A growing number of hospitality venues are discouraging or even banning phones for the sake of customers. The French House in London’s Soho has long maintained a policy of no phones, music or televisions to safeguard its reputation as a “haven for conversationalists”. At Eulalie in New York, which launched in 2023, the request to tuck one’s mobile away signals a return to old-fashioned values. At The Spy Bar at The OWO in Whitehall (formerly home to MI5), a “For Your Eyes Only” sticker on your phone lens (pictured below) aims to preserve the mystique of the venue and privacy of its patrons while nodding to the site’s clandestine past.
You wouldn’t take your phone to an orgy
Chef influencer Michael Zee
The issue has come to a head recently because of what restaurateur Jeremy King calls the “tyranny” of influencers. The lack of consideration with which some creators operate – using ring lights, delaying other guests from eating and capturing diners without their consent – has caused such a backlash that even the Big Mamma Group (Circolo Popolare, Jacuzzi, Carlotta), which has significantly contributed to the culture, has reinforced its commitment to hospitality unfiltered by phones.
Signage on the door at The Spy Bar, Raffles London at The OWO
