Do you have your cell phone turned on when out at a restaurant?

[homemaker carol]

We don't own a cell phone. How about you? Should it be turned on while at a restaurant or not?

[Dee]

We don't have a cell phone either and I don't think I would keep it on in any public place like a restaurant unless someone in my family was ill.

Can't you turn the sound (ringer) off on most of them so they vibrate instead?

Like today shopping, I'm walking behind a woman whose cell phone rings, she answers it and STOPS walking! Good thing I was paying attention or I would have run into her with my cart! :mad:

Guess some people can't walk and talk at the same time! :rolleyes:

[x Sam x]

This is a real bugbear of mine. I think cell phones should be turned off.

If I am out with a friend and they take a call whilst we are eating or whatever I stand up and walk off and start to look at something on the wall or pick up a newspaper. When they have finished I take about another minute and walk back and say "oh I saw something far more interesting over there".

There has never been a time when the phone doesn't get switched off. I know that I am not following rules of etiquette here but it helps to prove my point. I'm obviously very childish. :)

[Kimberlina]

The only time I might ever leave mine on when in a socail setting is when I am on call. But I set it to vibrate, and I usually just use my pager for that, anyway.

Mostly, mine is off. I use it primarily for calling out, not taking calls. Other than being on call, I typically only turn it on in less social settings, like outdoors, when I am trying to meet up with someone (think on vacation) and am actually expecting them to call.

I don't think you should have a cell phone on when you are socializing. I guess if it is a business lunch or something, then it might be okay to have it on vibrate for business calls pertaining to that meeting, but excuse yourself to the lobby before taking the call.

[pita1213]

mine is almost always on, BUT if i am in a resturant or something like that, i am usually with dh and he's the only one that calls me on it when i go to the library i put it on vibrate because if i turn it off, i'll forget to turn it back on.

[dolphindream]

I don't keep mine turned on at all. It only gets turned on when one of us is going to make a call. I absolutely hate to be anywhere in public and have to listen to people talking on their cell phones - drives me nuts!

[debbiepittman]

No cell phone. I don't see why people should turn them off in a restaurant, but in the movie theater, yes.

Debbie

[heartathome]

Mine is rarely on, unless I am out without DH or the kids. Then I definately have it on. I keep it on ring, just because I keep mine in my purse and would never feel the vibrate. I just want to make sure thye can get hold if me if they need me.

On another note, I was in Food Lion the other day and this woman talked on her cell phone the ENTIRE time she was shopping, as she checked out and even going to the car! I mean, I followed her out and she was saying "I am done checking out now and I am going to the car. I am in the parking lot!" Sheesh - who in the world has to have that kind of conversation?????

[Darlene]

This is a real bugbear of mine. I think cell phones should be turned off.

If I am out with a friend and they take a call whilst we are eating or whatever I stand up and walk off and start to look at something on the wall or pick up a newspaper. When they have finished I take about another minute and walk back and say "oh I saw something far more interesting over there".

There has never been a time when the phone doesn't get switched off. I know that I am not following rules of etiquette here but it helps to prove my point. I'm obviously very childish. :)

I don't think your childish. People who do that are rude. About time some people got a clue. Unless an emergency these things are just so annoying to me. Nice that parents can get reached etc but man people have gone nuts. Some people are just so important ...well la tee da. I cannot go shopping without people talking on these things. "I'm in the bean section what kind do you want?" "No, can't buy that brand, gives me gas" arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Or teens walking in the mall "What do you want to do?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?"
argh!!!!!!!!!

[jlxian]

I don't have a cell phone either. In my opinion they are for emergency type use -- not for chitchatting with someone you may see in 20 minutes. Use them when its urgent to reach someone, but not for yakking.

And I agree that the folks in the store who have to discuss which product to buy are terribly annoying.

Sam, I like your outlook and that you walk away!

