Baby Boomer Insights

When dinner music becomes an assault on the ears: let's insist restaurants turn down the noise

I'm going into the weekend with a scratchy throat, a byproduct of a trendy restaurant. I spent all my time at lunch yelling at my lunch companion.

Mind you, I didn't do  this because I was angry or he had done something wrong. On the contrary, I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with my old friend Peter Baron, a PR guru here in Atlanta. But we had to yell at one another to be heard over the music. I wish I could say this is unusual; unfortunately, it's anything but. In fact, recently my husband and I walked out of a Chili's vowing never to go back because it was so loud we couldn't enjoy our meal or have a decent conversation.

Peter, Ralph (my husband) and I are all Boomers, but I'm the only one with a hearing problem. (By the way, that turns out to be statistically relevant, as studies show 1 in 3 people over 50 suffer a hearing loss). Even though they hear much better than I do,  they share my annoyance at finding it  difficult to enjoy visiting over a meal.  (Did you know, by the way, that according to the Hearing Aid Music Foundation, Boomers are the largest demographic in history to suffer from preventable hearing loss brought on by environmental conditions, such as listening to loud music? )

I asked a waitress at one  restaurant why it was necessary to play music so loud and she answered - with a straight face - "Because it creates atmosphere." Who knew contributing to noise pollution was a marketing ploy?

I hereby ask forgiveness of all those I've ridiculed for their ever-present white earbuds. I now suspect they may be trying to block out music, not pipe it in!

We Boomers need to be bolder about asking restaurant managers to turn down the music when it keeps us from enjoying our meal. There's no reason to pay to be assaulted. And if they don't ? Plead temporary blindness when the check comes.

How Toronto pulled off being a model for the latest trend in travel: multiple generations headed in the same direction

I just got home from four glorious days at the Toronto International Film Festival, where I had the time of my life in what I consider one of the friendliest and prettiest cities I've ever visited. There were celebrities galore, of course, and a feast of over 300 films to choose from. But, as they say on cheesy infommercials, "Wait! That's not all!"

I also got to see a perfect example of a destination that understands how to create an environment that encourages multi-generational travel. There was something for everyone. Visitors could choose any number of films, based on type, director, country of origin, specific actor(s), time available, you name it. Perhaps you've heard that there were many political, dark and very provocative films debuted at this event. But don't be mislead - kids were a part of the scene as well.  There was an entire set of films representing the best in children's cinema.

Meanwhile, down by the harbour was a big music festival featuring all kinds of bands (again, some well known and some you may never have heard of). Even the vegetarians were welcomed with their own event.

So in one weekend, you could go to one city and enjoy everything from serious films to silly street performances to loud music and good food (assuming, of course, you think vegetables fall in to the "good food" category). It's as if Toronto decided it wanted to model the latest trend in travel - multiple generations traveling together. Boomers were everywhere, but so were their Gen X children, with the Gen Y children in tow.

Already, the Toronto International Film Festival is considered among the top two such events in the world, and I believe one of the reasons it has earned that title is because organizers so warmly embrace diverse groups of people and they understand that what happens outside the theater can shape opinions on what happens inside.

So, whether you go to star-gaze, study cinematography, see the town, or just absorb the city's wonderful culture, you can't help but walk away satisfied. In other words, no event was attempting to siphon off customers of another event; on the contrary, they seemed to all blend together.And by the way, I can't even imagine another place or environment where word-of-mouth is so encouraged or facilitated.

The lesson marketers can take away from all this is simple, really: don't be myopic. Rather than working so hard to make your event stand out, look for ways to bring together multiple events that increase the likelihood that you'll positively affect attendance across multiple age groups; otherwise, when the "rising tide lifts all boats," you'll be standing on the dock wondering how your boat ended up under water.

I'm making a list and checking it twice: on the lookout for stores that accommodate special physical needs

I found myself making a rather unusual, but important, list over the weekend. It was a list of all the stores I went in that adequately accommodated and/or welcomed wheelchair-bound people. I wrote them on a pad and stuck them on the refrigerator of my vacation home.

Why? Because my parents love to visit us at our lake house, but both require wheelchairs if they're required to walk more than just a few yards. Both use canes or walkers all the time, but when we shop, they need electric carts or wheelchairs (Mom is 79 and dad is 81 and both have neuropathy and arthritis). They love to visit malls and big box stores, but can't unless wheels are available.

I decided to start tracking all the stores in Milledgeville,  Eatonton and Macon, GA so I would know before taking or sending my parents there whether their needs would be accommodated.  When I visited stores where wheelchairs weren't available, or they had only one, I asked why. (BTW, I want to give a shout-out to Kroger in Milledgeville, where I found at least four electric carts.)

In K-Mart, I was told, "I guess not enough people need them." (Did I mention that K-Mart is located right next door to Kroger?)

Not "enough" people need wheels inside a store, huh?

Well, consider this, Today there are 51.2 million people who have some level of disability... that's 18% of the U.S. population. Given that Boomers are the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, it stands to reason that stores, restaurants, museums and other places we visit need to plan for how to accommodate our needs going forward, even if they aren't too concerned about the folks who already need a little extra help. The government can force a public building to reserve a specific number of handicap spaces, but even the feds can't legislate common sense. Handicaps aren't always advertised by a blue and white hanging car tag, you know.

We Boomers need to be more aggressive about protecting the special needs of seniors today, while also being vocal about our own expectations in the future.  Already, I avoid restaurants that are too loud or play music at decibles that would drown out an airplane.  My father is extremely hearing-impaired, so when we eat out, we go only to restaurants that provide the opportunity to actually have a conversation without yelling at one another.

I'd love to see all retailers and restaurants in particular do a thorough assessment of how accommodating they are to consumers with special physical needs and take a stand to welcome them.  (Forgive the plug here - but I can help you do that.)

Meanwhile, don't get your underwear in a knot if I visit your place and ask a lot of questions about why your menu is hard to read or your dressing rooms are too small. I'd love for readers to let me know what establishments you patronize or avoid because of their willingess to accommodate special physical needs.