UK Restaurant Offers Customers Discount to Lock Their Phones in “Jail”
Would you lock away your cellphone for a 20% discount in a restaurant?
© Shutterstock
Would you lock away your cellphone for a 20% discount in a restaurant?
© Shutterstock
Spice Fusion, a restaurant in Kent, England is offering customers a 20% discount on their bill if patrons hand over their cell phones during the meal and lock them in a tabletop jail cell. The idea is to encourage customers to engage rather than being glued to their devices. Diners can keep the keys and the offer is available every Monday for tables of four or more.
Spice Fusion manager Rajeev Gupte told KentOnline, "A couple of years ago, we had a large group come in for lunch, and I noticed something was different. As I watched them, I realised they were all engaged in talking to each other. None of them had their phones in their hands." Gupte said that the restaurant's chef, Abul Hussain, saw similar “phone cages” in a London restaurant and he came up with the idea for what they're calling the "Dinner is Better When We Eat Together" promotion.
At Sushi Lounge in Hoboken in New Jersey, US, customers also get a 20% discount on “Reconnect Tuesday” if they agree to lock their phones in a box until the check comes. In Australia, the Sydney restaurant Bistecca encourages its diners to put their mobile phones in a wooden lockbox as part of its “digital detox” programme.
It is believed that phone use during a meal may dampen diners' enjoyment.
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