There have never been more humans on the planet than right now. Currently, there are more than eight billion earthlings, a number set to rise to 10.3 billion by 2084. Strangely, we’ve never been lonelier. In response, certain bars and restaurants want to turn the tide by banning or strictly limiting cell phone usage in their spaces.
“You can be in a room full of people and still feel like no one’s really there because everyone is half on their phone,” says Julian Uribe, corporate director of food and beverage at Kilgore Hospitality Group and general manager of the newly-opened Ama, by Brad Kilgore. “Screens cut through the natural rhythm of a space — the generosity, the spontaneity, that shared pulse that makes hospitality feel special. After so many years in this industry, you really see the difference when guests stay present. The whole room changes. The experience becomes real again.”
While the team at Ama isn’t outright banning cell phones, their usage is actively discouraged in a bid to focus guests on the food, drinks and other humans in front of them. They post a sign explaining the policy: “Here at Ama Social Club, we practice一期一会 (ichi-go ichi-e), One time, one meeting. This moment is unique and will never come again, so it should be cherished. Tonight is about conversation, connection and presence. We kindly encourage you to place your phones away and embrace the experience. Thank you for being present with us.”
Could this approach to social spaces become the new normal, and will guests accept it?
Is Digital Life to Blame For Our Loneliness?
The impact of less time with other humans is profound, with negative impacts on mental health and general well-being. The World Health Organization has warned that loneliness is linked to 100 deaths every hour, or more than 871,000 deaths annually.
The numbers speak for themselves: the share of U.S. adults dining alone is at an all-time high, with people only sharing on average 7.9 meals with other people per week. (The optimal number is 13 or more.) Americans are spending less time with others than at any time previously recorded, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which has data going back to 1965. Between 2003 and 2023, time spent with others plummeted by more than 20%, according to the Bureau’s American Time Use Survey.
Why are people so lonely? Many experts point to the simultaneous rise in smartphone and screen time, pegging our increased loneliness and isolation to the fact that, instead of gazing into the eyes of loved (or even tolerated!) ones, we’re gazing into the scrolling, endless void of digital engagement.
How to Permanently Reduce Your Screentime, According to Science
Courtesy of a team of German researchers, this is the best way to cut back on endless scrollingOlivia Gork, a recent college graduate who’s in the midst of launching her own phone-free dance party in Chicago, dubbed Saturnalia Returns, can speak to the ubiquity of screens in social life through college and beyond — and the manner in which they flatten and aggressively homogenize the vibe.
“I ended up finishing my college years in Paris because I loved the experience of nightlife there in comparison to what I was experiencing in the U.S.,” Gork says. “The constant presence of the phone isn’t as normalized there, although at nightclubs they’re becoming more prevalent. I noticed that when I left a place where everyone was spending time on their screens, I left feeling drained and unfulfilled. I felt like something was missing from the experience.”
Since 2015, cell phone ownership increased 20%, with more than 98% of Americans now owning one. On average, Americans spend four hours and 30 minutes on their phone per day, up 52% from 2022, according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
People who own and work at bars and restaurants — the same individuals who unofficially serve as stand-in therapists, priests, rabbis, imams and gurus for their patrons — have noticed how these changes have affected not just the quality and tone of the interactions in their spaces, but also their bottom lines. As more people eat and drink at home, fewer tabs arrive to pay for the people and overhead needed to run their businesses.
Do Communal Spaces Have a Role in Civic Life?
For Gork, her ah-ha moment on screens, and the inspiration behind Saturnalia Returns — a reference to the ancient Roman festival known for joyful and irreverent celebration and the merry rejection of social norms — came from a cacao ceremony in Nicaragua, where she was doing a work exchange program shortly after graduation.
“Phones were not allowed,” Gork says. “The evening began with a cacao drinking ceremony and ended with an hours-long ecstatic dance party. It really drove home how much fun and how much more present and less self-conscious the experience was without phones. Everyone was there, in the moment. They weren’t looking for the next spot or seeing who else was around and what they were up to.”
When Gork returned to her hometown of Chicago, she noted, with sadness, the paucity of nightlife pulse. She sees screens as a symptom but also the cause of much of the lackluster energy.
“Our relationship with screens is so complicated,” Gork says. “We spend so much time comparing ourselves and our night to other people’s when we’re out, we can’t even be in the moment. And it’s this ever-present crutch if something gets awkward. I feel like it’s limiting our own capacity to communicate.”
Jack’s in San Francisco was a historic landmark to “see and be seen” that opened in 1863 and shuttered in 2000. When it was restarted by Skylight, CEO Stephanie Blake says their entire raison d’etre was to revive the original “living room” spirit of the space.
“It was once where the city came to think out loud, to debate, to dream and to build what came next,” Blake says. “When we began this revival, we made a very intentional decision to bring back the role Jack’s played in civic life.” Removing screens from the experience was key.
While Saturnalia Returns is set on rejuvenating the joy of drinking and dancing with friends, Jack’s wants to enliven the culture of drinking, dining and thinking.
“At Jack’s, we host intimate gatherings that blend the arts, culture, commerce, technology and community,” Blake says. “We create long table dinners, thought salons, conversations between creators and civic leaders. Every gathering is small by design with the goal of creating the conditions for meaningful connection.”
Phones have trained us to be anywhere but present. It has changed our ability to focus on the moment and allow it to expand. By removing phones from the equation, Blake says the difference is immediate and obvious.
“When people walk in and put their phones away, the entire atmosphere shifts,” Blake says. “What we’re seeing is a return to something deeply human — the pleasure of being fully present with other people. And it’s already produced the kind of serendipitous moments Jack’s was known for: strangers discovering shared ideas, collaborations forming over dinner, conversations that linger long after the plates are cleared.”
Human connection, conversation and collaboration IRL feels downright revolutionary. TBD if these businesses continue to win over their guests, and the trend goes viral.
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