Restaurants and bars in several cities are experimenting with new ways to pull customers’ attention away from their phones during meals, with tactics ranging from locked pouches to free bottles of wine.
At Antagonist, a cocktail bar in Charlotte, North Carolina, guests are handed a lockable pouch for their phones when they walk in. General manager Adam Horner said the aim is “to bring back a little slice of human connection that we all feel has been lost with technology.”
The Saloon, a Washington, D.C. bar that has no televisions, bans phone use entirely. A regular customer said the rule counters a bar culture that has become “very insular and not very fun” because of phones.
In Manhattan, the bistro Eulalie posts its no-phone policy at the entrance and on its handwritten menus. Co-owner Tina Vaughn said diners often welcome the rule. “People want an excuse,” she said. “They’re dying for someone to say, ‘You can get off that. It’s OK.'”
Hop Sing Laundromat, a speakeasy in Philadelphia, bans calls, texting, photos and selfies as part of its tightly controlled experience, briefing guests on the rules when they arrive. The Edge Harlem in New York City takes a quieter approach, skipping Wi-Fi altogether and posting a sign that reads, “No Wi-Fi. No Screens. Connect With Each Other.”
The trend extends beyond the United States. Spy Bar in London places stickers over the camera lenses on customers’ phones, while AI Condominio in Verona, Italy, offers a free bottle of wine to diners who hand over their phones before eating.
Even large chains are testing similar ideas. Select Chick-fil-A locations run a “Cellphone Coops Challenge,” letting groups stash their phones in a box during the meal in exchange for free ice cream.
Not Everyone Wants a Ban
Sanwar Mal Khokhar, a Dallas-based mixologist and beverage program leader, said phones can disrupt the timing of service, particularly when a drink or dish needs to be served at a specific temperature or explained to the table. Flash photography and filming that blocks service areas or captures other diners without their knowledge can also create problems for staff and guests, he said.
Still, Khokhar argued a blanket ban goes too far. “Taking a quick photo of the drink or food is fine, checking a message is alright or looking up an unknown ingredient is OK,” he said. “All these things are, I think, part of modern life.” He suggested restaurants instead offer voluntary phone-free events, screen-free sections, or small kitchen or bar surprises for guests who opt in.
Rachael Barclay, founder of Seattle-based Vantage and former general manager of the Columbia Tower Club, agreed there is something to the comparison between phones and cigarettes, but said the overuse of phones is “a societal problem, not a restaurant problem.” She said frequent phone calls at the table point to an “operations problem” that could often be solved with better pacing and more engaging service.
“A locked pouch is the opposite of hospitality,” Barclay said. “I do believe that phones have ruined bars … but banning them and putting them in a pouch, I think we’re going a little too far.”
Khokhar noted that hospitality cuts both ways — a guest shouldn’t have to explain that a call was from their child or doctor, either. “If people are not constantly checking notifications, there are more chances for conversation,” he said. “The guest will see and notice the food differently.”
