Restaurants lock up customers' phones as devices become the 'new cigarettes'

Cigarette smoke may be gone from restaurant dining rooms, but some owners say a new distraction is affecting the experience: customers glued to their phones.Bars and restaurants are finding increasingly creative ways to get diners to focus more on the experience and less on their screens, from locked pouches like those used in schools to a free bottle of wine.At Antagonist, a cocktail bar in Charlotte, North Carolina, guests receive a lockable pouch for their phones upon entry — one example of devices becoming the "new cigarettes" in restaurants, as The Wall Street Journal recently put it.RESTAURANTS BAN DINERS' PHONES DURING MEALS AS NO-SCROLL TREND GROWS: PUT IT AWAY OR ELSEThe goal is "to bring back a little slice of human connection that we all feel has been lost with technology," Adam Horner, Antagonist's general manager, told the outlet.Some restaurants are asking guests to set aside their phones and reconnect over food and conversation.(iStock)The Saloon, a Washington, D.C., bar with no televisions, prohibits phone use altogether.

A regular told the Journal the policy pushes back against a bar culture that has become "very insular and not very fun" because of phones.Eulalie, a bistro in Manhattan, states its no-phone policy at the entrance and on its handwritten menus.Co-owner Tina Vaughn told the Journal that diners welcome it. MORE AMERICANS ARE DINING ALONE AS SOLO RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS SOAR, DATA SHOWS"People want an excuse," she said.

"They're dying for someone to say, 'You can get off that.It’s OK.'"Philadelphia's Hop Sing Laundromat also bans calls, texting, photos and selfies as part of its tightly controlled speakeasy experience, according to reports, and guests are briefed on the rules upon arrival.Critics say enforcing no-phone policies can create awkward moments for guests and staff.

(iStock)Other spots, meanwhile, are taking a more subtle approach.The Edge Harlem in New York City does not offer Wi-Fi and displays a sign on the bar that ...