Introducing The Ambient Menu WebApp – the only restaurant guide based on research and science.

Diners rate venues on the ability to have a verbal conversation.

We connect people who have difficulty hearing speech in the presence of background noise to restaurants that offer quiet dining environments.

Easy conversation over great food, with good people and excellent service, creates a memorable experience that everyone at the table can enjoy.

[Photo credit: Icicle Lights https://festoonhouse.com.au/christmas-icicle-lights/]

Laura, the creator of the Ambient Menu, has a Master’s degree in Audiology, is completing her Diploma of Acoustic Consulting, and currently works as an independent Adult Rehabilitation Audiologist dealing with peoples communication difficulties.

She created the webapp after completing her Masters in Audiology Research Project at Flinders University. Her group investigated shared-eating events and if hearing loss affected these gatherings. When questioned, all participants talked about noisy restaurants and cafes. They found their hearing-impairment in conjunction with background noise affected the interaction. They were left out of conversation or missed components of speech. This severely reduced their enjoyment of dining out, and often left feeling exhausted.

The problem we face is that studies have found that some restaurants reach up to 95dB(A) on a busy night, which is comparable to dining next to a lawnmower. If someone has difficulty hearing speech in background noise, this makes conversation with acquaintances in a typical restaurant impossible.

• We believe that everyone has the right to go to a restaurant and hear the conversation around the table.
• Great food + good people + excellent service = a memorable experience.
• This promotes socially active living for people with a hearing impairment, thus improving their lives.

Vision statement: To be a household name for foodies of all ages and their families, by being the most downloaded and trusted restaurant app.

Mission Statement: “Take the ‘din’ out of dinner”

We promote socially active living for people of all ages by engaging with the community and guiding them to acoustically friendly restaurants.

Services currently available:

1.The Ambient Menu Mobile Web App

The initial version search screen displays restaurants in order of:

• Ambient Menu Accredited priority results (Alphabetical Order)
• Ambient Menu Crowd Sourced results in order of ambience, as ranked from quiet to lively.
• Unrated restaurants in alphabetical order.

https://theambientmenu.com.au/

2. Ambient Menu Accreditation

Restaurants that are rated ‘low – quiet’ noise by app users can apply to be accredited by the Ambient Menu. Laura has a ‘gold standard’ criterion that she assesses restaurants against. This almost guarantees diners an acoustically friendly dining experience.

Those who achieve ‘Ambient Menu Accreditation’ get priority search results, rating protection from a one-off bad review and other benefits that generate client interest to boost client bookings.

3. The Ambient Menu Website

The ‘go-to’ guide for diners who struggle with noisy venues. This guide contains blogs and videos for hearing-impaired people on how to communicate better, guides for restaurants to make their venue more acoustically friendly, and material for the general public on how to protect their hearing and overall mental well-being.

https://theambientmenu.com.au/blog/

We support people who struggle to hear speech in background noise. We then support the venues that provide a conversation-friendly space, guiding our 1,000+ monthly users to their place. So not only are we supporting hearing-impaired people and their families, but also the restaurant industry as it bounces back after a tough 2 years after the pandemic hit Australia.

We also assist families of hearing-impaired children, or kids who are sensitive to noise. We have a ‘family friendly’ search to accommodate those families, and an ‘aged friendly’ check box so multi-generational families can find somewhere that suits the listening needs of 3 or 4 generations while they have a family meal.

The research project that inspired this all was investigating family dinners, and the importance of that gathering. Now, with the assistance of the Ambient menu webapp, everyone can find a place to engage in warm conversation with those around the table, without missing out on the conversation, or leave feeling exhausted.

We launched 4 months ago, and so far have over 120 restaurants rated on noise level, and accredited one before the pandemic restricted numbers here in SA. We have over 1,000 people per month searching for, and finding their perfect place.

This is my passion project, I want to help as many people as possible to find a restaurant that suits their listening needs. I’m bootstrapping this myself and very grateful to have received two grants to turn my idea into reality. But I know that with your help I can do more. We (myself and a very supportive husband) want to take this nationally next year.

Restaurants are a place we meet, to eat and be social and to enjoy the company of others. But if you have difficulty hearing speech in background noise, you may avoid this situation. I’ve been described as a human labrador, I get excited by being with the people I love and eating. I want everyone who loves those two things as much as me, to enjoy them as much as me, regardless of any hearing / processing / sensory issue that may impede that otherwise.

Thanks for reading about my passion project, please reach out if you have any questions.