Acoustic Panels for Cafeterias and Dining Areas
Cafeterias, dining halls, and food courts are often busy, high-traffic spaces with hard surfaces that reflect sound. Without acoustic treatment, they can quickly become noisy, uncomfortable environments where conversation is difficult and echo dominates the room.
Sontext provides acoustic solutions specifically suited to hospitality and dining spaces. Our panels reduce reverberation, improve speech clarity, and make social spaces more inviting and functional for everyday use.
Addressing Common Acoustic Issues
Large windows, tiled floors, stainless steel finishes, and minimal soft furnishings are great for hygiene and aesthetics—but poor for acoustics. Sound bounces around the room, increasing background noise and reducing comfort for diners.
Solutions for Dining Spaces
Sontext offers a range of acoustic panels for walls and ceilings, including fabric-wrapped panels, timber slats, and decorative printed options. These can be installed in commercial kitchens, school canteens, aged care dining rooms, and corporate cafeterias.
Designed for Practicality
Our panels meet hygiene and fire safety requirements, and are available in wipeable or moisture-resistant finishes where needed. With various colours and styles available, they integrate seamlessly into any design scheme.
Ask Us About Your Project
Whether you’re refurbishing an existing dining space or designing a new one, Sontext can recommend the right acoustic solution for your layout, finishes, and performance needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are cafeterias often noisy?
Hard surfaces like tiles and glass reflect sound, causing high noise levels and echo during busy periods.
What types of acoustic panels work best in cafeterias?
Wall panels, ceiling clouds, and baffles made from sound-absorbing fabric or polyester fibre are ideal.
Are the panels safe for food areas?
Yes. Sontext panels are available in fire-rated, low VOC, and hygienic finishes suited to dining environments.
Can acoustic panels be cleaned?
Yes. We offer options with wipeable or sealed surfaces that can be cleaned regularly.
Do the panels affect the room's appearance?
No. Our panels can be matched to your colour scheme or used as design features with printed graphics or timber finishes.
Recommended Acoustic Solutions for Cafeterias
| Product | Placement | Main Benefit | Suitable Environments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric-Wrapped Panels | Walls | Reduces reverberation and improves speech clarity | School canteens, corporate cafeterias |
| Ceiling Acoustic Clouds | Suspended from ceiling | Absorbs reflected sound from above | Dining halls, open ceiling spaces |
| Printed Acoustic Panels | Feature walls | Combines acoustic control with visual appeal | Hospitality venues, aged care |
| Moisture-Resistant Panels | Near kitchen or wash-up areas | Acoustic control with hygiene safety | Commercial kitchens, wet zones |
School cafeterias are notoriously noisy, due to a combination of animated conversation, movement of chairs and furniture, clatter of cutlery, etc. High background noise levels of this type can lead to the “café effect” where voices are raised higher and higher to be heard over the noise.
Reducing Noise In Cafeteria
Cafeterias are often filled with hard surfaces and competing conversations, creating a noisy environment that can lead to stress, discomfort, and poor communication. Much of this background noise falls into the same frequency range as human speech, making it difficult to hold a simple conversation without raising your voice.
Serenity Acoustic Panels from Sontext provide an effective solution. Engineered to absorb high-frequency sound, these panels have been independently tested in certified laboratories and shown to reduce up to 95% of unwanted noise. The result? a calmer, more comfortable space where people can speak—and be heard—more easily.
Suitable for walls and ceilings, Serenity Panels can be used in new builds or retrofitted into existing spaces. A selection of acoustic fabrics in various colours and patterns improves sound and adds to the room’s visual appeal.
Solution to Reduce Noise In Cafeteria
SerenityLite Panels
SerenityLite Panels were selected for the cafeteria to help manage disruptive noise and create a more comfortable dining environment. The panels were installed along the ceiling to target areas where sound reflections were most noticeable.
By placing SerenityLite panels on the most reflective surfaces, reverberation—particularly in the voice frequency range—was significantly reduced. This allowed customers to enjoy their meals in a quieter, more relaxed space.
Find out more about our SerenityLite acoustic solutions here.
Serenity Acoustic Panels are an ideal solution for cafeterias and food courts, offering excellent sound absorption at the higher frequencies commonly found in these busy spaces. They help reduce echo and improve the overall acoustic comfort for diners.
Available in durable, cleanable fabric finishes, Serenity Panels come in a wide range of colours and patterns—making them both functional and visually appealing. They add a dynamic touch to interiors while helping to control noise effectively.
Find out more about Serenity Acoustic Panels here.
Perforated Wood Panels offer both aesthetic appeal and acoustic performance in large interior spaces. When used on walls or ceilings, they bring warmth and texture while also helping to control unwanted noise.
The Murano Acoustic Panel range from Sontext features a variety of natural wood veneers, decorative laminates, and painted finishes—allowing you to match acoustic performance with architectural intent.
Find out more about Murano Acoustic Wood Panels here.
Sontext can assist with selecting the right acoustic facing, panel size, and coverage area to suit your space. All panels can be custom-manufactured to meet the specific design and acoustic requirements of your project.
