Would You Part With Your Cell Phone During Dinner for a 10 Percent Discount?

Bedlvere Eatery & Tavern offers to lob a few dollars off the bill if you're willing to "socialize"

By John Boone Sep 24, 2013 7:09 PMTags
Bedivere Eatery & Tavern Policyfacebook.com

Want to enjoy your dinner without the annoyance of buzzing and tweeting and #foodporn-ing cell phones? There's a ban for that! Eateries in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. have now banned phones from their dining rooms. 

But the Bedivere Eatery & Tavern in Beirut, Lebanon, has an alternative: "Bedivere will give you 10% discount on food menu, if you leave your phone in our custody & socialize," they advertise. 

They continue on their website, "Tired of going out to places where people are just sitting with a drink and socializing with their mobile phone? Do you miss genuine connections with new people and friends?"

The medieval-inspired restaurant, which promises to "quench your thirst with the most unusual cocktails" and "mouthwatering meals," will knock 10 percent off your food tab, if you're willing to part with your mobile device before you sit down. No cheating allowed.

The policy has since gone viral (thanks to a post on Reddit) and Bedivere celebrated on their Facebook, exclaiming "A small pub in ‪Hamra‬ ‪Beirut‬ made international headlines! Cheers to that!" 

For the record, Bedivere isn't the first eatery to offer this deal: Eva, in L.A., did the same thing last year, though for a 5 percent discount. And the pub has earned rave reviews on TripAdvisor that never even mention the policy ("The door has a sign in it ‘Welcome Friends' and they mean it.") 

So, are you willing to part with your precious iPhone (or whatever) during dinner?

Poll

Bedlvere Eatery & Tavern Poll

Would you abandon your phone for a 10 percent discount?
Definitely!
93.5%
Never.
6.5%