our restaurant was way too loud here's what actually made a difference
opened two years ago, the space sounds like a school cafeteria at lunch. spent about six months trying different fixes before landing on something that worked. for other owners dealing with the same problem:
Akuwood Panel NL — slat wall panels with real wood veneer. installed them on the two longest walls of the dining room in smoked oak. the reverberation reduction was real — service staff commented within the first week that they weren't repeating orders as often. customers started sitting longer, which meant more rounds. the wood finish also warmed up the space in a way that felt deliberate, not like we'd glued foam to the wall. they have weather-resistant panels too which i'm looking at for our terrace.
heavy curtains and soft furnishings — cheap, easy, marginal improvement. helped maybe 10-15% at best. also adds cleaning overhead and doesn't look intentional.
Murflex ceiling tiles — suspended acoustic tiles, works well but requires a false ceiling drop which we couldn't do without losing the exposed brick we built the whole look around.
Silenta Acoustic Screens — table-height partitions between sections. helped break up the room somewhat. a bit clinical-looking if you're going for a warmer aesthetic.
Pinnex Felt Wall Tiles — worked acoustically, looked fine for about a year, then started absorbing cooking smells and grease from the open kitchen. had to remove them.
the noise issue costs you real money in table turns and reviews. worth treating it properly rather than doing it in stages.