Restaurant gives punters free bottle of wine if they give up their phones at the door

A restaurant is running a promotion that gives customers a free bottle of wine... but on one condition.

The Italian eatery, named Al Condominio, is rewarding people with vino for giving up their most prized possession – their phone.

Check out a vid of the restaurant below (and yes, the irony of that is not lost on us!)...

So, there might be a TikTok or two, but the owners actually want customers to stop taking pictures and filming altogether.

The spot, based in Verona, is firmly against technology while eating – and tbh, the fact the world is talking about it is probably better promo than any insta pic a diner may have decided to upload!

"We wanted to open a restaurant that was different from the others,” owner Angelo Lella explained to the Guardian on Monday.

“So we picked this format — customers can choose to renounce technology while enjoying a convivial moment together.”

He went on to reason: “Technology is becoming a problem. There is no need to look at your phone every five seconds, but for many people it is like a drug.

"This way they have an opportunity to put it aside and drink some good wine.”

Sounds pretty nice to us!

The restaurant has lockers for customers to put their phones in (Credit: Al Condominio)

When you arrive at the restaurant, you're asked to put your phone in a box if you want to redeem the deal.

There it remains under lock and key (in fact, you even have to give your key to the waiter).

The restaurant owner said that around 90 percent of customers had resigned to leave their phones so far – a pretty good result, if you ask us.

“It really is a beautiful thing to see people embracing it,” he continued.

"They are talking to each other rather than looking at photos or responding to messages on their phone.”

The restaurant is bribing people with wine.. a solid idea, tbh (Credit: Al Condominio)

This isn't the first time a restaurant has adopted an incentive for customers who give up their mobiles.

In fact, a spot in Kent spoke to Twisted exclusively back in 2022 about a similar policy, which involved locking your phone up in the middle of the table.

The restaurant, named Spice Fusion, offered 20 percent off food on tables of 4 or more if all diners on the table agreed to lock away their phones in a “phone jail”.

Customers who signed up to the deal had place their phones in the cage, for which they had they keys, but were encouraged not to open.

Speaking exclusively to Twisted, Rajeev Gupte, the restaurant’s owner and General Manager said: “We quite often notice, as we people watch in the dining room, more and more people are using their phones – not to speak to someone but checking up on Facebook and sending messages.

“We know from experience that people that aren’t on their phones are better engaged with one another and better engaged with our food … Dinner is better when we eat together! So, we decided to take action."

You can read more about how that went here...

Featured image: Getty/ Al Comodinio