Restaurants lock up customers' phones as devices become the 'new cigarettes'

Restaurants are finding creative ways to minimize distractions from customers' phones, with some establishments taking a more drastic approach by locking away devices.

At Antagonist, a cocktail bar in Charlotte, North Carolina, guests receive a lockable pouch for their phones upon entry. The goal, according to Adam Horner, the bar's general manager, is to "bring back a little slice of human connection that we all feel has been lost with technology." This trend is being referred to as devices becoming the "new cigarettes" in restaurants.

Some restaurants are taking a more extreme approach by prohibiting phone use altogether. The Saloon, a Washington, D.C., bar with no televisions, has a strict no-phone policy, with one regular telling The Wall Street Journal that it pushes back against a bar culture that has become "very insular and not very fun" due to phones.

Other establishments are taking a more subtle approach. Eulalie, a bistro in Manhattan, states its no-phone policy at the entrance and on its handwritten menus. Co-owner Tina Vaughn told The Journal that diners welcome the policy, saying that people "want an excuse" to put their phones away.

Restaurants across the country and abroad are experimenting with phone limitations, with some offering free drinks or other incentives for guests to participate. The practice appears to be most common at curated, higher-end experiences such as tasting-menu restaurants and cocktail lounges.

Some industry experts are weighing in on the trend, with some arguing that a universal phone ban would be too extreme. Sanwar Mal Khokhar, a Dallas-based mixologist, suggested voluntary phone-free events or screen-free sections as alternatives to confiscating devices.