by Anthony Cosenza II

Created on: December 13, 2008

The question of whether or not cell phones should be banned in restaurants seems like a misnomer in my mind. When I first ponder this question I immediately wonder who is doing the banning of cell phones in restaurants? While it is true that cell phone conversations can be disruptive or annoying to your meal, it is actually the choice of the restaurant owner as to whether or not they would like to allow cell phone conversations in their establishment. When I think of the word "ban" I immediately envision legislation that forbids the use of cell phones in public restaurants, and that is obviously not the correct way to accomplish a no cell phone zone while you are dining.

As a patron of a restaurant you have the right to complain to the owner or manager if you are not satisfied with your dining experience. Likewise they are able to take any actions they deem necessary in order to rectify that situation, or they may decide that your complaint is not merited and decide to take no action. As the proprietor of the restaurant that is their right. As a consumer you may chose to never eat at that establishment in the future and that is a choice you must make, and the consequence of the decision of the owner.

Obviously legislators have no business regulating something such as cell phone usage inside of a privately owned establishment. This is compounded by the fact that cell phone usage is not known to be harmful to those around the talker, and therefore is not a concern of the government to promote the common welfare. Thus an issue of banning cell phones is not an issue at all.

The absurdities of banning cell phone usage in restaurants is comparable to banning people talking to each other during their meal, or banning a group of individuals from laughing while dining and enjoying the company of their friends. Restaurants thrive on the fact that people are enjoying themselves and having a wonderful time. Happy customers spend more money and more time in your restaurant and are likely to be repeat customers. Banning cell phone usage in a restaurant because you do not want to hear another's conversation is one step from banning all conversation in restaurants, which would cause many more people to eat in the comfort of their own homes and cripple the food service industry.

So remember, while phone conversations may be a nuisance to you an an individual you do not have the right to take that away from others. The only person with the ability to set out a rule as to whether or not cell phones will be allowed in a restaurant is the owner and only the owner.

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