Quick answer: Open kitchens add clatter, hissing, extraction fans and staff calling orders. You cannot remove those sounds, but you can stop them bouncing around the dining room. Acoustic panels on the ceiling above the dining side of the pass, plus panels on nearby walls, soak up that noise. Quieter equipment and a barrier between kitchen and diners help too.

Key takeaways

  • Treat the ceiling on the dining side of the pass.
  • Soak up on hard walls near the kitchen.
  • Keep fabric panels away from grease, steam, heat and flames.

What causes open kitchen noise?

Steel benches, extraction fans, clattering dishes and orders called across the pass all make noise. Hard floors, tiles and a bare ceiling then bounce that noise into the dining room. Diners hear the kitchen at every table instead of only near the pass.

Where should panels go?

Put panels on the ceiling above the kitchen edge and the first tables, then on walls near the pass. Keep fabric panels away from water, steam, grease, heat and open flames. That means the dining side of the pass, never inside the cooking area.

Not sure what your room needs? Send us a photo on WhatsApp or request a free quote. We'll tell you how many panels, where they go and the price. See our restaurant acoustic panels and recent projects.

Quiet an open kitchen infographic

What else helps?

Rubber mats under dish racks cut clatter. Soft-close bins and well-maintained extraction fans make less noise at the source. A glass or timber partition at the kitchen edge also stops some direct noise reaching diners.

Can panels get dirty?

Panels near a kitchen collect dust and can pick up airborne grease. Place them away from direct grease and steam, and vacuum them lightly on a regular schedule. Panels on the dining side stay much cleaner than anything close to the hob. See restaurant acoustic treatment.

What to ask your kitchen team

Which equipment is loudest, and when? Dishwashers, extraction fans and ice machines often dominate. Moving or servicing the loudest equipment is the cheapest "noise control". Then we treat the room for what's left.

Heat and grease

Panels near a kitchen should sit away from direct frying zones and heat. Treat the dining side of the pass and the ceiling over the first tables, and wipe or vacuum panels regularly. We'll flag safe placement from your photos.

What we see on real jobs

An open kitchen does not have to change for the room to get calmer. Treating the dining room ceiling is usually the first step.

Get a straight answer for your room

WhatsApp us (+65 8930 1905) a photo of your dining room, ideally taken during service, and tell us when it gets loudest. We'll come back with a ceiling-and-wall plan and a price. Ask us about installing outside opening hours.

WhatsApp us a photo · Request a free quote · See prices

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