ISRAEL: Restaurant in the Arab village of Abu Ghosh offers discount to phone free diners

Record ID: 397940

  • Title: ISRAEL: Restaurant in the Arab village of Abu Ghosh offers discount to phone free diners
  • Date: 28th November 2013
  • Summary: ABU GOSH, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 21, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ABU GOSH RESTAURANT WAITER COLLECTING MOBILE PHONES FROM CUSTOMERS SIGN READING NAME OF THE RESTAURANT IN ENGLISH 'ABU GOSH' (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JAWDAT IBRAHIM, OWNER OF THE RESTAURANT, SAYING: ''I decided to do a 50 percent discount for those who come to the restaurant to eat and don't use their mobiles, and t
  • Embargoed: 13th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Communications,Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVACK30XV9EQ9CAGW0HMQBD395RV
  • Story Text: Switching off and shutting down, that's what one restaurant in the Arab Israeli town of Abu Ghosh wants its customers to do.
    The ring tone of phones and the pinging of an email is a familiar sound to many now. But the Abu Ghosh restaurant is offering patrons a discount if they don't use their phones or laptops whilst at the restaurant.
    Those coming here to have a taste of humus or grilled meat, are asked to put their phones in a basket when they arrive, if they refrain from using their devices, their bill is reduced by half.
    Jawdat Ibrahim owns the restaurant.
    ''I decided to do a 50 percent discount for those who come to the restaurant to eat and don't use their mobiles, and to put the mobile away so as to enjoy the food and the atmosphere in the restaurant,'' said Ibrahim.
    He also added that so far people are happy with his phone-free initiative.
    "A lot of customers come to here from the north, the south, from all over the country, and really they're happy because it's a new idea,'' said Ibrahim.
    Abu Ghosh is home to a large Arab population, and it is an area well-liked among Jewish visitors for its Middle Eastern Restaurants.
    One customer trying to go without his device during a meal is Israeli customer Rubi Halfon, who said the reduction in price encourages people to put their phones away.
    "I agree, I say, it should be forbidden to use the phone anyway in restaurants I think, not speaking but texting, speaking. So this encouragement of the bonus of 50 percent helped us to decide to do that, and we're happy, it's ok,'' said Halfon.
    "I think this should be given at many other restaurants too because sometimes you sit and all you can hear is the (telephone) conversation next to you and it is very unpleasant and disruptive," added another customer Leah Mizrahi from Tel Aviv.
    The restaurant which opened in 1992 is already famous in the area, as it was awarded a Guinness World Record for largest serving of Hummus in 2010, which weighed more than four tonnes. But now the restaurant will also be known for its partly phone free atmosphere.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register