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Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

money.cnn.com

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Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#71

Post by bostonpete »

nagrom wrote: post #13

I get really annoyed when I eat with someone and they have their phone on the table. There's something about that behaviour that seems to say "I'll pay attention to you for now, but I'm really hoping for a distraction.". I'd much rather go to a restaurant where phone use is discouraged as it seems to have become socially acceptable to fuck around with phones even during face-to-face conversation with someone. Regardi…

> seems to say "I'll pay attention to you for now, but I'm really hoping for a distraction.".

I put my phone on the table b/c I'm not 100% comfortable (rationally or not) with a device emitting radiation near my genitals for hours at a time.

Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#72

Post by jff »

Samuel_Michon wrote: post #16

That box doesn't exactly look safe to me. Not just vulnerable to theft, but also to mistakingly taking someone else's phone. And for phones with NFC, it's a great way to have your mobile wallet emptied.

On sites with classified areas, they'll often have little individual cell phone lockers right outside the turnstile to the limited area. Drop in your phone, lock it, take the key. That would be a much better way to control the phones.

Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#73

Post by algorias »

Karunamon wrote: post #69
algorias wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

when you go to a restaurant, aren't you implicitly trusting most of their staff? if i couldn't trust some company to take care of my phone for an hour, i certainly wouldn't trust them to serve me food.

You'd trust the people at an average fast food joint (predominantly minimum-wage teenagers) to keep track of your phone? You have much more faith than me...

Maybe it's just a difference in interpretation of language, but for me, a fast food joint is definitely NOT a restaurant. The tone of the story also clearly implied it was an actual restaurant, nothing fast about it.

Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#74

Post by slantyyz »

Karunamon wrote: post #26

Mind your own damn business and I'll do the same. If I'm carrying a phone to a nice restaurant, it's because I'm on call. No, I do not raise my voice to talk, because I've mastered the arcane art known as "volume settings". If my phone rings, there's a high likelihood I won't be there for long anyways. And in the meantime, if me texting at my own table bothers you, or a couple of low volume buzzes bother you, I highl…

>> No, I do not raise my voice to talk, because I've mastered the arcane art known as "volume settings".

This is usually true, but my experience with people who have naturally loud voices is that they have no clue how loud their voice is even when lowering their volume.

Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#76

Post by svachalek »

Hmm, I often find myself using my phone in restaurants in ways that don't exclude the people I'm with (See this photo I took of you earlier? Oh I think that movie is playing, should I check the showtimes? I can stay a little longer, let me just text my wife.) I know it can be tempting to use it in ruder ways but I'm surprised that defense hasn't been raised by anyone else yet -- maybe I'm giving people around me too much benefit of the doubt.

Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#78

Post by ereckers »

nagrom wrote: post #13

I get really annoyed when I eat with someone and they have their phone on the table. There's something about that behaviour that seems to say "I'll pay attention to you for now, but I'm really hoping for a distraction.". I'd much rather go to a restaurant where phone use is discouraged as it seems to have become socially acceptable to fuck around with phones even during face-to-face conversation with someone. Regardi…

If I ever ate lunch with you, how would I know you were annoyed when I set my phone on the table, ringer off, and face down? Sometimes, I just don't like having it in my pocket when I'm sitting down to eat. Never thought that I'd be annoying anyone.

Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#79

Post by Dylan16807 »

Encosia wrote: post #58
huggyface wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think those are contrasting points? There is a subtle wording difference that means the world. If I'm at dinner with a casual friend or workplace peer, my family and even critical professional activities are more important than them to me . That doesn't make me more important than them, though, which is what enrages so many people, sure that they need to put people in their place.

I do think those are contrasting points. No matter what subtleties you wrap the difference in, relative importance is what you're communicating to everyone else at the table whether you intend to or not. If that's your priority then so be it, but don't be surprised if people who prioritized being present at dinner aren't fond of your choice. I'm not trying to change you though. Like I said before, I just wouldn't wan…

While having a phone out can be rude, I agree with huggyface that it's a statement about the importance of the conversation, not the person.

Re: Restaurant offers a 5% discount if you eat without your phone on the table

#80

Post by knz »

blogkitten wrote: post #41
jobu wrote: post #33

My wife recently bet me $5 that I couldn't go through a meal without looking at my phone... I lost. Interesting idea though. They know what sort of atmosphere they would like to have, and they're incentivizing people to make it happen.

I should do that with my husband! I need some new tech. I keep my phone in my purse...if I get a notification (email/text), I'll glance at it and act on it only if it's important. If it's a phone call, I'll only answer if it's my mom (who only calls if it's something important) or my husband. Every one else goes to voice mail.

Using a different ring tone for important contacts takes care of the need to even glance at the phone.
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