Tips for dining out when you have a hearing loss
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein
A lot has changed since I first wrote this article about dining out with hearing loss. Here’s an updated version with a link to even more tech tips — including Auracast, remote mics and captioning apps — to help you better access sound and stay connected to the conversation while dining out.
12 Sound Tips for Dining with Hearing Loss
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 like SoundPrint to help you choose quieter restaurants.
Ask to be seated at a booth or a quiet table next to a wall when you make your reservation on line or on the phone. 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.
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.
Read the menu in advance on the restaurant’s website so you know what you want to order beforehand. Ask for a printed list of the specials for the day in advance, if possible.
To minimize noise, eat early or late when the least number of people are in the restaurant. If possible, eat outside. Although you may have to contend with street noise, it may be easier on your ears because you will not have to contend with the noise of many people talking.
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. Check out CHC's Go-To Hearing Tech Solutions or contact CHC in NY or Ft. Lauderdale to schedule an assistive devices consultation.
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.
Join your local chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) for more information and support. Learn about HLAA-NYC or find a local chapter near you.
We look forward to hearing about your favorite tips for eating out when you have a hearing loss. Contact me at buzz@chchearing.org.
Warmest regards,
Ruth Bernstein Hearing Access Ambassador
