What is it about a bustling restaurant that is so appealing? Objectively speaking, it would seem that strangers making noise all around you should be bothersome.
And yet most of us enjoy the feeling of dining in a crowded place, surrounded by people we don’t know. What exactly is going on here?
I wonder whether this feeling hearkens back to an earlier time in human pre-history, when the presence of the tribe denoted safety. If you are sitting around the tribal campfire, you are much less likely to be attacked by predators.
Could it really be that simple? Or is there some other principle at work here?
A quiet restaurant is usually quiet for a reason, and it’s usually not good- bad food, bad service, etc.
Good point, yet there are exceptions. One of the best meals I ever had was one in which we arrived around 5pm, and were the only diners there. By the time we had finished our meal, the place was full.
this place wasn’t located in Italy by any chance? ..we had a very similar experience, but it turned out to be due to the fact that nobody in the Mediterranean seems to go out for dinner before 8 pm 😉
in the end the place was crowded and extremely loud, yet we had enjoyed one of the most delicious meals in wonderful serene silence.