Los Angeles Restaurant Gives Discounts To Phoneless Patrons

Everywhere you turn nowadays, you can spot someone on the phone. It doesn’t matter if they’re waiting in line at a fast food joint or blowing through a red light during five o’clock traffic — people are addicted to their cell phones. The next time you’re in a busy restaurant, take a look around at all of the distracted diners seated around you. It’s a pretty bizarre phenomenon for those of us who could honestly live without these devices.

According to KPCC, a Los Angeles restaurant is rewarding customers who are able to turn off their smartphones and relax a bit. Anyone who sits down to eat at Eva Restaurant without using a cell phone will receive a five-percent discount on their bill. That’s reason enough to peel yourself away from Instagram for a few minutes.

“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,” owner and chef Mark Gold explained. “It’s about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone, and we’re trying to create an ambience where you come in and really enjoy the experience and the food and the company.”

The Associated Press states that servers will present the option to patrons after being seated. Keep your phone turned off for the duration of the meal and you’ll walk away with a little extra change in your pocket.

Gold expressed sympathy for those of who are addicted to their smartphones and mobile devices. “I’m guilty of it as well. When [my wife and I] go to dinner it seems like the cell phone is part of the table setting now. Every table you look at, it’s a wine glass, the silverware and the cell phone,” he joked.

Would you turn off your cell phone if a restaurant offered you a five percent discount?