 Cell phones often claim a spot on the table in restaurants, sitting right next to utensils, plates and glasses. One restaurant is trying to change that. Eva Restaurant in Los Angeles offers diners a 5% discount for leaving their phones with the receptionist for the entirety of the meal. The new policy went into effect a bit more than a month ago, according to chef Mark Gold, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Alejandra. Since then, the chef estimates that 40% to 50% of customers have opted in and ditched their phones. Read the full story on CNN Money: Restaurant offers a 5% discount to eat without your phone |
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Let me start by saying, I am all for no cell phones at restaurants. In fact, my friends and I have started a policy of setting them all in the middle of the table at a nicer restaurant and the first one to grab their phone picks up the tab for the table. Additionally, I certainly applaud this establishment for attempting to instill some degree of manners back in to dining out but... That being said, I hope everyone has a pass code on their phone and possibly other security measures in place... unless of course you trust the host/hostess and everyone else working at the restaurant to not go thru your phone while you're eating. Talk about risking identity theft or worse... think about how much info is on that phone before you willing hand it to a stranger to get $10 off a $200 tab, might not be the smartest decision.
So why not go the other way. If someone is blatantly disregarding everyone else's desire to a nice meal out without hearing about their personal problems, add a nuisance surcharge to their bill.
My husband decided that he wanted to ban me from bringing my cell phone with me when we go to breakfast; because he thinks we should be having a conversation. It's not like I talk to anybody on the phone by the way- I just check in on Facebook or whatever, but I'm not talking on the phone. That's fine, I decided to respect his decision and leave the phone at home since it meant more to him than me. However, he sits there and reads the newspaper the whole time not talking to me. Weird.
Geezuz brucealmighty woman. Take your d@mn phone to the table until he gives up the newsprint and talks to you. "... out of respect for..." your husband, my left elbow. What about respect for you? Don't be a doormat.
Obama ordered that all state sanctioned medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego be shut down by thugs wearing masks to terrorize law-abiding patients. Obama then gave assault rifles to Drug Cartels and has plans to attack more dispensaries in California.
STOP Obama's WAR – CALL your senator, CALL your representative, CALL all your friends... Please help us.
The newspsper thing is not cool, granted, but do you NEED to check out FB "or whatever" during time together? My wife used to text her kids when we'd go to dinner until SHE had the epiphany: this is OUR time. I don't text or chat or "whatevert" when we're together...I'm glad she respected me enough to decide not to do it as well.
Besides, it's a sad marriage you seem to have, if a paper and an electronic pain in the a$s gets betwixt you.
And "Swisted", get the stick out of your as$.
Liberals just have to tell people how to live. Hopefully, they will get the message they need to keep their mouths shut after Obama is tossed out of office.
Don't you believe in the free market? Are you unAmerican?
No one is telling anyone, anything. If you want a 5% discount, leave the phone with the front desk. If you dont want to do that, dont. Also, Obama doesnt own this restaurant. Sorry, but the entire world does not run using your standard.
If you do not own a phone, you cannot leave it at the desk. So those who do not own one get a 5% surcharge effected. Stupid policy. Doctors cannot leave their phone behind. Doctors get tagged with a 5% surcharge. Stupid policy.
Feel free to not eat at this restaurant. Problem solved.
New construction restaurants should consider wall coverings that block freqs in the cellular bands. This is perfectly legal in the US, unlike jamming. Businesses can jam cell phones in some countries. Sometimes I wish it were legal in the US.
Yeah, but then you run the risk of blocking a call to someone's "on call" surgeon who now cannot be reached to perform a lifesaving operation.
Out of fairness to that kind of necessity, the restaurant could post a sign stating their call-blocking technology is in use. The surgeon can eat somewhere else.
I'd definitely consider buying one of those cheap burner cell phones just so I could carry it in and get the discount. I never use a cell phone, but there's no way I can get rewarded for that, I guess. Bottom-end phones seem to be around $10; I could make this back in a couple of meals.
Maybe the restaurants could show a little class themselves and unplug the wall-to-wall televsions.
You should try eating somewhere other than sports bars.
The restaurant should just double its prices and then offer a 50% discount for anyone who leaves their cell phone at the desk. The price stays the same for anyone who doesn't want to sit near a cell phone yakker, and the yakkers will all stay away regardless. In effect, the rule becomes, "Yes, you can use your cell phone, but we will double the price of your meal."
I like that!
Worst part is if you have to work at ANY business with a drivethru ....
You'll realize just how many people are driving and talking/texting in this country. They can't get off the phone for 2 seconds .... and this goes for all levels of drivethru .... from fast food to banking to pharmacy.
