Why restaurants became so loud — and how to fight back — Vox:

This experience is by no means unique; it’s become a fixture of dining out in America. ‘What did you say?’ ‘Can you repeat that?’ and ‘It’s so loud in here’ are now phrases as common as ‘Can I take your order?’”

I carry a sound meter. I check. I have earplugs in my pocket (-12 dB flat)