Guest Author: Jole Matsuyama

'If you're not on the phone, we don't want to interupt, our staff will ignore you and serve the person behind you'....<Muddy Waters Coffee CO.>

'In consideration of other customers, we ask that your mobile phones be used in the bathrooms not in the hallways leading to the bathroom or outside of our restaurant...<Little Machu Pichu Cafe.>

I am the store owner of little Machu Pichu and I am finding that I am getting more and more complaints by non cell phone users to the point that they are threatening not to come back if I don't put a sign up. One women who just was dumped by her 5 year boyfriend almost went off the deep end as she was eating her favourite meal, chicken shredded egg sauce on top of basmati rice. Not before she was consoling herself to eat this meal, the lady next to here started having a heated argument with your boyfriend on the cell phone. I was at the back of the kitchen. Lydia my regular customer is not prone to violence but she asked politely to the cell phone user to stop using the cell phone, the lady ignored her and dumped the meal onto the cell phone user's lap and walked out. I told the cell phone abuser not to chase after Lydia as she is a 6th degree black belt in Aikido.

I am in the process of getting a sign made that says:

No cell Phones Allowed In Restaurant

I will even hire a bouncer to re-inforce the rule, so everyone that is going to come in the restaurant will have their body go through my bouncer to make sure they leave their cell phones in the car or they will not be able to eat here

Do You Have Cell Phone Manners?

During a cell phone manners survey taken by Pew Internet & American Life Project, The Associated Press & AOL found

82 % of all Americans

86 % of cell phone users were irritated

by loud obnoxous, inconsiderate cell phone conversations in public. 8 Percent of the cell phone abusers admitted being stared at while blabbing on their cell phones in a restaurant, coffee shop line up.

87 % of participants say they witness annoying cell phone calls very often

In a survey taken by ABC news in 2006.

Source: Saturday Nov 11 2007 Seattle Post Intelligence