McDonald’s Singapore rolls out phone lockers family bond

Trying to have a conversation with someone who’s distracted by their phone during meal time can be frustrating.

But Singapore McDonald’s has found a solution to put an end to the annoying dining habit by introducing mobile phone lockers.

Families are encouraged to lock away their devices so they could focus on spending quality time together enjoying their meals at the table.

The new ‘Phone Off, Fun On’ campaign has rolled out at selected outlets in Singapore in an effort to get diners to talk to each other instead of tapping away at their phones.

Last month, McDonald’s found in their survey 98 per cent of parents and 91 per cent of children were distracted by their devices when they were together.

The survey also found more than two-thirds were using their smartphones at the dinner table, Channel NewsAsia reported.

Despite the alarming figures, the parents who were surveyed admitted being glued to their screens had deterred them from family bonding.

‘As a popular restaurant destination for families, we have observed that the use of mobile devices during meal times may sometimes get in the way of family bonding,’ director of brand communications and customer care Linda Ming said.

The locker holds up to 100 phones but one diner who shared a photo of the empty slots, joked ‘Will we ever see 1 phone in da [sic] box?’

Another McDonald’s customer said while his family attempted to lock away all their phones, they ‘failed after five minutes’.

Customers can select the locker feature at no extra charge when they place a food order at the self-ordering kiosk.

The new plan comes two years after McDonald’s tried to encourage diners in India to put away their phones during meal time.