Phone-free bars and restaurants on the rise across the U.S.
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Patrons talking at Hush Harbor bar in Washington, D.C., which has a phone ban. Photo: Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Phone-free bars and restaurants are emerging across the U.S. as people seek to disconnect from screens and devices.
The big picture: This trend is emerging amid a societal shift, with several countries imposing social media bans for children and teens, some U.S. states prohibiting phone use at school, and more live events restricting phones.
- Studies and other evidence showing the negative impact that smartphones and social media have on learning, information retention, socialization, and self-esteem have helped to prompt the shift, Kara Nielsen, a San Francisco Bay Area-based food trend expert, tells Axios.
By the numbers: Consumer Affairs data from 2024 show Americans typically check their phones 144 times per day and spend about 4.5 hours on their devices.
- Gen Z is among those embracing analog in an effort to unplug, with 63% of the generation saying in a December 2025 survey from Talker Research that they intentionally disconnect from devices.
- Millennials are next (57%), then Generation X (42%), with baby boomers the least likely to intentionally unplug (29%).
State of play: At least 11 states now have individual restaurants or bars with some form of phone restriction or a digital-detox incentive.
- Washington, D.C., has the most such venues in the U.S. (five). Others can be found in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York and Texas.
Yes, but: It's not just independent bars and restaurants. Delilah's, an upscale supper club chain, has a "no phones, no posting" policy at its restaurants in Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami to "protect guest privacy and preserve the intimate atmosphere," per a company post.
- A Chick-fil-A in Towson Place, Maryland, is the second among the fast-food chain's locations to offer free ice cream if families keep their phones away from the table. A Suwanee, Georgia, location first offered the incentive in 2016, a spokesperson for the restaurant chain tells Axios.
Mike Salzarulo, co-owner of Charlotte, N.C., cocktail bar Antagonist, told Axios that the business's policy of locking customers' phones away for two hours was to "build a place that kind of forces you to connect."
- Charlotte influencer Andrea "Dre" Fox loved the experience of locking away her cell in a Yondr phone pouch at the venue.
- "A phone-free bar brought me an experience I rarely have, total disconnection," Fox tells Axios. "No pings to ignore, no photos to snap, just pure focus on my husband and our intense game of Scrabble. Oddly enough? I walked away feeling more connected (to him) than ever."
The intrigue: In bars, restaurants and other settings, "people are realizing that by removing the phones, some really positive things happen, mostly by people engaging with other people," Nielsen said in a phone interview.
- Nielsen noted some chefs say phones pull diners' attention away from food, and devices can impact customers to the point that they might "leave not really feeling like anything happened" due to social media or texting distractions.
The bottom line: Customers are realizing that putting their phones away is leading to "a richer experience," Nielsen said. This helps establishments ensure a memorable experience.
Go deeper: Time for digital detox
Editor's note: Axios' Laura Barrero contributed reporting.
