New research from online restaurant booking service Bookatable reveals that Brits are reaching their boiling point over mobile phone use in restaurants with a whopping 79 per cent of UK diners saying they find the habit rude and annoying.
It would be interesting to know what influence age or gender have on such views, but these findings do indicate that pressure is increasing for mobile phone use to be moderated in some, if not all, restaurants.
40% consider using a mobile at the table poor etiquette
The behaviour including taking calls, texting and posting photos to social media may only trigger as much as a mutter under the breath, with 46 per cent admitting they’re too scared to complain while a brazen 12 per cent admit taking the extra step to complain about fellow diners to the restaurant. Despite the popularity in the trend to take photos of food for social media and evolving attitudes to traditional table manners, 40 per cent of Brits consider using a mobile phone at the dinner table poor etiquette.
Whether it’s catching up with an old pal on the latest gossip or an important business meeting, for 1 in 4 Brits the most frustrating thing about restaurant mobile phone use is how it interrupts the flow of conversation at the table.
However, for the 28 per cent who regularly update their social media when dining out, offending their fellow dinner guests and diners doesn’t seem to be enough to stop their habit.
How to use your phone without upsetting your friends
Leading British etiquette expert William Hanson, who has worked with Bookatable to create a Modern Dining Etiquette Guide, explains how to use your phone without upsetting your friends. Hanson says, “50 years ago, a group of diners would have bowed their heads and said grace before eating. Today, the new form of grace and food appreciation comes via taking a picture of whatever delicacy is in front of them. If you take a photograph, take one shot quickly and then put the phone away. You can post it on Instagram and have a quandary as to what filter shows off the truffle foam in the taxi home later.”
Posts of meals: boring or inspiring?
The research also found that 20 per cent of Brits would visit a restaurant more often if they banned mobile phones altogether and over a quarter saying that Facebook and Instagram posts of friends’ meals were boring.
However, 40 per cent admitted they felt inspired by seeing what meals their friends and families were enjoying at dinner; with 1 in 5 discovering new restaurants and cuisines via social media.
Modern Dining Etiquette Guide
Joe Steele, CEO, Bookatable, commented: “Mobile phones are now crucial parts of our social and professional lives so it’s interesting to see a split between diners who are frustrated with the ‘always on’ approach to eating out and those who like to discover new places to eat and enjoy through their social media feeds. Bookatable created the Modern Dining Etiquette Guide to encourage practical ways to share your meals online without offending other dinner guests so that everybody, whatever their stance can enjoy a meal out.”
To read the full Bookatable Modern Dining Etiquette Guide written by William Hanson click here
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