Chick-fil-A addresses cell phone problem

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“Sorry, what’d you say? I was looking at my phone.”

It is not uncommon to see people out with family and friends, but instead of having a conversation with each other, they’re looking at their phones. People are constantly being distracted by their cell phones, even at the dinner table. In a study published by Time, 89% of people have admitted to using their phones at a recent social gathering.

Chick-fil-A wanted to confront this problem. So what did they do?

According to the Inside Chick-fil-a website article, “All Cooped Up,” A Chick-fil-A operator in Suwanee, Georgia, named Brad Williams has come up with a clever idea to solve this problem. It’s called the Cell Phone Coop.

I’ve seen this addiction to technology worsen at such a rapid pace in just my lifetime,” says Williams. “People have gone from having meaningful interactions with one another to constantly being on their phones and other technology.”

The Cell Phone Coop is a little box that customers can sit at the edge of their tables, so they can enjoy a meal with family or friends without the distraction of cell phones.

Anyone who can get through a whole meal without using their cell phone, Chick-fil-A will reward them with a free Icedream cone.

“The challenge has completely taken off,” says Williams. “We have families who don’t make it the first time, either because they ended up texting or something else, but then they come back in to try it again. Now we even have people asking to take the boxes home with them!”

The Cell Phone Coop challenge isn’t offered at all Chick-fil-A restaurants, but more than 150 locations across the U.S. have started this challenge. The Danville locations are currently not a part of this test market stage.