And Would That Be The Yakking On Your Phone Section, Or Non Yakking?

from the non-yakking-please dept

Tue, Sep 27th 2005 2:31pm — Mike Masnick

And so it's finally come to this. While restaurants used to have smoking and non-smoking sections, some are now offering mobile phone yakking and non-mobile phone yakking sections. Actually, the restaurant is just offering a specific area where yakkers can go so that they're not bugging other diners (as opposed to an actual eating area where yakking on your phone is approved). We'd heard of similar ideas where restaurants that had old phone booths were converting them into "mobile phone" areas, but this restaurant is apparently looking to go one step further and may even provide standard phone chargers so that diners can charge up their phones as well.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

4 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Jimi Spier, 27 Sep 2005 @ 3:26pm

No Subject Given
Holy Monkey!
I love this idea..
I have (by choice) been without a cell phone for about 4 years now, and bugs the crap out of me when some jackass is talking loudly into his food splattered cell phone while I'm trying to have a conversation with my wife and kids..
Up next: Being able to shoot people who drive and talk on a cell phone.. please please please please..
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Matt, 27 Sep 2005 @ 7:52pm

And Would That Be The Yakking On Your Phone Sectio
I can't imagine this idea working on any level. If there is a specific area reserved for people to go use their phones, then there would have to be a reasonable way of sound-proofing the area or some work done to separate that area from the dining area. And to go one step further, are the hosts going to interrupt other diners in lame attempts to enforce such regulated usage of wireless phones? I think one of two things would need to happen for this to work. Either the restaurant surrounds itself in concrete to create a veritable deadzone for wireless devices, and in effect alienate its very clientele, or the place will need to be divided into two separated sections (Wireless or Non?) with a thick partition to dull the noice next door.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
AZ, 27 Sep 2005 @ 9:12pm

Re: And Would That Be The Yakking On Your Phone Se
Well I think its a good idea. Those people in wallmart pushing there buggies will not pay attention and if you dont you could get hit. Same way in cars. I think Georgia made it illegal to use cell phones in the car or some restrictions didnt they? Anyways it would help for some of us who dont want to hear a guy talking loudly while were eating.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Chris, 28 Sep 2005 @ 10:58am

No Subject Given
It's illegal to drive with your cell phone in NJ, but it is rarely enforced. Mainly because it is a secondary offense and not a primary offense, therefore, you cannot be pulled over JUST for being on the phone. If you are speeding or not wearing a seatbelt then you can get nailed for the cell phone.
[ link to this | view in thread ]