Alex D.

A loud, bustling restaurant is a good thing...until it isn't. If a restaurant or bar gets too loud, it can negatively impact the dining experience for customers and also make it difficult for front-of-house staff to do their job.

Why are Good Acoustics Important in a Restaurant?

Multiple studies and surveys have shown that when noise levels are too loud in a restaurant, customers are more likely to leave early and not return. Additionally, a 2016 survey from Zagat found "noise" to be the second most irritating thing about dining out.

What Causes Bad Acoustics in a Restaurant?

Obviously, restaurants can get quite loud due to conversation, live music, and the clanking of dishes and silverware. But the very aesthetics of many modern restaurant spaces also contribute to these acoustic issues: low-maintenance but highly reflective hard surfaces are popular right now – that means no carpeted floors or upholstered furniture to help absorb sound. Open dining rooms (and open kitchens) where sound travels freely without partitions or walls to get in its way add to the noise issues. 

How Do I Fix Poor Sound Quality in a Restaurant?

There's a few simple ways to address sound issues in a restaurant:

• Incorporate background music or sound emitters. When played at a low level, they can help to mask unwanted noise.
• Add soft furnishings such as couches or curtains to help absorb sound.
• Experiment with different layouts. If a particularly "hot" corner of the dining room seems to trap sound, for instance, consider removing tables from that area.

Sound-absorbing acoustic panels like ones made by Audimute can absorb up to 95% of the echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies they come into contact with.

Which Audimute Acoustic Panels are Best for a Restaurant?

Restaurant owners have several Audimute options for sound-absorbing solutions:

• Fabric Acoustic Panels are durable, elegant, and can easily be cleaned. They're excellent for high-traffic areas like dining rooms or waiting areas.
• Acoustic Image Panels are a great way to incorporate branding into your acoustic treatment. They can be customized with logos, top menu options, or other elements of brand identity.
• Acoustic Ceiling Clouds and Baffles are perfect for restaurants with limited wall space or high ceilings. They can be suspended to absorb sounds from above.
• AcoustiColor® Acoustic Direct Mount Ceiling Tiles are particularly popular in the hospitality industry. They can be coated to match any color from Sherwin-Williams, allowing them to blend in with ceilings.
• Audimute Strata® is also popular due to its flexible nature. It can be contorted to fit curved walls or other areas with unusual angles to provide sound absorption in a visually appealing design.

You don't have to sacrifice style when it comes to sound management.

That's why we wrap our Fabric Acoustic Panels in stunning, high-quality Anchorage, FR701, and Synopsis fabric from Guilford of Maine. And it's not just what's on the outside that counts: each sound panel, made with our eco-C-tex® sound absorption material, has an NRC of 0.95, meaning it absorbs 95% of echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies it comes into contact with.

Looking for design inspiration for your sound management solution? Here's some of our favorite Fabric Acoustic Panels that evoke the look and feel of December:

Fabric Acoustic Panels - FR701 - Red

December is all about the holiday season, with the vibrant reds of such Christmas icons as poinsettias, Santa Claus, and Rudolph's nose everywhere you look. Our Fabric Acoustic Panel wrapped in Red FR701 fabric is cozy and warm, like a mug of hot cocoa enjoyed in front of a roaring fire. Pair it with neutral colors like black, white, or grey for an elegant design, or, if you're feeling particularly festive, pair it up with the next fabric panel on our list....

Fabric Acoustic Panels - Anchorage - Fern

You know we had to break out the reds and greens this December. Our Anchorage Fabric Acoustic Panel wrapped in the color "Fern" evokes the look of Christmas trees, wreaths, ivy, holly, and mistletoe. And even when it's not Christmastime, this beautiful panel adds just the right touch of the outdoors to any indoor space.

Fabric Acoustic Panels - FR701 - Silver Papier

Our sound-absorbing acoustic panel wrapped in Guilford of Maine's Silver Papier fabric is clean, simple, and subtle. Pair it with bright colors for a design that pops, or match it up with white decor features for that "Winter Wonderland" feel without the freezing temperatures.

Fabric Acoustic Panels - Anchorage - Lapis

Taking its name from Lapis lazuli, the semi-precious stone treasured for its intense blue color, the Lapis Anchorage acoustic panel is an excellent choice if you want to evoke the blue and white colors of Hanukkah. It's a bold, beautiful panel ideal for December and beyond.

