The Subtle Etiquette Misstep In France That Could Ruin The Magic Of A Shared Meal

In 2024, bistro owners Sandra and Olivier Holtzmann decided to enforce a bold rule: using cell phones wouldn't be allowed in their restaurant, Les Petits Plats de Mamama. A year later, the couple reported that their policy was a great success, with longer dinners, involved conversation, and more customers staying for dessert. Most people not only approved of the rule; they actually preferred it. What better way to resist scrolling through digital nonsense than to be forbidden that vice?

But Mamama had one advantage: The bistro is located in Alsace, near the eastern border of France, and generally speaking, French people how little patience for people who overuse their phones in restaurants. As self-described "Francophile" blogger French Daisy put it in a recent post: "Please put your phone down while having dinner. Mealtime is an important time of the day, and we should all take a break from emails, texts, social media, and whatever else during this time." Other bloggers and Reddit users would tend to agree. Quickly checking a text is fine, but gluing eyes to screens is boorish and inappropriate, especially in fine dining establishments.

Naturally, French cuisine is among the most famous and respected culinary traditions in the world. Fresh ingredients and complex flavors are well-known aspects of French dining culture, and a dinner in France often feels drawn out compared to U.S. meals. American travelers often make etiquette blunders while eating out in France, and spending most of their time staring at a smartphone is one of the most obvious faux pas.

These days, most people rely on their phones to fill time. The moment we stand in line, lie in bed, or wait for a server to bring our orders from the kitchen, our phones emerge from our purses and pockets, and one app or another flickers to life. This is certainly the case among solo travelers and couples abroad, who either have no one to talk with or have spent so much time with the same company that they've run out of topics to discuss. Travel also burns a lot of energy, and when we're hungry, it's nice to mindlessly click around the Internet, filling this dead space with cat pictures and memes. As travel expert Rick Steves has observed, social media has changed the way we experience our journeys, and it's hard for many of us to imagine sitting still for 30 minutes without posting a video to TikTok.

And lest we romanticize, there are plenty of French nationals who love to mess around on their phones during dull moments. In 2024, the French government passed a law prohibiting electronic devices in schools for students up to age 15. Telegram is all the rage in Western Europe, and popular social media apps like Yubo and DailyMotion are headquartered in France. You will almost certainly spot phone-tapping residents at a French restaurant, but you're also more likely to spot someone giving them side-eye.

So what should you do? If you've found yourself in an atmospheric eatery like Les Petits Plats de Mamama, where phones are frowned upon, how should you fill the void? What if you don't speak a word of French and can't strike up small talk with anyone around you? What if you and your travel partner have been gabbing nonstop for days and can't think of one decent thing to talk about? Should you just sit there? Are you just supposed to be bored?

For these occasions, you might consider bringing an old-fashioned journal or maybe a paperback book. These are the moments that crossword puzzles and Sudoku were designed for. Such printed volumes are light, timeless, and rewarding, and they definitely class up a dinner table. Writing down the events of the day helps you process your experiences. Meanwhile, more and more travelers are turning to sketching their surroundings as a way to connect with the places they encounter, and it's hard to imagine a more picturesque setting than a traditional French brasserie. Waiting for plates to arrive can become an important intermission between tours and museums, when you can sit, sip gourmet French coffee or wine, and disconnect from the digital world.

This strategy extends to all aspects of travel. Many globe-trotters get lost in their devices, even while on the road, because this is just their default activity. To diminish this habit, here are some tips for beating downtime boredom while traveling alone.