Although I'm a mere member of the public (your lifeblood), I trust you and your readers will take heed of my request for the abolition of piped music in what would otherwise be pleasant and acceptable establishments?
It represents the triumph of the salesman over common sense. I've never yet met anyone who likes it, but a great many whom it offends. If there's no kind of music that can be imposed without offending someone's ear, switch it off and save a few pounds.
An insult to both composer and performer, it's quite unnecessary, and I challenge your readers to canvas the opinion of their diners and other customers before they play it.
I once asked a barmaid to turn off the row she was playing while my wife and I ate our lunch, but she refused. When I asked who wanted it on (we were the only people in the place), she replied "I do". Had we not paid for the meal already, we'd have left her to eat the food as well.
Having recently patronised the Bell at Gumley, Leicestershire, for lunch and stayed at the Mill House at Kingham, Oxfordshire, for a long weekend, we found them a true delight, with no noise pollution at all.
The Daily Telegraph's The Quiet Pint: A Guide to Pubs with No Piped Music is a useful publication for those wishing to pursue quietude, by the way.
John Timms
By e-mail