Could you go phone-free on date night? One restaurant is making it mandatory

Technology is an important part of life: It helps you communicate and track your health and it’s even to thank for advances in workout wear and the shelf life of fresh-pressed juice. But there’s a downside to all this connectivity, as well—some experts argue that by connecting digitally, we lose the ability to do so IRL. A restaurant in the UK addressing this, and I for one agree the time has come.

Eat Bar & Grill is hosting “tech-free date night” once a week, according to South Wales Argus. Once you sit down at your table, guests are instructed to drop their cellphones into a brown paper bag. If you’re on a first date, or just feel like you have nothing new to talk about, each table comes equipped with a list of questions and topics.

If you’re on a first date, or just feel like you have nothing new to talk about, each table comes equipped with a list of questions and topics.

And you don’t have to cross the pond to try it out. According to Moneyish, there are a number of restaurants in places including New Jersey and New York that are offering discounts on certain days of the week in exchange for surrendering your phone.

So while studies suggest taking pictures of your food makes it taste better, still others have shown that the blue light from your smartphone is actually bad for your complexion. What’s definitely true: Your dining companion will be happy that they’re not getting rejected for a screen.

Trying to unplug? Switch to some old school analogue tech or invest in a pair of blue light-blocking glasses.