This review might seem unfair considering that we ate at this Oregano's just before going to Gabbage to see the fantastic musical performance of Mannheim Steamroller two days after Christmas, but my complaint spans several times visiting several different Oregano's in the Phoenix area.
I won't speak to the complaints of the quality of food or the lack of cleanliness at these restaurants ... although the negative reviews about these issues do give me pause. My main complaint is about the extremely loud, cacophonous noise emanating from the speakers all around the dining area.
For those who have never visited an Oregano's you'll want to know that your ears and brain will be assaulted by jazz so loud that conversation will be difficult.
Now, I know that music style is an acquired taste, and everyone is welcome to his or her personal opinion as to what they like. But, restaurants like Oregano's need to understand that jazz in particular is probably the most polarizing style of music out there.
You play classical music or soft rock and most people won't even really hear it ... they tune it out in favor of conversation or thinking or whatever they are there to do. You play jazz, however, and everyone will have an opinion about it ... they either love it or hate it. And truth be told, more people hate jazz than love it -- especially when blasted at full volume, making conversation difficult.
Does it really make sense for a restaurant to polarize it's customers that way? Personally, I don't get it. All I could think while there the other day was that I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible so my pulse and blood pressure could regulate itself back to normal. It was like I couldn't even breathe properly under the influence of that awful, discordant, melody-less noise.
Jazz proponents like to point out how beautiful jazz is because of its improvisational qualities. If you review "Why I like jazz" on Google you'll discover that most of the reasons revolve around the players, the culture and the history of jazz ... just the great feeling of how cool it is to be a fan of jazz. In other words, basically, jazz is just cool. However, those qualities don't make for a pleasant listening experience for a wide range of people who merely want a decent meal without having their senses assaulted.
Having said that, if a restaurant wants to be "cool" and cater only to those who like loud, obnoxious "cool" music it is their right to do that.
I'm just saying that if you want a pleasant, relaxing meal and don't wish to have your ears assaulted with cacophonous noise, Oregano's will not be the place for you to visit.