing loss as helpful as I find them.

• Choose restaurants that are relatively quiet: carpeting, curtains and other materials absorb sound and make for a pleasanter environment. Marble or stone floors, glass and mirrors allow sound to bounce around. It is difficult to hear in those kinds of places.

• Use a crowdsourced app to help you choose quieter restaurants.

SoundPrint app »

• When you make your reservation on line or on the phone, ask for a quiet table next to a wall or at a booth, if it is available. Sitting in a booth or at a table where the people with hearing loss have their backs against a wall, helps to minimize restaurant noise because the booth or wall acts as a sound baffle.

• Read the menu on the restaurant’s website so you know what you want to order in advance. Ask for a printed list of the specials for the day in advance, if possible.

• Sit with your back to the windows so the light is on your companion’s face. Sit in the middle of the table, not at the ends. You can talk with the people next to you.

• Make sure your table is in an area that is well lit.

• To minimize noise, eat early or late when the least number of people are in the restaurant.

• Ask your audiologist about assistive listening devices which help people with hearing loss hear in noisy situations and, hopefully, lower the decibel level of background noise. The team at CHC can be a great resource for this.

More on devices to help in noisy restaurants »

• Request the restaurant turn the music off while you are there.

• Keep a list of restaurants that work for you in different areas of the city or town you live in. That way, when a friend or relative says “Let’s eat out,” you have some ready suggestions.

• If you have a favorite restaurant, take the time to introduce yourself to the manager at a quiet time and ask for his/her help to make sure you get the best possible table for you.

• For more information and support, join your local chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).

Learn about HLAA-NYC chapter »

Find a chapter near you »

We look forward to hearing about your favorite tips for eating out when you have a hearing loss.

Email me your tip or comment »

Warmest regards,

Ruth Bernstein Consumer Advocate

This is an updated version of a Sound Advice post originally published March 24, 2014.

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