The United States of America is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, and we thought it'd be fun to commemorate America's semiquincentennial by identifying Audimute acoustic panels (all of which are made in the USA) that remind us of each U.S. state.

This week: Louisiana, home to beautiful wetlands, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, and the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River.

For Louisiana, we chose an Audimute acoustic panel that evokes the iconic bald cypress trees rising out from the state's swampy waters: the AcoustiWood® Exotic Acoustic Wood Alternative Panel in the "Zebra" style.

The bald cypress has long been an emblem of the Bayou State; in fact, Louisana designed it as the official state tree in 1963. And while the bald cypress is a popular building material for wooden doors, flooring, and cabinets, you won't find it in our AcoustiWood panels and planks; made from post-consumer cellulose and cotton, they absorb echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies while maintaining the textured appearance of real wood.

Looking for a sound management solution for your home, business, church, or studio? Call us at 1.866.505.MUTE or fill out a Room Analysis Form to get  a free consultation from our Acoustic Specialists!

Audimute offers several types of acoustic panels to help reduce echoes and reverberations, but one of our most popular is the image acoustic panel, featuring photos, logos, or artwork. Here's why we love our image acoustic panels (and you will, too!):

1. Outstanding Sound Absorption

Each Audimute acoustic panel — image or otherwise — is made with our signature eco-C-tex® sound absorption material. Comprised of a blend of recycled cotton and cellulose fibers, eco-C-tex absorbs echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies to improve sound quality within a room. Each Audimute image acoustic panel has an NRC rating of 0.95, meaning it absorbs an average of 95% of echoes and reverberations.

2. Eco-Friendly

Fiberglass and foam are common components in other companies' acoustic panels, but they aren't nearly as environmentally friendly as Audimute's eco-C-tex material. Fiberglass uses chemical binders and isn't biodegradable, while foam is made from petroleum-based plastics and can degrade over time. Additionally, making eco-C-tex uses only 1/10 of the energy required to produce fiberglass and 1/40 of the energy used to create foam.

3. Lots of Designs

Audimute has more than 350 different photos and designs in its library appealing to all sorts of interests, from cute animals and cool artwork to serene landscapes and sports imagery. Each image is printed on high-quality acoustical fabric and then wrapped around our eco-C-tex material to create beautiful decorative acoustic panels.

4. Customizable

Audimute offers custom image panel options, too! Upload a favorite family photo, your company's logo, a portrait of a beloved pet, or any other non-copyrighted image for a personalized sound solution that's all yours.

5. Clouds and Baffles, Too

In addition to our decorative wall panels, Audimute also produces custom acoustic image clouds and custom acoustic image baffles. These sound management solutions are suspended from the ceiling to provide sound absorption in rooms with high ceilings or limited wall space.

6. Made in the USA

Every Audimute acoustic panel is assembled by our skilled team at our offices outside Cleveland, Ohio.

Audimute's Black Friday deals are here!

Use promo code SHEETS for 10% off our isolé® Sound Barrier Sheets and our Sound Absorption Sheets

or

use promo code IMAGE for 10% off ANY Acoustic Image Panel, custom or otherwise!

Give the gift of great sound this holiday season with Audimute!

We love when customers come to us with a vision for their sound solution.

Steve and Diana Fitzgerald discovered one of our custom multi-depth designs online and wanted to recreate it for their own home to reduce echoes and reverberations:

Working off sketches from Steve, the Audimute Design Services team was engaged to create renderings.

The stunning solution:

• AcoustiColor® panels coated in the Sherwin-Williams colors Cobble Brown (SW 6082) + Tavern Taupe (SW 7508)
• AcoustiStone® panels in a modified version of our Medium Desert Cliff Rock style, using the Sherwin-Williams color Pennywise (SW 6349) for orange

Steve did the installation himself using a Paslode® Brad Nailer from Audimute.

The outcome: an immediate improvement in sound quality for the Fitzgeralds, with significant reduction in how much sound was being reflected into the upstairs area.

Thank you, Steve and Diana, for choosing Audimute for your sound management solution!

The United States of America is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, and we thought it'd be fun to commemorate America's semiquincentennial by identifying Audimute acoustic panels (all of which are made in the USA) that remind us of each U.S. state.

This week: Kentucky, home to the Bluegrass region, the Cumberland Plateau, and Daniel Boone National Forest.

