sciencetech-blog

comments

If you're the kind of person who takes photos of food as soon as it arrives on your table, you may be causing damage to the restaurant business.

A New York restaurateur recently discovered people take twice as long to finish their meals because they are using their phones to chat, take photos and post updates.

This means fewer customers can be seated, and less money is spent - ultimately causing problems for food establishments.

A restaurateur recently discovered people take twice as long to finish their meals because they use the phones during meals (stock image pictured). Almost a third of people said they use social media when eating in restaurants. A fifth of those who didn't use phones said they would eat out more if phones were banned

The unnamed business owner, based in Soho, used surveillance tapes to discover the average dining time, according to a post on Craigslist.

He found that in 2004, people spent one hour and five minutes to finish their food and pay the bill.

Customers on average spent 8 minutes before closing the menu.

In 2014, even before opening the menu, the diners were filmed taking their phones out to try and connect to the restaurant's Wi-Fi.

The total average time from when the customer was seated until they placed their order was 21 minutes.

A total of 27 out of 45 customers asked their waiter to take a group photo, and the average time from the start to the finish of the meal was one hour and 55 minutes.

Recent research from booking service Bookatable, found that 28 per cent of people use social media and make calls when eating out.

This is despite the fact 79 per cent finding the trait rude and annoying. 

Recent research from booking service Bookatable, found that 28% of people use social media and make calls when eating out (stock image pictured). This is despite the fact 79% find the trait rude and annoying. Almost half of the people who said they were annoyed about the habit said they were too scared to complain

Almost half of the people who said they were annoyed about the habit said they were too scared to complain, but 12 per cent were happy to tell fellow diners to put the phone down.

The research also found that 20 per cent of people would visit a restaurant more often if they banned mobile phones altogether, and over a quarter said that Facebook and Instagram posts of friends' meals were boring.

However, 40 per cent admitted they felt inspired by seeing what meals their friends and families were eating; with one in five discovering new restaurants and cuisines via social media.

Joe Steele, CEO, Bookatable, told MailOnline: 'Mobile phones are now crucial parts of our social and professional lives so it's interesting to see a split between diners who are frustrated with the 'always on' approach to eating out and those who like to discover new places to eat and enjoy through their social media feeds.

The research was based on over 850,000 Bookatable users.