Should cameras be banned in restaurants?

Annoying flashes or harmless fun? Andrew Webb wants to know if you think cameras (and phones, laptops, handheld gaming devices, etc.) should be banned from restaurants.

There's been much brouhaha at the news that some chefs in the US want to ban cameras in restaurants. I can see why establishments, particularly at the high end of the market, would want to. Their cooking and service depends on an element of theatre, of presentation, and they consider themselves artists. After all, we're not allowed to take videos and photos in a theatre or cinema; that's copyright violation. I’m sure there are chefs who think the ‘performance’ of cooking and serving food should be considered a work of art, too.

But on the other hand, whatever happened to the customer is always right? If people want to take pictures of their food, they should be allowed; after all, it might be their birthday, anniversary or holiday. The only argument against is perhaps if the flash begins to annoy other guests. And anyone who gets out a gorillapod should clearly be asked to leave.

It’s a lot more than just cameras though

I had the misfortune to eat in Carluccio’s at the Brunswick Centre the other day (rubbish: over-cooked pasta, plates cleared before we’d all finished, the sort of place where you feel like a number on a spreadsheet), and it wasn’t just cameras people were using.

On one table a woman sat eating while her companion conducted a phone call using a hands free headset. Another diner on her own was flitting between the food and typing on her laptop, while a lady asked if she could charge her mobile from the socket in the wall.

However the ultimate idiot award went to the guy who sat next to us, got out a Blackberry (which was in addition to his other mobile) and proceeded to type an email. When the waitress came over to take his order he replied, "I’ll call you when I’m ready, I’ve just got to send this important email". Fifteen minutes later he was still typing. When he finally finished he got out his iPad. By now I wanted to gouge out his eyes with two grissini. It’s not the gadgets that are the problem, it’s the attitude.

The professionals’ opinion

Given that this is a Front of House issue, I thought I’d ask a couple of maître d's. Fred Sirieix (here on the left) is the General Manager at Galvin at Windows: “I don't have a problem with it. I think it is up to people to decide whether it is right or wrong for them. Guests take pictures, blog, tweet, etc while they eat and some are even on the phone. As long as their attitude and photography is not disturbing the enjoyment and experience of other guests in the restaurant, I have no issue with it. If it did I would act at once but this has never happened here in seven years.”

I sought a second opinion from Thomas Blythe, in charge of similar matters at Fino. "Personally, from a non-professional point of view, I do sometimes find it quite odd that people feel the need to take photographs of what they are about to eat. I recall seeing on a menu once, I can't remember where, it may have been The Ivy or some such, a footnote house rule along the lines of 'the use of flash photography is not encouraged' and I'd concur."

He goes on to say: "Professionally speaking, if photography in a dining room reaches a level where it is becoming intrusive to others then I have a polite word with the person wielding the camera. But generally speaking when done on a smartphone the whole things over in – and forgive me for this – a flash.”

A tech free pop-up restaurant?

So, here we are, just one of the many perils of dining in the twenty-first century. I’ll leave you with this thought. When every last meal becomes an image to be live published, someone I’m sure will offer a ‘tech-free speakeasy’. It will perhaps be called  ‘Analogue’, and feature an intimate hand-written menu for a mere 10 covers inside a dimly lit Faraday cage, where diners are invited to remember their meal, using only their minds.

What do you think about photography in restaurants? Let us know in the Comments box below.

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