- Some Chick-fil-A locations have been promoting phone-free dining with ice cream rewards.
- The "Cell Phone Coop Challenge" encourages diners to put their phones down during their meals.
- Franchisee Brad Williams brought the trend back in January, and a Maryland location followed suit.
Some Chick-fil-A restaurants have offered a free cone if you give up your phone.
A Maryland location says it'll provide diners with a place to put their phones while they eat. At the end, everyone at the table gets an ice-cream cone as a reward. They're calling it the "Cell Phone Coop Challenge."
"Are you up for the challenge?" The Chick-fil-A at Towson Place asked its Facebook followers.
The Towson restaurant tells diners to ask an employee for the container to put their phones inside and on silent, and enjoy their meal without technology.
"Grab the coop, and take the challenge," a poster reads.
Two Georgia locations owned by Brad Williams offered the challenge in 2016 and brought it back in January. Business Insider spoke to employees on Monday, who said the promotion was temporary and no longer in effect.
Williams spoke to a local ABC outletfor a story published in 2016 about the promotion, saying it was inspired by a woman who spent her entire meal on her cellphone instead of communicating with the children dining with her.
"It just got me thinking how to get people to disconnect in order to connect and to take a technology timeout," Williams told ABC. "Be present where your feet are."
He said at the time that the promotion had been adopted by at least 200 other operators at their own restaurants.
On Monday, Business Insider called locations in California, New York, New Jersey, and the Washington, D.C. area, but didn't find any other participating locations.
As technology becomes embedded in everyday life, some people have resorted to "dumb phones" — those without apps or wifi — or "bricking" their phone with devices designed to disconnect their smartphones from the outside world.
At least one Chick-fil-A location is providing a sweet incentive to give them up altogether.
Chick-fil-A and Williams didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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