Ever go out to a meal and realize that every single person at the table has a cellphone by their right hand or in their lap?
Whenever the table buzzes, everyone glances down at their device, expecting it to be their phone summoning their attention from the conversation and person on person interaction.
The presence of cell phones on a restaurant table not only take away from the conversation with friends, it takes away from the dining experience as a whole.
Some restaurants go so far as to ban cell phones from their dining rooms entirely, while others, like Chick-fil-A, challenge customers to complete a meal without looking at your phone.
The challenge is pretty straightforward, and in our opinion, rather simple.
First, the entire family (or group at the table) sets their cell phones to silent or turns them off, and places then in the provided "cell phone coop," or, more simply, box.
Then, the group or family enjoys their spicy chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and lemonade without interruption, realizing they actually do enjoy each others' company... that or you're just insanely competitive and need to win the prize at the end of the game.
Finally, after you've finished the meal, you can tell the employees that you've completed the challenge and you'll all receive a free small ice cream cone.
[anad]
Simple.
Though this challenge was created by a franchisee in Georgia, more than 150 locations have already requested the "Cell Phone Coops" from the corporate office, according to Grub Street.
So while these boxes haven't reached the tables of our lone NYC Chick-fil-A, with the promise of additional locations on the horizon, we're hoping the challenge will reach us soon enough.
Easiest free ice cream cone ever.
Check out Yes, The Cheesecake Factory Is Actually Coming to NYC.
[via Grub Street] [Feature Image Courtesy KMOV]