[MandiDawn]

he he - I'm devils advocate here. I have mine on all the time. But I also never go to the movies, out to eat, ect. I use mine for long distance, but since it don't work at my house, I have all my long-distance converstaions (to my sister, my dad) when I am out and about. Sometimes I will sit in my car in the parking lot and talk, I ALWAYS hang up when going thru a checkout ect, but if my friends call and say "where are you, we are on our way over" I can say "I'll be home in 10 mintues" or "nope, stuck in meijers checkout, be home in an hour".
We live in an age of instanst communication, and I actually like that. I want to be able to get ahold of anyone, anytime. But I also use common sense. If I am at home and my phone rings when I have company - I will get off the phone. If I am out and with someone (ie. I have company) I will also get off the phone. But I want to have it on in case someone is calling to say "hey, so-and-so concert tickets go on sale tomorrow - do you want to go?" "sure" end of converstaion.
It also irks me when my mom don't have her's on. I will be on the way home and wanting to stop and visit - so I call. Is she home? no. So I just go home instead. If she would of had her phone on she could of told me she will be home in 5 mintues, and then we could of had a nice visit. It's to far out of the way for me to drive over, nope she's not home and then go home myself.
Anyway - I am sure rambling :D Just giving the other point of view.
oh - to answer the question: Yes I would leave it on in most resturants, would turn it off in a 4 or 5 star resturant.

[mom2knk]

If dh and I are out alone (which very rarely happens) I put my phone on vibrate and I never answer it while sitting at the table. I get up and go outside to anwer the phone and only if it is our dks calling. When we go out as a family the cell phone is off!

[Mommy2Paige]

I don't have a cell phone either. In my opinion they are for emergency type use -- not for chitchatting with someone you may see in 20 minutes. Use them when its urgent to reach someone, but not for yakking.

I'm not trying to start something, but we don't have home phones so we use our cell phones a lot and more often I am finding a lot of people that do this as well (in fact I worked with 3 and DH works with about 4 or 5 that do this, and we know a lot more that do to). Granted when we go out mine is on vibrate so as not to disturb anyone else and I will not take it in at all to a movie theater (in fact I've been known to go in the lobby and tell the employees I'm about to pour my drink and popcorn on people talking on them in front of me if they don't hang up soon....lol)

[jlxian]

I'm not trying to start something, but we don't have home phones so we use our cell phones a lot and more often I am finding a lot of people that do this as well (in fact I worked with 3 and DH works with about 4 or 5 that do this, and we know a lot more that do to). Granted when we go out mine is on vibrate so as not to disturb anyone else and I will not take it in at all to a movie theater (in fact I've been known to go in the lobby and tell the employees I'm about to pour my drink and popcorn on people talking on them in front of me if they don't hang up soon....lol)
Sounds like you have great cell phone etiquette! :) I completely understand using them in place of a regular home phone --- and knowing that just like a home phone its a tool for communication rather than entertainment during a dull moment.

[Mommy2Paige]

Sounds like you have great cell phone etiquette! :) I completely understand using them in place of a regular home phone --- and knowing that just like a home phone its a tool for communication rather than entertainment during a dull moment.


Thanks for the compliment, glad you realized that I wasn't trying to start something :)

For us we found it to be cheaper. When we were having to move for the 2nd time in 3 months due to DH's job, it got expensive. Our previous phone co. was also our ISP and they weren't in the area we were moving to an hour away so we lost home phone and internet. We decided to go with cable internet this time and not even worry with a home phone. Now we have 2 bills (cable & cell phone) instead of 4 (cable, home phone, cell phone, isp).

[Michelle]

Dave uses his cell phone because he has a long commute. If he gets a call while we're out, he'll excuse himself to take the call, and he never chit chats on it. I have a cell phone but only use it for emergencies, so it's never on when I'm anywhere lol

[scottielover]

We (by choice) have no land-line ... 3 out of the 4 of us in our household use cell phones as our primary phones. We also call out of country a lot and have that included in our calling region, so it's cheaper for us.

My phone is never turned off unless I'm in a hospital, theater, or other place where common sense dictates I turn it off. Other public places, or again where common sense tells me, I keep it on vibrate to alert me of a call. That doesn't mean I take all calls, but since I have several people who depend on me (elderly mother in Canada, disabled daughter) I'm happy to be able to make myself available wherever I happen to be.

