# Improving Engineering Design Using Smart Evaluation of Indoor Acoustical Climate of Dining Places
## 2 Design of Dining Places  
Every public enclosure has an individual acoustic quality. Sound is unseen but always perceived subconsciously, which makes it a design component as significant as interior finishing, furnishings, or lighting. It is formed by design, but many architects rarely remember it unless they are designing a concert hall (in which acousticians are invited to participate). Restaurants are places of social interaction. They are supposed to attract clients with colours, designs, lighting, and layouts [17]. Important aspects of restaurants are their original, authentic, welcoming, purposeful, and communal nature. The atmosphere of the dining place significantly influences relevant downstream variables related to consumers' attitudes and intentions (i.e., self-restaurant connection, trust, and emotional attachment) [18]. Dining places have large windows overlooking a street or big door openings, sometimes to a shopping mall where the restaurant is situated; hence, they are surrounded by external noise. They need to look neat and clean. Consequently, the floor and countertop materials are solid and reflect sound. Staff and service need to have a good view of the tables; therefore, few screens or other kinds of visual barriers absorb sounds and add some initial reflections. Sometimes, clients want to enjoy a \"vivid ambience\" where music blends with voices into pleasant noise; this justifies reverberation acoustics. On the other hand, some clients look for quiet places to digest sophisticated food and enjoy intimacy during conversations. Regardless of their expectations, restaurant owners seek Return On Investment (ROI) and rely on their clients' satisfaction from the experience they have. Only in this way can positive evaluations and returns be expected [19; 20]. The surfaces in many restaurants are smooth, solid, and made of wood, steel, glass, or concrete. The minimalist aesthetic design is modern and plain, and the surfaces are easy to clean. However, this often results in a lack of sound absorption. Such restaurants are notorious for their high noise levels during service. Many restaurant owners do not mind the noise, as it is associated with bustling dining places, but surveys revealed that customers complain about noise as often as they do about poor service, and many restaurant-goers avoid too noisy of premises [21]. Some previous studies have revealed that a dining place's sound climate dramatically impacts the client's desire to reoccur and recommend the restaurant. Moreover, the acoustical climate can be affected by several circumstances, including but not limited to space and human factors. Subjective surveys in city restaurants in Europe revealed the significance of considering acoustical aspects for communication quality, acoustic climate, and pleasantcinary experience [22]. Soundscape studies have shown that the measured sound level affects soundscape evaluation. This had an impact on, among other things, the participants' behaviour (time and money spent) and the overall evaluations of their experience (satisfaction and sociability). Sociability has the potential for more complex associations with soundscape evaluations than satisfaction [23]. Modern architectural design should construct a sustainable building that helps its users feel calmer and happier and reduces their stress levels. Studies have revealed that building users respond to noise with stress and reduced concentration, contributing to dissatisfaction and lower efficiency. In an educational environment, noise can lead to higher stress levels and impair the learning process. Studies in schools have demonstrated that students have difficulty understanding their teachers' oral instructions and absorbing written information when exposed to excessive noise [24; 25]. Architectural attributes and design elements have serious effects on acoustic parameters. Therefore, acoustic comfort should be considered and studied in detail when planning and designing enclosures, including dining places.