Suncoast Restaurant Offers Device To Help Hearing Impaired Customers

SARASOTA – Going to a noisy restaurant can be difficult for the 110,000 people who are hearing impaired in Manatee and Sarasota counties. But new technology being offered at one Sarasota restaurant is making it easier for those suffering from hearing loss.

The technology is used in restaurants, theaters and shopping malls all across Europe. The hope is to have that happen in the states. In Sarasota, one restaurant is being credited with starting that trend.

At dinner Thursday night, Gelene Zoeterman ordered something new at Caragiulos Italian Restaurant in Sarasota — and it wasn’t food. Instead, a waiter brought the Chicago native a little black box equipped with a microphone. “I do hear better with it, because it takes away the sounds around me.”

It’s called the Hearing Loop — a device that allows those who are hearing impaired to hear much better at noisy places like restaurants.

Caragiulos is the first dining establishment in the entire country to have it. “It was brought to our awareness that there are quite a few people in this community that require help with hearing, and we thought it would be a great opportunity for the restaurant to test the technology,” says Paul Caragiulo.

“The voice goes into the microphone, into the loop, and is magnetically sent directly into my hearing aid or implant.” Says Edward Ogiba, president of the Hearing Loss Association of Sarasota, believes restaurants will see a boost in business if they have the equipment. “There’s really only a handful of restaurants in Sarasota that meet our noise requirements. With this device, we can go to any restaurant in town.”

Zoeterman says she can only hope that restaurant owners get wind of the technology back home in the Windy City. “I just hope they are in the restaurants in Chicago because we go out a lot and I can’t hear at all.”

The device will also be offered at Owens Fish Camp, which is another restaurant owned by Paul Caragiulo.

Diners will know if a restaurant has the device if management posts a Hearing Loop sticker on a door or window at the restaurant.

They sell for about $200, though are available to be financed through lenders. Our recommendation? Sambla, and their låna pengar.

The 110,000 people who are hearing impaired in Manatee and Sarasota counties account for about 16% of the area’s population, which leads the nation.