Fascinating article - dining differences 2004 vs. 2014

[Lainey]

http://dineability.com/busy-nyc-rest...-surveillance/

Restaurant reviewed its surveillance tapes from 2004 compared to 2014 with some interesting results.

[awakenedsoul]

So true! I don't dine out much, but I see this everywhere. At the gym, people are on their phones. (even in the sauna!) Same thing in knitting groups, at the bus stop, at the theater...

I feel bad for the restaurant employees and owners. This really affects teachers, too.

Great article!

[Float On]

One of the reasons I can't stand Chili's is they added computers to every table....you order on it, play games on it, pay on it....then leave. Sometimes when we go out to eat I realize that we are the only ones trying to have a conversation with each other (or even with the wait staff) everyone else is either glued to 1 of 12 TVs or their phones. Chili's (not that we ate there often, never a favorite) took it one step too far.

[Tussiemussies]

GREST article. I rarely use cell phone but was guilty on our anniversary of asking the server to take our picture. We have taken our picture at times with our pad in the restaurant but it is not the norm. We like to take our time when in a restaurant to enjoy it all and not feel we are being rushed out the door. So we are guilty of some of it. It must be quite a lot of extra work for the wait staff to have to keep watching all of the time to see when people are finally ready....

[ApatheticNoMore]

Good thing they don't own a restaurant in Europe, would probably go completely bonkers dealing with the long leisurely meals (why won't the customers leave already! they just sit they're socializing! time is money, people, time is money ...).

[catherine]

It seems unbelievable in 10 years the smart phone has changed completely how we interact with the world and each other, in big ways and in simple ways like how we eat. I remember being little and watching the Jetson's and thinking the future was all about robots. I'd love to see a Jetson's episode Redux, with George sitting in his flying car texting and Jane and Judy instagramming on Facebook the funny things that Astro does.

[sweetana3]

I saw ZERO phones or other electronic devices sitting on dining tables or being used at restaurants in France when we were there. After serving, waiters pretty much disappear until the customer requests a bill. The whole dining experience was different. We were dining not simply eating. The French take this very seriously.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I think the story is probably fictional anyway really. With elements of truth, perhaps, smart phones are more ubiquitous, there are definitely places you see them everywhere. It's often been suggested that Americans should eat more slowly like the French or whoever. I think that sounds nice but is often impossible given the constraints of the culture, it has a "Yea and if my grandfather was a man she'd be my grandfather!" quality. Better ways to eat reasonably given the actual constraints of long work days, long commutes etc. work better in the culture, however romantic (food porn ) long foodie meals my sound, IMO (they market you fantasy ..). But workaholic culture or not most people get some weekends or at least some days off at least some of the time. They don't have to rush their leisure time. Playing with cell phones is one way to eat slower (if distractedly) so maybe it's not all wrong ...

[ToomuchStuff]

Friend has a restaurant I have helped out with (equipment maintenence, short handed, etc). Saw one worker taking out food, and if the people are on their phones, his common comment, is "they are right there, you don't have to text them". I thought that was pretty good. So I had the discussion with my friend about internet/etc. since so many restaurants have "free" wifi (customers end up paying for it some way), a restaurant stays in business with turnover. Seen some reports around here, of even places like McDonald's, having issues with people buying just a coffee and staying for hours for the wifi. Several places put in time limits and I am thinking my friend was smart to skip it all together.
People are calling that fictional, well I've seen some of that first hand. That should have been nominated to the best of CL.
Watched those same type of people (head down in phone), walk past lots of signs (hours, payment types, etc) and go up and do what the person in front of them, try to do (pay with unaccepted plastic, etc), and just shake my head (sheeple). They also tend to be the ones that text and drive, and we just had another death in the area from that.
I understand the need for some cell phones and use (seen calls about labor, medical emergencies, contact lawyer, etc) and realize when you go to the other extreme, you have to look at your actions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9rymEWJX38 Shows what can happen in the other extreme (thankfully this was a joke). If teachers, here, break a cell phone, it is a legal thing, due to destruction of property. There is no one answer to this, I just wish both sides would get on the same ground.
http://on.aol.com/video/supermarket-...hone-517845034
one from rude customer, and rude cashier. Put down the phone and deal with the people in front of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edit: remember seeing this:
http://jimhornnews.wordpress.com/201...ity-in-mexico/

[ApatheticNoMore]

I understand the need for some cell phones and use (seen calls about labor, medical emergencies, contact lawyer, etc) and realize when you go to the other extreme, you have to look at your actions

Actually I do too, being that I'm required at times to carry a cell phone for work (you got a problem with that? yea, yea, take it up with the economic system buddy cause I'm not carrying this thing because it's fun). Really though I don't go out that much at such times, since it tends to ruin many a social plan, I pretty much resign myself to counting flowers on the wall (or reading books or something), waiting for the dreaded phone to ring, but even then if I wanted to get food I would - might have to end up packing it up to go though. And I certainly might interact with a cashier while taking a work call.