Restaurant Manners

I like to eat in peace. If I am having a meal by myself I would like to eat without having people blabber at Volume 11. If I am on a date, I would like to be able to talk to her without having to raise my voice.

I'm not asking other patrons to be quiet. They are of course more than entitled to talk. And if I am a bar or pub then I expect there to be more noise than usual. Even at a casual restaurant, I expect laughing and chatting. But I find it rude that people decide that they have to talk especially loud, without respect for their neighboring patrons. It seems that a lot of times there is always one person who has to be the center of attention, so he/she finds it necessary to talk louder than anyone else.