For Kentucky, we chose an Audimute acoustic panel that evokes the dark caverns and stunning rock formations of the state's Mammoth Cave National Park: the AcoustiStone® Premium Acoustic Stone Alternative Ceiling Cloud in the "Deep Brown Marble" style.

Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the longest known cave system in the world. Visitors can venture 250 feet underground to traverse some of the park's 426 miles of subterranean passageways and tunnels and hear how sound echoes and reverberates off the cave walls and ceilings. We're definitely not saying it should BUT if Mammoth Cave National Park should ever want an acoustic treatment for those caves, we'd recommend our eco-friendly AcoustiStone acoustic clouds, which can be fastened to ceilings to absorb 95% of echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies while maintaining the appearance of real stone.

Looking for a sound management solution for your home, business, church, or studio? Call us at 1.866.505.MUTE or fill out a Room Analysis Form to get free advice from our Acoustic Specialists!

Emmy-winning composer Silas Hite has scored music for film, TV, video games, and commercials, and when he relocated from California to his home state of Ohio a couple years ago, it was crucial that he could have an acoustically treated space to continue that work. "I need to be able to record, mix, and deliver at the highest-quality level audio possible," he says. "This means having great-sounding rooms."

As Silas began work on his new studio, he soon ran into a sound problem that his initial acoustic treatment wasn't solving. "I was still getting some high frequency flutter in my tracking room," Silas says. "I was fairly certain it was coming from the sound waves bouncing off of the untreated parts of the walls."

Enter Audimute. Silas turned to us for lightweight, sound-absorbing solutions that could treat the flutter echo while also fitting in with the design of his studio. Our Fabric Acoustic Panels wrapped in textiles of Silas's choosing were fastened to various reflective surfaces around the tracking room, while six additional 4' x 4' panels were added to the ceiling of his control room to address additional acoustic issues.

Silas also worked with Audimute to install sound-absorbing material in the space within the double-paned window separating his studio's tracking and control rooms. "The window is handmade and the woodwork is beautiful, so I wanted the [look of the] sound treatment inside the window to complement it," Silas says. "With Audimute, I was able to customize the fabric to my taste."

The outcome is a studio that sounds incredible while also staying true to Silas's aesthetic vision. Thank you, Silas, for letting Audimute be a part of your success story.

You can learn more about Silas and check out some of his work at silashite.com.

The United States of America is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, and we thought it'd be fun to commemorate America's semiquincentennial by identifying Audimute acoustic panels (all of which are made in the USA) that remind us of each U.S. state.

This week: Idaho, home to Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Sawtooth Mountains, and the majestic Shoshone Falls.

For Idaho, we chose an Audimute acoustic panel that evokes the charred terrain of the state's famed Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve: the AcoustiStone® Premium Acoustic Stone Alternative Panel in the "Charcoal Smooth Marble" style.

The Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is the site of three major lava fields and multiple cinder cones. Its smoky black surface brings to mind a volcanic landscape on a distant planet. Our eco-friendly AcoustiStone acoustic panels are similarly out-of-this-world, absorbing 95% of echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies while giving the appearance of real stone.

Looking for a sound management solution for your home, business, church, or studio? Call us at 1.866.505.MUTE or fill out a Room Analysis Form to get free advice from our Acoustic Specialists!

Give the gift of great sound this holiday season with Audimute! For a limited time only, our Custom Image Acoustic Panels are 10% off when you use the promo code IMAGE at checkout.

Upload an image such as a family photo, pet portrait, business logo, or piece of original artwork and we'll print it on acoustical fabric wrapped around Audimute's signature sound absorption material, eco-C-tex®.

Each Custom Image Acoustic Panel absorbs an average of 95% of echoes and reverberations to improve sound clarity within a space. It's wall art that works harder for you!

A Custom Image Acoustic Panel makes a great gift for: 

• Grandparents who want a beautiful family photo and better sound quality at home
• Spouses & Significant Others who love personalized gifts celebrating milestones and special moments
• Business Owners that want to showcase their brand while improving workplace acoustics
• Musicians who need crisp, clear sound in their home studio
• and more!

To ensure delivery of your Custom Image Acoustic Panel by December 25: order your panel (with uploaded image) by December 15 and approve proofs of your order by December 17.

Free shipping is available for the following panel sizes: 1'x1', 1'x2', 1'x3', 1x4', 2'x2', 2'x3', 2'x4'. Panel sizes 3'x3' and larger will be shipped via FedEx Freight at an additional cost.