Restaurant pay customers to turn in phones at door

Have you ever been out for a romantic dinner, only to be continually disturbed by the sounds of text messages and phone calls from other tables in the restaurant? I have even seen some people taking pictures of their meals to upload to Facebook, just before they eat.

A restaurant in Los Angeles is offering diners a 5% discount on their bill if they hand over their digital devices before being seated. The news was heard on radio station KPCC in America last week. Owner and chef Mark Gold says that it is a tactic they devised to keep the distractions during meals to a minimum.

So far they are experiencing a 50% success rate with the offer.

Gold spoke to KPCC and said “For us, it's really not about people disrupting other guests. Eva is home, and we want to create that environment of home, and we want people to connect again. It's about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone, and we're trying to create an ambiance where you come in and really enjoy the experience and the food and the company.”

Kitguru says: No plans yet to adopt this in the United Kingdom, but we think its a good idea.

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