“Put the smartphones away, I’m trying to eat.”
Giles Coren, the restaurant critic and Times columnist, argues that atmosphere is as much a part of dining out as the food itself, and if you’re scrolling or texting, you’re ruining it for everyone:
…people with their smartphones out, scrolling, texting, swiping while they eat or between courses or at any time at all between walking in and walking out drives me into conniptions. Because if you’re on your phone, you’re not there. You are sucking the energy out of a room that was built to welcome and cherish your presence. You are disrespecting the low-paid workers who serve you and spitting in the faces of paying guests who have come to take part in an atmosphere of which you are an integral part.
