LA restaurant offers discount to phone-free diners

[longnecker]

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — A Los Angeles restaurant is offering a deal to customers who agree to look at their fellow diners instead of their phone screens.

Eva Restaurant is giving a 5 percent discount to customers who will leave their cellphones with staff when they are seated.
Owner Mark Gold told KPCC radio ( bit.ly/Pn6Jx1) on Tuesday that the policy isn't about other diners who might be annoyed by cellphone chatter or the glow of smartphone screens, but an attempt to create an environment where diners connect to each other instead of to technology.
Servers make the offer to diners when they introduce themselves.
Gold says nearly half take advantage of the discount, and many express gratitude at the opportunity to let go of their devices for a while.
http://www.mediacomtoday.com/news/re...org%3E&ps=1020

[Chase]

meanwhile the waiter is rooting through your phone for info and pics, no tanks.

[max1]

Hahaha no doubt! I would not trust anyone with my phone there is too much personal info in it........that makes me think it may not be such a good idea to even use it for things like online banking or shopping....

[Chase]

exactly. it someone really was good with a phone and found mine it could get interesting real fast with all the passwords saved and such...

a pin lock or pattern lock would stop that but many people don't do that. that is the #1 thing any "tech" at a phone store will do when they get your phone is root through it for pictures, especially if you are a hot chick......sounds funny but im dead serious.

[Joe Walther]

Not to change the tenor of this thread, but there is more to the issue than many people realize.

Whenever we take our cell phones, laptops, desktops, iPads, or any other technological device containing storage media in for repairs or maintenance, we’re granting the technicians an implied consent to root all they want.

They are trained to look for illegal stuff, particularly child pornography. Whenever they find any, they turn the matter over to the police, who examine the evidence for probable cause to make an arrest.

And before anyone begins screaming about Constitutional protections against searches and seizures being violated, stow it. The 4^th Amendment pertains ONLY to the GOVERNMENT, which includes sworn police agencies.

Private sector personnel can root all they want in this regard. Once they turn evidence over to the police, the police will obtain whatever additional search warrants they may need.

So, if you’re stupid enough to store illegal material on any of your devices, YOU had better learn how to permanently delete the stuff YOURSELF before taking them in for repairs, etc.

And, this would most certainly apply to wait staff rummaging through your phone's files—they’re just as private sector as computer/phone technicians are.

[Bellicose]

I fI was to go there, I would leave my phone, but rest assured that I would have as many locks on that as possible. Was going to do it while in Boston a few weeks ago with friends. Never did, but then again, who would of thought that one of them would pick up my phone while I stepped out for a second and root through it, and post stupid things on Facebook.

[Jessica]

What about a discount for people who just leave their phones at home?

Due to having two young kids at home, I haven't been out to a nice dinner in probably a year and a half, but every once in a while we take the kids out to somewhere casual. If I'm with my family, I rarely bring my phone. If I bring it, it's in my giant bag underneath a change of clothes for each of the kids, stuff from work, receipts, coupons, my hairbrush and makeup bag, keys, an umbrella, kids snacks, books, etc. In other words, I don't pull it out and mess around with it when I happen to bring it.

[Curly]

I've got a few old phones laying around. I'll just give them one of them and keep my regular phone on vibrate.

[Jessica]

Good idea, Curly!

Curly walks into a restaurant says "Here's my phone. Take good care of it!"

[Curly]

Holy shit! Where did you get that pic of me?

[Jessica]

Holy shit! Where did you get that pic of me?

It's one of many I keep, just in case I ever need them.