Restaurants and WiFi

pezulu

pezulu

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After reading a thread on FB, where someone asked for recommendations on restaurants with free WiFi, it dawned on me that times are changing.
Our family goes to a restaurant to enjoy a good meal, and enjoy the time together.
Nobody spends all their time on their phones, unless there is an urgent call.

Is it the norm to go to a restaurant to enjoy the free WiFi, and have a meal that you hardly taste or see, because you have your nose buried in your device?

Another trend that I have noticed, is that people take photos of their meal, and send it to other people.
Has the average human lost all imagination, that they don't know what a T-bone steak looks like, or whatever you choose to eat?
Surely telling someone you went to XYZ restaurant, and had a T-bone with mushroom sauce should be enough?
Do the people you send the photos to really don't know what a nice juicy T-bone looks like?

Your opinions?
 
I usually take my netbook to restuarants with wife and load up wireshark. Free bandwidth baby!
 
I don't go looking for free WiFi when I'm planning a family meal. I do however regularly search for a spot to sit, eat a small meal and get some work done between meetings when traveling back to the office is not practical (rather often).

Fast, reliable WiFi is normally a much better experience than 3G. I don't mind paying but unfortunately it's normally a huge hassle to signup at each new restaurant. Free tends to work out easier for everyone.
 
i eat out very very frequently, probably 5 to 6 times a week.
what i have noticed is breakfast in restaurants (that are open for breakfast), the tables are usually occupied by one or sometimes 2 people. in most cases the people are busy on phones or tablets before and during the meal.
at lunchtime it usually drops to maybe half of the diners busy on a device at some point during their meal.
i have no idea as to whether the activity of these devices is work related, or the device has become a substitute for a dining partner.
at dinner time, tables are usually occupied by 2 or more people, i have found the use of various devices to be fairly rare during these meals, except in the case of a person eating alone.

given the above, i tend to think a device of sorts has become a substitute of a partner at meals

i also often take a photo of a meal, but only if it is really good or bad - and send out a recommendation to friends - a picture paints a thousand words ie:
a great breakfast to be had for R60 incl coffee & toast (arnolds ct):
breakfast.jpg

a rather overpriced and underwhelming meal that came in at R210 (incl 1 beer)
rump with baked potato & sour cream.jpg
 
I also love free WiFi and it is a major selling point, if I place has free WiFi I am definitely more likely to stick around, order some food or coffee, etc. More places should have free WiFi. I know that it is now fairly widespread in the cities, but restaurants in the smaller towns inland are still largely lacking when it comes to free WiFi access
 
It depends on the occasion and the type of restaurant.

Breakfast or brunch at my local diner and my wife and I sit down and out come the iPads ... Put them away when the meal arrives.

More formal lunch or dinner and they stay at home.
 
I usually eat out alone (or as others have pointed out) lunch quickly between meetings or travelling. So the free wifi makes it bearable, especially if cell signal is **** in whatever town I may be in at that moment
 
I wouldn't use a mobile device at a restaurant unless I was alone (which is seldom the case). I wouldn't tell someone else not to, but I would feel like I'm being impolite.
 
When we go out for family lunches, we've now adopted the rule that all phones be placed in the centre of the table and nobody is allowed to touch their phones for the duration of lunch.. especially effective with my teenage nephews and nieces who would generally be glued to their phones the entire time.
 
I've seen couples on dates, not speaking to one another but both busy on their phones doing god knows what. Bizarre, but each to his/her own, I suppose.
 
What about husbands looking to kill time while wife shops.. I do that quite a bit - park and browse the web, or similar.
In this case, yes free wifi will affect my decision.
 
In the UK, some shops have husband "creches" where the husband can watch TV, read sports mags and have free coffee while wife shops. So wife is freed of the nagging impatient presence and she can shop in peace. I think it is a great idea.
 
bokdrol said:
In the UK, some shops have husband "creches" where the husband can watch TV, read sports mags and have free coffee while wife shops. So wife is freed of the nagging impatient presence and she can shop in peace. I think it is a great idea.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea. I'm all for this:D
 
In my favorite Diner, Mac and I linked to wifi on our iPads ... discussing our plans for the rest of the week. Mac reading her Home Handyman magazine online, me browsing mybb.

Peace.

Guy in first cubicle has his notebook on the table, working.

Two guys in cubicle two on their handsets, reading work emails...

Nick333 is missing in action today....

Diner is kind enough to provide plug points for recharging purposes!
 
when im alone I look for free wifi. it helps to pass the time while waiting. but when im with the family its not a deciding factor.
 
I agree with the post, the free wifi is frustrating. When we have a meal at home at the dining room table, the golden rule is, no one touches a phone unless they know in advance that there is a important call coming through.
However times are changing and there are good reasons to go to a Wimpy offering free wifi. Business people use these venues for their meetings. But I've been in plenty of restaurants where you'll have a couple or a family sharing a meal and not a word is shared. That is just plain sad... but each to his own...
 
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