The experience of going out to eat at a restaurant should be focused on your dining partners, the décor of the restaurant, and of course, excellent food. But too many people are spending their time with their noses stuck inside of a smartphone throughout the meal. Sometimes they even take a photo of the food just to get some social cred. A few restaurants are fighting back.
A restaurant in Buffalo N.Y., Lebro’s, has been offering 10% discounts on Sundays for anyone who can keep from checking their smartphone during the meal. At the start of the meal, all phones are placed in a basket on the table and covered with a cloth. If the phones remain undisturbed, the diners get the discount.
The co-owner, Lee Federiconi, has said the customers love the idea. In fact, they want him to expand it to every day of the week. He’s not so sure about that, but he is sure that he sees happier diners. Around a fifth of the Sunday diners take him up on the offer. To him, Sunday means family day, so he came up with the “disconnect to reconnect” discount.
If your customers are spending more time staring at screens instead of talking about the wonderful food on the plate, why not give this idea a try? It may make eating out a lot richer.