Great! It is so sickening to see these stupid people walking around with their phone in their hands, like they are going to miss some important call. For heaven's sake, put the thing away. You look stupid. Putting it on the table is dumb. Talking on the phone, while at a restaurant is extremely rude. Excuse yourself and go to the lobby or something. It is rude to other customers, and very rude to the person you are with. Ban cell phones in restaurants and movies. Ban them while driving. Why are so many states afraid to make this law? They hem and haw and say it's illegal to use them in a work zone. I saw a great bumper sticker yesterday. You are driving a car. Not in a phone booth or beauty parlor or a restaurant. (in other words, no talking on phone, no applying makeup while driving etc. DRIVE NOW. TALK LATER.
Sherri...
LOVE the bumper sticker. Here’s a few that I’d like to include:
Grocery stores: SHOP NOW-TALK LATER
Restrooms: GO NOW-TALK LATER
Schools: EX-CELL NOW-TALK LATER
Elevators: THIS IS NOT YOUR PERSONAL PHONE BOOTH
Theaters: WATCH NOW-TALK LATER
Churches: PRAY NOW-TALK LATER
Golf Courses: PLAY NOW-TALK LATER
Business signs: BUY NOW-CELL LATER
The most common thing/response I seem to hear is: “Oh nothing…what are YOU doing?” And I’m really not interested in hearing about what Mary said Marsha said about Bob last night! Remember the old phrase: “Mr. Johnson, I have a personal call for you.”? It seems that there’s no such thing as a “personal” call anymore! Another phrase/expression: MYOB. Kinda hard to do THAT now-a-days! And now it seems that I’M the one that’s in THEIR space when THEY get a call!
Sherri, the phones will not be banned 'til enough people are killed due to their use. Same reason stop lights are installed at intersections: because the number of people killed was higher than the local politician was comfortable with.
Seriously, because it's infringing on our freedoms to ban them. No one wants to tread there. Same as the abortion issue. What politician really wants to be the one to successfully push that law thru and p!ss off the voters who disagree with them?
It's a nice gesture. I'm sick of people being so attached to their phones. We've become too accessable. I know my cell phone has helped me when I'm in an emergency, and can't say I want to forgo it, but how many holidays do you spend watching people with their thumbs all over their phone.
It's common courtesy- I'd like to see this done in movie theaters, too! I'm sick of having to ask people to lower their phones because I can see the illumination and it's distracting fro the movie I paid to see!
When are they going to offer a discount for parents to leave their screaming children at home?
Yeah, because all kids are always screaming right..... I'd like a discount everytime I get stuck next to loud patrons who have consumed too much, or just think that everyone else thinks they are as important as they feel.
I would have liked to give a discount to this one "couple" at Applebees ....
They (well, SHE) were speaking pretty loudly. It was a OBVIOUS "first date". The thing was ... it seemed as if it was an obvious "hook-up" situation. He couldn't care less about what she was talking about. She couldn't stop yammering about how much of a drunken whore she was .... with quotes like "Last Tuesday was the first time I've shown up sober for class ... EVER!". He obviously had no respect for her and was watching his watch the whole time .... just putting on this charade of a "nice dinner" for the obvious payback later. Being Applebees, that shows you what he thought of the whole situation. The only thing he talked about was how much his friends talked about her .... and he didn't state any details. It was pretty obvious it was more like "cheap date" and "easy score" kinda talk, but she ate it up. But ... I don't want to make it sound like the guy was 100% a jerk here. It was quite obvious that SHE was in this for the free meal and hookup too. I almost wanted to interject with the whole "It's obvious what you both want, get out of here and get to it!" quote, but that would be rude.
It WAS entertaining though!!!
Deserved a discount for entertainment alone ....
Do you have her phone number?
I wish they didn't have to offer that initiative. I used to work at a 5 Star Relais et Chateaux property, and I had a guest come in and spend the entire evening on his iPad. We served celebrities and guests could drop $500+ on a bottle of wine, and homeboy thought it was acceptable to be on Facebook while having his foi gras.
But what about my taxes? Are those librils going to raise my taxes? Doesn't anybody care about my burdens?
No, we don't –
It's pretty sad that restaurants have to reward people for exercising common courtesy.
I couldn't care less if someone was talking on their phone in a restaurant. I'm not having dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Finally, it's so annoying to have to listen to someone else's conversation because they literally yell into their phones. If I'm paying top dollar for a meal out with my friends at an expensive restaurant, the last thing I want to hear is a telephone going off. As far as I'm concerned they could confiscate the phones at the door and give them back when the customer leaves because so many people don't have any idea what common courtesy entails.
Now if only movie theaters would institute such a policy.
Nice gesture, but 5% doesn't even cover tax on the meal. Make it 15%, the server gets 20% for the full bill, of course, then watch how your business takes off.
........and then some people will claim that 15% is not enough, so what's your point? They are offering a discount they don't have to in exchange to actually pay attention to the people you are currently having a meal with. 5% off for better manners seems fair to me
Precisely.