Home > Table Talk > Archives > 2007 > July > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTVs in Restaurants
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A reader who wants to remain anonymous makes a good point in a recent email: “What use (sic) to be a good “family” time is now no better than staying home. Why should we go out only to sit in front of a T.V. at the restaurant. What’s the point? The reason (we) started to go out to eat was to get away from the T.V. and telephone so we could have some family conversation. Now it seems most restaurant’s (sic) have installed T.V.’s (sic) and while trying to enjoy your dinner a person next to you is talking on the phone. What ever happened to “family” time??? Maybe some restaurant will read an article and maybe take note..”
Well said. Sports bars and strip joints aside, I can’t stand it when the TV or a cell phone distracts from the meal. It’s insulting to everyone — diners and the staff at the restaurant alike. What do you think?
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Comments
By BZ
July 17, 2007 3:01 PM | Link to this
I’ve got a little universal remote device called TV-B-Gone. It’s a universal off button, and all it does is turn the dang TVs off. Works wonders in the doctor’s office, too. I don’t have TV at home because it’s a distracting time-waster, why on earth would I want to look at one when I’m out to dinner somewhere and trying to talk with my much more interesting spouse?
By Maria
July 17, 2007 3:43 PM | Link to this
I noticed this too. A lot of places seemed to install TVs after 9/11 and have them tuned to one of the cable news channels all the time. I see absolutely no advantage to this. We’re bombarded with news and information all the time; I don’t want to interrupt a sit-down dinner with it.
By HD
July 17, 2007 3:59 PM | Link to this
Seems to me that if you can’t turn off the TV and phone in your own house during dinner you really shouldn’t expect a restaurant to be forced to do it in their esatablishment. There are plenty of restaurants in the Atlanta area that don’t have TV’s blaring all the time. I would suggest that you try one of them.
By dawgdan
July 17, 2007 4:02 PM | Link to this
Agreed with HD.
One such restaurant without TV distractions is The Brick Store pub in Decatur. It’s more of a bar, but without TV’s, it’s much more pleasurable enjoying conversation with your friends.
By hate it to
July 17, 2007 4:47 PM | Link to this
I frequent an excellent thai restaurant in buckhead and loved to sit at the bar and meet my friends to talk and meet new folks. To my dismay they installed a huge flat screen in the bar area and now my sactuary is ruined by cnn and fox news. People dont talk much anymore to people, they just stare at the headlines. I dont watch the news at home cause it just depresses me and and after a long day at work, i don’t want to be reminded of how the world sucks whilst sipping on my drink and enjoying my sushi.
sports bar maybe…. sushi bar…NOT!
By Nickie
July 17, 2007 5:14 PM | Link to this
So don’t go to restaurants with TVs! We don’t go to restaurants that have things we don’t like - smoking and sushi are two things we avoid. We enjoy a bit of the news after work or watching a game or race with friends occassionally on the weekend. That’s why there are at least two restaurants on every corner in town!
By Dale
July 17, 2007 6:07 PM | Link to this
Few restaurants actually have TVs in there dining rooms. Most of those are bars masquarading as restaurants, pizza joints, other QSR ventures, low-end full service. Now, many do have them in their bars. Why? To attract people by offering the “game” so they will stay and drink,to ocuupy the attention of those waiting for a table (so they dont bug the hostess every two minutes), and quite frankly to make single diners feel comfortable about eating out alone. Sitting alone at a table in a restaurant intimidates some people, so giving them an excuse (Oh, I’m just here to watch the game) or the barkeep with whom to socialize puts those single diners at ease.
Cell phones, on the other hand, p** me off royaly.Especially those of you wearing your Bluetooth Earbud 24/7 trying to show the world how important you are. If you must talk, excuse yourself to a private area (perhaps OUTSIDE?!?!) so the rest of us dont have to be a party to your conversation.
By joe
July 17, 2007 6:38 PM | Link to this
Sports I dont have a problem with, news I DO. Seriously, its one thing to watch the game, its another to blankly stare at the news when at dinner with family or friends.
By DBH 1
July 18, 2007 8:12 AM | Link to this
My wife and I used to enjoy going to Mick’s at Bennett St. The day we went and saw televisions installed was the last time. My real pet peeve is to be forced to listen to music out in public, such as in a grocery store, a shopping center, a sporting event, gas station, etc.
By Dave
July 18, 2007 8:36 AM | Link to this
I had to ask a waitress at Ruby Tuesday’s to turn off the TV because my GF’s 4 year old boy was ignoring his mom, his food and kept spilling his drink on himself. TV is like an instant zombie drug for that little kid.
By dave
July 18, 2007 8:58 AM | Link to this
I find the earbud comment about “trying to show the world how important you are” pretty funny. How insecure must you be to assume I am trying to look important by wearing my earbud. Maybe I just don’t like a wire hanging down while Im on a call. But you are right about going outside to take the call. Its just courtesy. Same goes for those folks who fire up the cell phone as soon as the plane hits the ground…”Hey mike I landed!” at that top of thier lungs. Mike probably doesn’t care any more than we do.