As the "no-scroll" trend—diners deliberately avoiding their phones at the table—gains traction, restaurants and bars across the U.S. are moving to ban customers from using mobile phones during service.
On the 19th, Fox News Digital reported that an increasing number of venues now require guests to store phones separately or place them in lockable pouches for curated, phone-free nights.
One cocktail bar holds patrons' phones in lockable pouches for about two hours, while Delilah, an upscale surf club with a national footprint, enforces a strict ban on phone use and social-media uploads.
Another restaurant piloted a promotion offering free ice cream to families who keep their phones put away at the table.
Ben Tannenbaum, vice president at nightlife company Lineleaf, said the movement is most pronounced at upscale, curated venues—listening bars, surf clubs, cocktail lounges and tasting-menu restaurants.
He said the push is not simply anti-phone rhetoric. Because people go out less frequently than they once did but are willing to spend more when they do, operators are focused on delivering unmistakably distinctive experiences.
Experts say the trend, which began years ago, has recently picked up momentum as public awareness grows about the harms of excessive smartphone use.
Amanda Bellamino, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the no-phone dining movement predates the COVID-19 pandemic but has accelerated in recent years as people have learned more about the negative effects of constant device use.
She added that device-free meals not only help diners pay attention to the food and company, but can also benefit restaurants financially: engaged guests are more likely to order additional courses or a second drink.
Bellamino also stressed that diners savor dishes more when they don't let plates grow cold while snapping photos or reading reviews. Etiquette expert Nick Layton argued that focusing on the people at the table is a timeless rule; pulling out a phone sends the message that whatever is on the screen matters more than the person across from you.
Still, there are downsides to enforcing phone bans. Tannenbaum cautioned that pouches, signage and server requests can create friction that interferes with the dining experience, suggesting the practice is likely to remain a niche trend within certain categories rather than sweeping the entire industry.
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