Yelp noted this trend of no photos in its annual State of the Restaurant Industry report, which found a 66% surge in searches for the term "photo bans" in its massive food search engine.
Delilah’s new location in the Design District at (1616 Hi Line Drive) is a self-described supper club with bottle service, private rooms, stages for burlesque shows and its signature dish: chicken strips. The restaurant doesn’t have an opening date yet and it didn't respond to a question about whether it will implement the policy at their new Dallas location.
It made us ponder the idea of a Dallas dining room sans all camera phones. Is this the future of the dining out experience? Will any restaurants suffer from less social media traction? And what about our Instagram stories?
Feasting with the Famous
After 25 years in business, Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse has adapted to the social media era.“At Nick & Sam's, we've always enforced a no-photo policy when it involves a public figure to ensure their privacy,” said majority owner Sam Romano and corporate executive chef and partner Samir Dhurandhar in a joint statement. “We ask guests, and even our own staff, to refrain from taking photos of high-profile individuals. It's about building trust and comfort, that's why they continue to come back and see us.”
Over the years, Nick & Sam’s has hosted all walks of A-listers, including George Clooney, Shaquille O’Neal and Gene Simmons. Ultimately, their policy is oriented toward these sorts of celebrity patrons. When it comes to a local diner’s personal experience, the restaurant is more lenient.
“We understand that taking photos and videos is part of the social experience when dining out, particularly when it comes to special occasions, as many of our dishes are highly visual,” Romano and Dhurandhar said in the statement. “We encourage diners to capture the moment, however, we also ask them to be respectful of those around them.”
The average Dallas dining experience will have nowhere near the celebrity concentration as markets like Los Angeles or Miami, but many of the chefs preparing the food are familiar with what it’s like. Georgie’s executive chef RJ Yoakum says he cooked for every Kardashian during COVID-19, and met a number of celebs during his time at French Laundry.
French Laundry is one of the most famed restaurants in America, known for daily chef-curated menus and chefs nearly as famous as the celebrities they cook for. In Yoakum’s experience, photos were never a problem for his guests.
“Nate Diaz, the boxer, and E-40, the music artist, they all took photos of us and they were all posting on Instagram,” he says. “They shook everybody’s hand and they wanted to feel like they were part of the team. Some people want to be a part of that, something bigger like, ‘I went to the French Laundry, that's fucking cool.’”
Yoakum even recalls serving Adele.
“She came through the back door and she was in a corner table where no one could see her,” he says. “That’s fine. That’s the whole experience. But did she take a picture in the kitchen with Thomas Keller? Yes, she did.”
In a broader sense, Yoakum does agree that phones are a problem in restaurants, just not in regard to attracting celebrity customers.
“Our phones are taking away from the experience,” he says. “We're not letting our mind actually think about what we're eating in front of us. Everybody eats with their phone first, with their eyes first, but they're actually forgetting the nuances or what the dish actually is.”
Georgie does not have a phone policy in place.
“I think there’s a time and a place for it,” Yoakum says. “But for a clubby restaurant to say they’re doing that, I don’t know.”
Interestingly, the Yelp report also cited a staggering 254% increase in the “clubstaurant” phenomenon, where restaurants lean towards an energetic, social atmosphere as opposed to the soft fine-dining aesthetic.
A No-Phone Dance Party?
In Bishop Arts, Ladylove Lounge and Cocktail Bar offers a nice menu of drinks and bites; many also know the location as an outlet for late-night dance parties and live music. Recently, it collaborated with house music DJ and event promoter Jake Gatewood for a no-photo DJ night.Gatewood is behind Take A Break Fest, a house music production company that throws dance parties and festivals around North Texas. The club scene typically heavily encourages social media engagement and videos to promote and interact with events. But after years of performing, Gatewood says he grew tired of the focus on phones and videos during his sets.
“It’s always been people taking videos and photos during my set,” he says. “While that’s cool and helps an artist grow on social media, it definitely takes away the energy."
Gatewood was on a trip in London when he visited Fabric, a venue that’s become a house music staple. Upon entering, staff at Fabric place stickers on the front and back cameras of your phone to discourage camera usage during the night. Gatewood wanted to bring this concept to Dallas, so he booked the night at LadyLove and ordered hundreds of small stickers on Amazon.
“The concept was to hang up and hang out,” Gatewood says. “Stop texting, start talking and stop scrolling on the weather app in the corner of the club and actually dance, socialize and have fun.”
The event was called Disco (nnected), featuring all old-school disco mixes. The response was immense; more than 700 people showed up on a cold December night to squeeze into the 100-person capacity space
“Normally I’ll check my phone after the event to see people who tagged the story or followed me after the set,” Gatewood says. “There was only one single video of someone who mustered up the courage to take it.”
After the massive reception, Gatewood has another no-photo night at LadyLove set for Feb. 22.
“It’s such a young concept,” Gatewood says. “But I’m going to stick with it.
If we had to bet, nights without phones or photos will remain a niche. But we certainly don't hate it on occasion.
