Reverberation Assessment for a Restaurant

Challenge

A restaurant in Shelby Township, Michigan has two dining rooms under an exposed metal roof deck, with hard, reflective finishes throughout. The owners wanted to address the noise. Memtech Acoustics measured first, so the treatment would be sized from data, and kept the scope to a basic reverberation study.

Solution

In July 2026, Memtech measured reverberation time (RT60) in both rooms using an impulse source and measurement microphones. Reverberation exceeded 1.8 seconds in the main dining room and 1.5 seconds in the back dining room. The desired range for restaurants is 0.8 to 1.1 seconds, and Memtech set a target of 1.1 seconds for both rooms.

A parametric model built from the measured values sized the treatment to that target. Because of the artwork and fixtures on the walls, the treatment went on the ceiling: 2 by 4 foot, 2-inch open-cell foam panels, laid out room by room in a plan view. A follow-up model then sized a suspended-panel layout to the same target.

Results

The owners received a written reverberation summary with the measured values, the target, the modeled treatment, and the layout. They then ordered 114 suspended ceiling panels through Memtech, with installation by their own contractor. Installation is pending, so no post-installation result is reported.