"For us, it's really not about people disrupting other guests," Gold told KPCC. "It's about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone, and we're trying to create an ambience where you come in and really enjoy the experience and the food and the company." To show just how much he hates it when people pull out their smartphones during dinner, Eva Restaurant owner and chef Mark Gold is willing to pay patrons out-of-pocket for their cooperation.
– A Los Angeles restaurant owner is sick of seeing customers spend more time with their cell phones than their dinner companions … so he's offering a cheaper meal to anyone willing to put the phone down. Patrons who check their phones at the door of Eva Restaurant get a 5% discount. "For us, it's really not about people disrupting other guests. Eva is home, and we want to create that environment of home, and we want people to connect again," owner Mark Gold tells KPCC. "It's about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone." Gold adds that he himself is guilty of using his cell phone as "part of the table setting" these days. "Every table you look at, it's a wine glass, the silverware and the cell phone," he says. But his idea is catching on, with just under half of his customers accepting the offer. (Hat tip to Gawker for the find.)