I'd like to think I keep a balance of manners and responsibility depending on the situation. I also should add that I'm not a "chatter" on the phone and people know that about me so I rarely get those types of calls ... my phone does not ring off the hook.

[Michelle]

Yes, I always turn it off or set it to vibrate. I really hate hearing cell phones ring everywhere I go.

[baxjul]

If I'm out in public someplace I keep mine on silent, and just check it every so often.

[PrairieRose]

I'm a cell phone user/lover here. I have to say being business owners it makes our lives so much easier and free-er. We always turn them off, leave them in the car or turn them to vibrate when we are in a restaraunt though. I try my best not to have a whole conversation in a public place too. I prefer to keep my business, my business if you kwim. And I hate to hear phones ring in a restaraunt, and I really hate it when someone answers and talks LOUDLY there....ugh.

[Edna_E]

I have one, and rarely actually turn it off except in church, concerts, movies, etc. I do put it on vibrate/silent sometimes. I do NOT feel compelled to answer every call as it comes in, and only keep mine on because I am the emergency number for my mother (in her 80's). Incidentally, and not a testament to my GOOD manners, I have been known to talk really loudly when someone in my immediate vicinity is talking on one in a movie, stateting how RUDE it is for someone to be talking in a theater - they got off the phone pretty fast ;-)

[lady_v]

I do have a cell phone, but when I am going to be at a restaurant, movie, social gathering and my DD is NOT with me, I will turn the ringer off, but have the vibrate on. If I put it in my pocket, I can feel it, and no one can hear it, and if I cant answer it right away, I will excuse myself to see the number, if it isn't DD related, then I will check the voice mail when I leave.

[AmyMCGS]

If we're out running errands my cell phone is in the diaper bag... so if we stop in at Taco Bell or somewhere like that, it's left on. I'm another one who's not necessarily going to drop everything to answer it, though... that's why I have voicemail. However, for church and other events I turn it to silent ring/ vibrate. I rarely turn it completely off, but I also don't talk on it anywhere that I think it might bother others.

[justpeachy92]

If we are out as a family then the cell phone isn't turned on. If dh and I are out we do have it on vibrate just incase the babybsiter needs to call us. If we do get a call, one of us will take the phone outside to talk to who is calling.

[Seraph]

Yes, I have a cell phone. It's never off. Ever. Well, except that one year the hurricane took out the power and I was conserving the battery. When I'm in court, the hospital, the library, the movies, or any other "silent" place, I have it on vibrate (half the time it's on vibrate anyway) and excuse myself to a lobby or restroom if I need to take a call. If it's something I can ignore, I let it go to voicemail. I have elderly grandparents (88 and 86), a not so physically well mother, a husband that travels all over the country, and a 10-year-old child. When there's an emergency, I need to be reached and reached IMMEDIATELY.

I'm rarely in a restaurant without the people that normally call me so I've never had to excuse myself during a meal to take a call (though my husband does like to text me from across the table...), but I would if I happened to get a call while we were out.

In a store, I tend to stay off the phone because I find it hard to control the shopping cart while on the phone (LOL). I do, however, call my mom from time to time while in a store to double check on an item since I (somehow) often end up shopping for her. (dial. "Hi mommy. I'm (wherever) and they have that soap you said you needed in the blue bottle... 33% more for the same price as the regular. Did you still want me to pick some up for you?.... Ok. They also have the green one and a white one. Which one...?... Okey dokey. Loveyoubye!" click. Or something like that.)

Even though I never turn my phone off, I am highly annoyed by people who are one the phone in public, especially if they're LOUD. It even annoys me when we're out and my husband takes business calls, but that may be for an entirely different reason (the company provides other people with cell phones, but since he had his own already everyone just calls him on it... yet we still pay the bill??). I hate listening to the lengthy conversations of strangers at the next table or shopping nearby, especially when the conversation is frivolous or of a private nature.