“Deadzone Diners” Takes a Different Approach to Cellphone Usage

Summary: Dixie sees the need for people to put down their cellphones and talk to the people in front of them by creating “Deadzone Diners.”

Dixie wanted their customers to interact with each other without cellphones. The producer of paper products partnered with Droga5 to find dead zones throughout the Los Angeles area, which is hard to find. They were lucky enough to find three places with horrible cell phone service to set up shop. Droga5 creative director Devon Hong said, “Mealtime is a great time to catch up. It’s really the only sacred face-to-face moment we still have with our family.”

The resulting locations of the diners are slightly odd. One is a remote hillside that provides breakfast, another is a cave where you can go for ice cream, and another in an old federal reserve vault for dinner. In order to find the locations, Dixie and Droga5 took a cell phone from four different carriers to measure connectivity levels as they drove around town.

Dixie’s hope in creating the Deadzone Diners was to encourage families to reconnect without technology for just a small amount of time. Hong said, “Rather than being something negative we want people to start looking at these spaces as a little sanctuary for you to spend quality time with each other.” They certainly took to the marketing and advertisement of the diners with a lick of humor.

The Deadzone Diners also feature some specialty meals concocted by Chef Carla Hall. The recipes will be available online so that anyone can create their “deadzone diner” in the comfort of their home.

Do you think it is a good idea for families to eat their dinner together without the distraction of technology? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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• Technology Addiction and How to Break It
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• 50 Marketing Habits Every Company Should Follow

Cover Photo: adweek.com

Photo #1: great-taste.net