Frustrated family restaurant bans iPhones and iPads from tables because they ruin date nights
- Sydney restaurant The Pazar Food Collective bans all mobile devices from venue
- Owner Attila Yilmaz said rule was designed to enhance the dining experience
- Colouring books, board games and building blocks are also banned from venue
A popular Sydney restaurant has followed a new industry trend by banning iPhones and iPads from its venue.
The Pazar Food Collective in Canterbury, Sydney, made the decision to ban external distractions, including colouring books and building blocks, from their restaurant in a bid to encourage families and patrons to enjoy each other’s company instead.
Pazar’s owner, Attila Yilmaz said use of phones to take snap shots of a family dinner would not be banned but the most important thing was that it didn’t undermine the family experience.
Popular Sydney restaurant, Pazar Food Collective, (pictured) has followed a new industry trend by banning iPhones and iPads from its venue along with colouring books, board games and even building blocks
‘Reasonable use of your camera to capture memories will be accepted and not discouraged as long as it doesn’t interfere with the dining experience of others,’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘There’s a time and a place for everything, and when it’s date night for me, the last thing I want to do sit next to kids with their iPads going.’
The ban also applies to unruly and loud children and adults who impact a patron’s enjoyment of their meal.
In August, another Sydney restaurant, Bistecca, banned mobile phones for a similar reason to the Pazar Food Collective.
Bistecca co-owner, James Bradey, told Broadsheet social media has its advantages, but not at the dinner table.
‘Social media is a fantastic way for businesses to connect with audiences, but it shouldn’t replace an experience that can be shared among friends,’ he said.
Pazar’s owner, Attila Yilmaz said use of phones to take snap shots of a family dinner would not be banned but the most important thing was that is didn’t undermine the experience (stock image)
People are surprised, but so far they are [open] to the idea and, post dinner, love it.’
He said the idea first came to him during a forced mobile-free dinner in Italy when they had no data at their restaurant.
‘Out of habit, most people check their smartphone, so it was refreshing not reaching for them during dinner. The theme of Bistecca was brainstormed over a mobile-less table,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Contact Bar and Kitchen in Woolloomooloo, inner Sydney, is also championing the revolutionary idea, as its name would suggest.
The Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant was founded on the owner Markus Stauder’s desire to get his customers to take a digital detox when dining at his Crown street restaurant.
Markus Stauder told Daily Mail Australia: ‘The birth of this concept consists of hundreds of these moments when I witnessed people coming to my restaurant to have a good time but that was ruined and disturbed by the phone one way or another.
‘I realised that people are having trouble escaping the virtual world for even just an hour and I thought to myself maybe I should help people get back to their inner selves.’
‘Reasonable use of your camera to capture memories will be accepted and not discouraged as long as it doesn’t interfere with the dining experience of others, Pazar’s owner, Attila Yilmaz said