Chick-fil-A is giving free ice cream to customers who put their phones away for a whole meal

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Some Chick-fil-A restaurants are encouraging families to disconnect from their phones during dinner by offering a free ice cream as a reward.

Using your phone at the dinner table isn’t polite, and Chick-fil-A is encouraging better behavior with a new offer: customers who put their phones away can get a free treat.

I heard this amazing story about Brad Williams, who owns a couple of Chick-fil-A restaurants in Georgia. He noticed a mom was on her phone while with her two kids, and it sparked this really cool idea of his.

What if there were a way to incentivise families to go phone-free at the table?

Chick-fil-A has families put their phones in a “coop” for free ice cream

Williams decided to create the “coop” – a box to store phones while families eat.

The restaurant has a special “coop” – a chicken wire enclosure – where guests are asked to put their phones on silent during their meal. If you leave your phone in the coop for the duration of your dining experience, you’ll get a free ice cream cone!

Since Williams started using this approach in his stores in January, more than 10,000 collaborative buying groups for cell phones have formed, and nearly 200 other businesses have also adopted it.

He noted it feels like people are intentionally putting their phones away more often. He said this is leading to more face-to-face conversations and a livelier atmosphere, making it difficult to resist joining in and connecting with family without distractions.

Offering customers free food in exchange for participation isn’t new. Just last month, McDonald’s gave away free meals to those who shared stories about their first jobs.

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2026-03-30 23:48