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Pub chain Samuel Smith's reportedly bans use of mobile phones, saying pubs are 'for social conversation'

<em>A pub chain is reportedly banning customers from using mobile phones in its pubs (Picture: Getty)</em>
A pub chain is reportedly banning customers from using mobile phones in its pubs (Picture: Getty)

A pub chain has reportedly banned customers from using mobile phones in its pubs.

A memo from the owner of Samuel Smith’s pubs, published in the Manchester Evening News, ordered managers to ban customers from using mobile phones, laptops, tablets and iPads.

The missive, which was reportedly on display outside a pub in Rochdale, says if people want to make or receive calls they will have to go outside “in the same way as is required with smoking”.

It said: “The brewery’s policy is that our pubs are for social conversation person to person.”

<em>The memo said the brewery’s policy was that its pubs are for social conversation person to person (Picture: Getty)</em>
The memo said the brewery’s policy was that its pubs are for social conversation person to person (Picture: Getty)

Samuel Smith’s, which has other rules including no music in its pubs and a zero tolerance on swearing, has not commented on the policy.

The chain isn’t the only place to fight back against mobile phones and other devices in its premises.

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Last year Frankie and Benny’s introduced a scheme to stop families using mobile phones whilst eating.

In 2009 a pub in Durham stopped drinkers from using mobile phones as part of a crackdown on ‘antisocial customers’ and in 2016 Brighton bar The Gin Tub reportedly tried to stop customers using their mobile phones.