Business & Tech

Phone-Free Dining: Bella Bacinos Wants to 'Make Dinner Intimate Again'

Put down your phone and save some money on your bill at this La Grange restaurant.

Bella Bacinos manager Chloe Scott said the restaurant's unofficial motto is "let's make dinner intimate again." So it makes sense that the La Grange business is offering customers an incentive to put away their phones. 

We've all been there. Texting, Facebooking, emailing. It stunts conversation and can alienate others. I was at dinner with my family a few weeks ago and my brother dropped his phone under the table three times, forcing me out of the booth so he could retrieve it. 

So what's the remedy? Bacinos is now offering "phone-free dining," in which patrons can check their phones at the door and receive 5 percent off their bill.

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"I think it's great. It takes the personal nature of a dining experience to the former level," Scott said. "It's our incentive to bring back that conversational element and do what you came to do, which is have a good meal and enjoy your time."

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Bacinos is open Tuesday through Sunday, and phone-free dining is available every night. Scott said that so far, servers have mentioned it to some people when they're seated, but it hasn't been something they've publicized much.

"Considering asking for people's cell phones can be such a touchy subject we've just gone table by table," she said. "But it's completely voluntary and they're kept in a safe place." 

One of the servers is a marketing student and heard about another restaurant out of Illinois doing the same thing. He brought the idea to Scott, who loved it. 

At the end of your meal, you get your discounted bill and a survey to provide feedback. So far, Scott said there's been only one decline and it was from someone expecting an important phone call. 

"Mostly everyone just says thank you for taking away this piece of technology I'm addicted to," she said. 

Here's a sampling of some of the survey responses the phoneless foodies have given: 

  • "The 'no phone' concept is original and should be promoted."
  • "It was nice to remove the temptation of checking phones."
  • "This really helped me to realize how dependent we are all on our technology. Great experience!"
  • "Great idea! Definitely helped make it more personal."
  • "Very interesting and inspires communication."

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