We spoke with Don Knight, owner of Knight’s Steakhouse in Ann Arbor, about why he chooses not to play background music.
Q: What’s your reason for not playing recorded music in your wildly popular restaurant?
A: It was a decision made by my father. He wanted people to be able to have conversations over dinner without competing music playing.
Q: What’s your own opinion about “piped” music in restaurants?
A: It drives me and my wife crazy! We will never have it here in the Dexter Rd. restaurant or in Jackson. I was outvoted for the downtown Knight’s. I have a regular customer, Bill Bolcom, who you may have heard of?
Q: Certainly, he’s a famous composer!
A: He eats here all the time, and has said, “I don’t expect people to eat meals at my concerts, and don’t want music playing in restaurants where I eat.”
The Quiet Project 