Famous Guernsey Restaurant gets the treatment!

"The Restaurant" is a contemporary brasserie and bar located on the craggy granite coast of northwest Guernsey overlooking Beaucette Marina which was created in 1969 by the Royal Engineers who blasted an entrance between a quarry and the sea.

The Problem:

"The restaurant" was refurbished in 2011 and has become extremely popular.  So much so, that the noise generated within was so high that it became uncomfortable for diners who complained and the staff struggled to hear people clearly when taking orders.  Some staff also complained of headaches.

The scientific explanation is that reflected sounds caused by the restaurants hard surface interior was creating high levels of  reverberation which directly affects speech intelligibility and clarity.

Also known as the "Cocktail Party Effect" when too many people are talking and you can't hear what they are saying clearly. The involuntary action we take is to speak even louder which only exacerbates the problem.



The Solution:

POS calculated the quantity and type of absorbing material required to reduce the reverberation to acceptable levels and the installation was carried out over 3 days, treating the ceilings with "Reverb" which is an acoustic wall and ceiling cladding system.

The "Reverb" finishing fabrics are designed to match the surrounding area or, add colour or even printed with artwork or photographs.  In the case of "The Restaurant" ceiling, a plain white polyester finish was chosen.  One of the main challenges was the number of light fittings hanging from the ceiling which are now back in place and the resulting acoustic environment is comfortable





Customer feedback:

"I have to be honest and say that my initial thoughts were that this sounds expensive and I didn't believe it would provide the necessary change in the noise levels.  I visited the POS showroom to view the Reverb acoustic treatment and eventually succumbed as the number of comments about the levels of noise in the restaurant was growing almost daily.

I have just returned from holiday to the finished project and was taken aback by the immediately noticeable difference in the acoustic ambience of the restaurant.  It is quite remarkable how much difference it has made.  My problems with noise are now in the past and my customers will return which until now has been a great concern to me.  Thank you POS Interiors and well done!"



Stephen Haines - Owner of "The Restaurant" and Beaucette Marina