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An increasing number of eateries and bars are encouraging patrons to put away their mobile devices—some even suggest locking them up—as part of a campaign to enhance the dining experience.
This initiative is gaining popularity throughout the United States, with venues experimenting with various approaches such as implementing restrictions, offering incentives, or providing locked pouches, as reported by Fox News Digital.
For instance, Antagonist, a cocktail bar in Charlotte, secures patrons’ phones in locked pouches for roughly two hours. Meanwhile, Delilah, a high-end supper club with multiple locations nationwide, enforces a strict no-phones, no-social-media policy, according to Axios.
Even fast-food chain Chick-fil-A has trialed this concept, with a branch in Maryland providing free ice cream to families who keep their phones away from the dining table.
This trend is particularly prevalent in exclusive venues such as listening bars, supper clubs, cocktail lounges, and restaurants with tasting menus, noted Ben Tannenbaum, vice president of partnerships at the New York-based nightlife company LineLeap.
“The driver isn’t really an anti-phone sentiment,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s that guests are going out less often than they used to and spending more per visit when they do, so operators are trying to make sure the visit delivers.”
The trend has been building for years, experts say, and it’s picked up steam as more people recognize the downsides of constant screen time.
“The phone-free dining trend began prior to COVID, but it’s increased in momentum in recent years, especially as people have come to understand the negative impacts of overuse of personal devices,” Amanda Belarmino, a hospitality professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Fox News Digital.
She said unplugged meals can help diners stay focused on both their food and companions, adding it may even be financially savvy for restaurants.
“Diners who are engaged in the experience are more likely to eat multiple courses or order a second drink,” she said.
They’re also more likely to enjoy their food if it hasn’t gotten cold while they’re busy snapping photos or reading other diners’ reviews before forming their own opinions, Belarmino noted.
Beyond business considerations, experts agree the movement reflects a return to long-standing social norms around dining.
Being present while dining with others is a “timeless principle,” according to New York etiquette expert Nick Leighton.
“When your phone’s out, it’s sending the signal that whoever is with you at that moment isn’t as important as what’s on the phone,” Leighton told Fox News Digital.
Others say the trend is being driven by the mental strain of always being connected.
“The push behind phone-free dining is cognitive overload,” said Dr. Vinay Saranga, a psychiatrist and founder of The North Carolina Institute of Advanced NeuroHealth.
“Phone-free dining offers a form of psychological relief that will foster meaningful connection again and allow us to focus on the present moment.”
But enforcing phone-free policies can come with trade-offs.
“Enforcement is, at best, awkward in practice,” Tannenbaum said. “Pouches, signage and servers asking guests to put phones away all introduce friction that can undercut the experience the policy was trying to create.”
He does not expect phone-free dining to become the norm everywhere and predicts it will last as a sub-category, not as an industry-wide shift.