Chick-fil-A gives free ice cream to customers who put away phone while eating

SUWANEE, Ga. — A fast-food restaurant is offering a delicious incentive for customers who imprison their cellphones during mealtime.

Chick-fil-A owner Brad Williams introduced boxes known as the "cellphone coop" at each table in the two restaurants he owns in Georgia after a mother of two spent their family meal on her cellphone instead of talking to her kids, according to Good Morning America.

"We really want our restaurant to provide a sense of community for our customers, where family and friends can come together and share quality time with one another," Williams told Inside Chick-fil-A. "But as we all know, technology increasingly demands more of our time and can be a big distraction, even while we're eating. This got me thinking about what we could do to reduce this distraction during meals."

The cellphone coops offer instructions for those who are up to the challenge. First, participants must turn all family cellphones to silent and put them in the cellphone coop. Next, they are to enjoy their meal and their company without distractions. Last, they are instructed to tell the restaurant they have successfully completed the challenge, and they will each receive a free ice cream cone.

The idea has now spread to other Chick-fil-A restaurants.

"The challenge has completely taken off," Williams told Inside Chick-fil-A. "We have families who aren't successful the first time and come back to try again. We even have people asking to take the boxes home with them! Our whole community is talking about it."

Four Utah locations have ordered the phone coops, including the Chick-fil-A in Centerville, Taylorsville, Draper and the Sandy South Towne Marketplace, Chick-fil-A spokesperson Kim Hardcastle said.

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