Noise & Other Distractions of Dining Out

There once was a time when you were seated in a well lit restaurant with soft backround music. You were able to make conversation with friends and family and speak with the server. The menus were easy to read, and not full of words that were in other languages the servers can not pronounce or describe in English.

Now....you can hear the loud music before entering a restaurant. The hostess shouts over the music asking how many in the party and leads you to a table near the bar area where numerous patrons are well into 'happy hour', yelling and using profanities while they watch sports on enormous wall mounted televisions blasting statistics along with the music. You request a different location, the hostess sneers, grabs up the utencil rolls and menus, and stomps back to the hostess podium to find another table or booth in the half filled restaurant.

HELLO No one can hear each other! Lower the volume please! Put a cone of silence over the bar area and material to absorb noise. It is ridiculous trying to have a conversation and enjoy a meal and have to shout and repeat repeat repeat.
At the end of a meal I need aspirin.

Dear restaurants Create a plan - evaluate the patrons - if there are small children-there will be spillage, jumping, screeching, and running (2 crayons only have a 5 minute time frame). Will an elderly couple be comfortable seated next to them?

How about patrons that get into a loud heated argument? I once had to duck several times as two women threw numerous plates and bowls. Did any employees call for the manager or police? No, they ignored the women as china smashed into the walls and floor sending shards everywhere. My party quickly left our table, went to the hostess podium and asked to pay our bill there instead of the 'mysterious extended disappearance 'of the bill and my credit card with the server that seems to be the usual practice in most restaurants.

The ordering of food>your entree comes with 2 sides picked from the nine sides that the server has rattled off from the other end of the table. "Will you please repeat the sides?" you ask as the server turns to the next person. What you request is often not what you receive.

Servers are seeking a decent tip at the end of the meal and have grumbled about the low amount of tips. Friends and family dine out expecting a nice atmosphere and the correct food they ordered. Servers have argued that what was delivered is what was ordered. Servers have also forgotten parts of the meal and will not remove the charges.
Watch your receipts - restaurants are automatically adding 15 to 20 % to the bill for service and also presenting a bill that indicates a place to add a tip
Check your credit card charges against your receipts