63% of People Say It’s Cool to Snap Photos of Your Food at a Restaurant
The most HOTLY DEBATED aspect of restaurant culture . . . aside from tipping, of course . . . is CELL PHONES. It’s one thing to have your phone on the table for the whole meal at home, but not when you’re out to eat.
There’s a new poll out on restaurant etiquette, and 80% of people said your smartphone should be OUT OF SIGHT on a date. 54% said no one should see it during a family gathering . . . and 50% said you shouldn’t have it out even with friends.
There are a few exceptions.
81% said it IS appropriate to whip your phone out to get a photo of the person you’re eating with. (Assuming it’s the right vibe. You might not do it on a first date . . . with your boss . . . or, I don’t know, if your companion is in the Witness Protection Program.) (???)
66% say it’s okay if you’re getting an urgent call . . . but it would be best if you alerted the others at your table that you were expecting a call that you’d need to take. Also, even then, you should have it on vibrate.
And 63% say it’s okay to take photos of the food . . . but it should be quick. Snap a photo when the plates arrive, and then put your phone away again.
The poll also asked about splitting the bill.
If you’re on a date, 68% of people believe that “the person who initiated the date” should pick up the check. But, it’s perfectly acceptable . . . and considerate . . . for the other person to offer to split the bill.
And when it comes to splitting, the most popular way to do it in the South is to have the server divvy it up, based on each person’s order.
But in the Northeast, most people prefer to either have the bill split evenly among all the guests . . . or just opt for the simplicity of one person paying, and everyone else pays them back on Venmo or something. (They didn’t specify the preferences of the other areas of the country.)
(Yelp)