Maybe I’m getting old, but it seems to me people are using cell phones in restaurants ALL THE TIME!!! I mean seriously, have you scanned a restaurant while eating out lately?
It seems like everyone spends the entire meal, or at least, the part where they used to actually talk to each other, on their smartphones. The irony, in my opinion, is that I suspect they are checking emails and social media, in an effort to “connect” with other humans. While an actual human being is sitting right in front of them! It drives me crazy.
A recent study showed that, on average, people checked their cellphones 114 times per day. But even more interesting was that people are spending, on average, 4 hours and 25 minutes a day on their phones!
I swear that not too long ago, it was considered rude to be on your phone when you were at dinner or checking out at the grocery store, but these days it seems like people just can’t put them away for 10 minutes.
If you take out sleeping hours {assuming 8 hours of sleep}, that’s like once every 10 minutes. Can you even imagine if we decided we were going to do something else every 10 minutes? Like, every 10 minutes you drop and do sit-ups for 30 seconds {or however long you usually check you phone?} or what if you practiced a musical instrument {played one song} every 10seconds?
We’d actually have time to get strong/good at something. It seems crazy to commit to honing a skill every 10 minutes, but we will give our time away to our phones?
So, I guess the whole point of this post is to ask you: Am I just part of a generation who grew up without phone in my pocket and still think there should be some etiquette while dining out? Or are times a’ changing {the fact that I even wrote “a’ changing” pretty much answers my own question} and I need to evolve with the world of changing social graces?
How do you feel about using cell phones in restaurants? Do you put your phone on the table when you eat out or keep it tucked away? I’d love to know.
~Mavis
Denise says
It is sad that we are so attached to our phones as a society. Putting it down to enjoy a meal with others should be considered good manners, but manners are also going the way of the dinosaur.
LDA says
Even more irksome (for me anyway) than being on a cell phone at a restaurant is using a cell phone while in a public restroom. I like my privacy please.
Wendy C. says
I put it down, but my husband and daughter used to play a game together on the phone while waiting for food and then I’m just sitting staring into space and watching people. But then once the food comes, they put it away. But they’ve gotten better about it and so we’re talking more, but if something comes up in the conversation that we don’t know the answer to or we need to research, then we will pull out our phone to look, but it’s adding to the conversation or answering questions that came up while talking.
Brianna says
I have a hard time when I see a young family at a restaurant and the parents are both on the phone and the kids are starving for attention. We recently went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and saw that at several tables and kids glued to tablets to occupy them, not to mention every employee with a phone in their back pocket and constantly checking it. I was so turned off by the digital circus that I really just desire to dine at home and enjoy my family. Our waiter even checked his phone in the middle of taking our order because my 9yo struggles with speech. For a special needs child, that is a slap in the face when others lack patience or understanding.
Christie says
I was at a concert the other night and the woman next to me could not stop touching her phone. It was like a nervous tic. She picked in up every 5 seconds throughout the entire concert! She didn’t even bother to dim the screen in the dark concert hall. That’s the part that bothers me the most. Her obsession lead to a total lack of disregard for the enjoyment of the other concert go-ers. And that’s my rant about cell phones. Lol!
Anne Sullivan says
I totally agree with you concerning the over-use of cell phones at meals with other people. Keep the phone away and have a conversation with your family or friends.
Meg says
I also can’t stand when I am in a restaurant and the patrons near me either whip out their phones and get up to take selfies, or photograph the food. I think it’s rude.
Carla says
Just last night my husband and I were on an impromptu date, putting our 12 year old in charge of our 8 & 7 year olds at home. When we sat down at the restaurant, I moved my phone from my purse to my pocket, so I could feel/hear it better if my kids called. I also had a text come in from a niece during dinner. I did acknowledge it via my smart watch, and looking back, I realize that was totally unnecessary and rude. I was warned about the temptation to be technologically rude when I got the smart watch, and that has proven true. Beware!
Ashley Bananas says
My son and I are very good about not using our phones when we go out to restaurants or when spending time together. If anything I am worse for it and he will take his phone out then mock me until I put mine away.
We recently went out with my niece and her friend, they spent a lot of the outing taking selfies and short videos for social media sites. Not my thing, but I understand that is part of their generation. I don’t think they realized how much time they put into what would have been candid shots for other generations photo albums. Things do change…
Sluggy says
I’m a tail end Boomer(I know, this new generation thinks we have ruined civilization or at least they remind me of that dubious “fact” constantly)and I swear these people sholuld have their cell phones permanently sewn onto their hand since they are always holding it and texting away no matter the time or place.
I’ve been seeing this more and more over the last 10 years or so, with my grown kids as well as strangers out in the general population. Even when they were late teens/early twentys, there were many a meal where they would be texting each other at the table instead of looking up and interacting with each other face to face and thought, “this will end badly for us all as a society”.
I believe the lack of respect for others has something to do with this very destructive trend.
Now I will go shout, “Get off my lawn” to some young whippersnapper….like any of them know what that word even means.
Hawaii Planner says
We don’t allow cell phones at the table when we’re eating at our own home (we have two teens – 17 & 18) & absolutely not at dinners/meals out. We rarely are out unless it’s a date or a special occasion, and we want to enjoy the time together. It makes me sad when I see two people out on a date, or just having dinner together or what not, and they are so busy on their phones. Isn’t the point to go out & have fun engaging with each other?
Sue says
Although we rarely eat out anymore, when we do we put phones away so we can focus on each other.
But we do bring one out when our conversations lead to a question or an information challenge. It’s fun to be able to get and share answers so quickly. But then the phone goes away again.
jenl says
Cell phones drive me batty….almost as much as smart watches. People think they are being discreet when they check their watch every 35 seconds to see the latest notification they receive. To me, it feels just as rude as if a person is on their phone.