Diners given discount for leaving phone at the door
Pub and restaurant offers customers 25pc off their food bill if they lock their mobiles away for the night
JUST the sight of a mobile phone on the table while eating is said to be enough to damage personal relationships.
But with pubs and restaurants overflowing with diners glued to their electronic devices, one establishment has taken matters into its own hands.
Diners at the Fat Boar in Wrexham will be given 25 per cent off their food bill if they leave their mobile phones at the door. The pub is hoping the incentive will encourage customers to enjoy a traditional night out without constantly checking social media, reading texts or browsing the internet.
In order to be eligible for the discount, they must give up their phones at the door which will be locked in cash boxes to which only staff have the key.
Two studies have concluded that the mere presence of mobile phones at the dinner table causes diners to feel less positive towards the person with whom they are chatting.
The Mobile Free Monday idea was the brainchild of Rich Watkin, the Fat Boar’s director, who said: “I am the first to admit that I am constantly glued to my mobile phone. We all have busy lives and they can be a fantastic way to keep in touch with everything we need to run our hectic schedules.
“But I couldn’t help but think it would be nice to encourage some of our loyal customers to make the most of an evening out with us and escape from all the constant ‘bing’ of information these little devices throw at us.
“Mobiles can often be a real distraction and stop us from just sitting among family and friends and simply having a good conversation.”
The idea received a warm response from hundreds of locals, although some said they would never risk leaving the valuable devices with strangers. One said, perhaps tongue in cheek: “But how would I upload a picture of my food to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter? Would people believe I’ve been out of the house?”
The responses prompted the pub to reassure customers that it was only a bit of fun, that their insurance cover is “quite adequate” and that they have no intention of selling the phones on ebay.
A video later posted on the pub’s Facebook page explained how phones would be locked in cash boxes on each customer’s table, meaning that they could see them but would simply not have access. Jade Darlington, the restaurant manager, said: “We all see people sitting together, waiting for their food without talking and looking at their phones. If we can do something to encourage people to put them down and concentrate on one another, then I think that’s a really positive thing.”
Many locals said they thought it was a wonderful idea and hoped that it might be adopted by other pubs and restaurants too. If successful, the pub owners will roll out their scheme to their restaurant in nearby Mold.