Most restaurants also seem to be much louder now than they were 20 years ago. They're so loud even people with good hearing have trouble having a conversation. I worry that just going to a popular restaurant nowadays is damaging my hearing, and I'm starting to avoid the loudest ones.
As costs go up and fashions change as does the interiors of restaurants. Gone are the "soft" things like plants, carpets, dropped ceilings, and plush furniture. More common these days is hardwood, cement, steel, glass, and exposed ceilings.
It's no coincidence that louder often means spending more on drinks and quicker table turn overs. So the noisy places are out competing the quieter places.
Sad, I find about half and 75% of places are unacceptably loud during normal peak hours. Fortunately google displays how popular a place is (if often varies by business) so I can go off peak.
