When did we go so badly wrong?

I was working the floor in the restaurant the other evening and something startled me.

There were around 20 tables sat at this particular moment - 8 of which had children.?

Of these 8, 8 of them had ipads on with some horrendous kids program running. For the entire length of the experience! Don’t get me wrong, I wish they'd make another 500 seasons of Bluey because my kids and I have worn out the current 3, but there’s a time and a place.

Every single child in the restaurant had their faces glued to their ipad (and they weren’t sharing, multiple kids meant multiple devices!), just shoving handfuls of french fries into their fat, expressionless faces. Half of the job these days is mopping up the puddles of drool that these expressionless child-zombies leave behind!?

Now, call me old fashioned, but when did going out for dinner stop being an occasion? I remember back to the good old days (around the mid-late 90s) when my parents took me and my sister out to a restaurant and we’d practically pee in the car with excitement! There was the musty beer smell as you opened the front door, the lemon slice in our drinks and the mountain of warm, home-baked bread that preceded every meal!?

It was amazing! We’d sit around and chat for hours, my sister talking about all of the things she had been learning at school that week and me making sh*t up because as usual, I hadn’t been paying attention to the teachers.?

We’d talk and laugh and stuff as much delicious warm bread into our cheeks as was possible.?

Those times I’ll always look back on fondly. The memories of those shared experiences is something I will always be grateful for. We didn’t have a huge amount as a family when I was little, but we always had what mattered.?

As I looked around the restaurant and saw these mindless, zombie-like kids, noses buried in their gadgets whilst their parents ignored each other to catch up on the latest insta-face bollocks, I was filled with a great sadness.?

I’ve spent my career full of enthusiasm because I recognise how important the experiences we provide are to families and friends.?

We offer a chance to slow down, catch up? and be present with each other.?

We offer a break from the mundane: a sprinkling of magic for our younger guests when we address them with courtesy and respect.?

I went home that night, sat down next to my wife and asked ‘What’s the f***ing point?’

If the whole point of our industry is to create experiences, why bother when people don’t want to experience them??

When did communication become so unimportant?

When did eye contact become a thing of the past?

And at what point in time did people stop caring about manners? No manners = No service. Period.

If this is the future of us as a species, count me OUT!?

Needless to say - I went to bed in a foul mood…

The next day however, something strange happened.

I met a family, in the very same restaurant, who were postcard perfection.?

They had a young child plus baby-triplets (surprise ones at that) and they took it in turns to chat to their kid whilst they were feeding the babies. For a whole 90 minutes they talked and told stories, laughed and joked, enthused about the future and fired up her imagination.

Not a phone or tablet in sight.??

And what surprised me the most is how lovely and respectful they were to my team and I. They were truly grateful for giving them the opportunity to spend some time out of the rain with their children.?

It was obvious to see that they valued their time together and valued the connection with their children and each other.?

Maybe there is a glimmer of hope for humanity after all?

Maybe there isn’t?

I don’t know.

But what I do know is that this one beautiful family has given me enough hope to keep trying.

At least for now, that’s enough.?