Restaurant finds its service is slower because you’re spending too much time staring at your phone
By Brad Reed From BGR
If you find that service at your favorite restaurant isn’t as speedy as it once was, don’t blame your waiter — instead, blame all the people who spend tons of time messing around on their smartphones when they go out to eat instead of looking at a menu and ordering their food.
The San Francisco Globe spotted a Craigslist post from local restaurant owners this week who described how they were trying to figure out why they were getting so many more complaints about service speed on their Yelp pages. To get a better idea, they decided to watch footage from a typical day at their restaurant and compare it to archive footage they had of a typical day at their restaurant in 2004.
What they found was that many customers spent lots of time playing around on their phones when they were first seated and thus weren’t even ready to order drinks or appetizers when waiters came around. What’s more, they were much more likely to waste time taking pictures of their food before eating it and thus spend more time in the restaurant than they normally would.
While it may seem like all the time people play around with their phones is small on a case-by-case basis, it cumulatively adds up to a much less efficient restaurant.
“Given in most cases the customers are constantly busy on their phones it took an average of 20 minutes more from when they were done eating until they requested a check,” the restaurant owners write. “Furthermore once the check was delivered it took 15 minutes longer than 10 years ago for them to pay and leave.”
Go check out the full post at The San Francisco Globe by clicking the source link at: http://sfglobe.com/?id=1658&src=share_fb_new_1658
Related story:
How to remove scratches from your phone
By Kyli Singh From Mashable
Whether it’s from the car keys in your pocket or an accidental drop, our phones are bound to be victims of scratches and scuffs.
But buying a brand-new replacement phone or paying an expensive visit to a professional repair shop aren’t your only two solutions. Luckily, there are some quick DIY fixes that may help you remove shallow scratches from your beloved gadget.
Here are eight remedies known to rescue phones from minor scratches. Before cleaning, make sure you power down your phone, remove the battery (if you can) and seal the ports of your phone with tape to prevent liquid damage.
1. Toothpaste
Look no further than your bathroom to cure small marks on your phone’s screen. The key is to use actual toothpaste, not a gel-based toothpaste.
Here’s how this method works:
Dab a small amount of toothpaste onto the end of a cotton swab or clean, soft cloth.
Gently rub the cotton swab or cloth in circular motions on the screen until you see the scratch go away.
After this, wipe your screen with a slightly dampened cloth to remove any excess toothpaste.
2. Car scratch removal creams
Car scratch removal creams such as Turtle Wax, 3M Scratch and Swirl Remover can minimize and get rid of scratches. Simply apply the cream to a clean, soft cloth and wipe your screen in a gentle, swirling motion.
3. Sandpaper or drill grinders
Grinding stubborn phone scratches with sandpaper or a small 
drill grinder is a drastic solution, but has the ability to remove unwanted scuffs from your phone. It’s best to use this method for smoothing out scratches on the back of your phone.
When using fine sandpaper, it’s important to use the least abrasive kind and to press gently onto your phone. As you grind the phone scratches, check often to make sure there is no damage on the screen.
Note: If you aren’t careful, this method can end up causing more scratches and damage.
4. Baking soda
Mix two parts baking soda and one part water in a bowl to create a thick paste that can help get rid of scratches of your phone.
Baking soda can serve as a handy phone scratch remover. Here’s how this remedy works:
Mix two parts baking soda and one part water in a bowl.
Stir until it forms a thick paste.
Apply the paste to a clean, soft cloth and gently rub in a circular motion on the phone’s scratches.
After this, wipe your screen with a fresh, slightly dampened cloth to remove any excess.
5. Baby powder
Baby powder mixed with water creates a thick paste that can be used to remove scratches on your phone.
Adding water to baby powder creates a paste that can take out the scratches on your phone. In the steps above, simply substitute baby powder for baking soda.
6. Vegetable oil
For small, hidden scratches, vegetable oil is said to work well as a temporary solution. One drop of vegetable oil on top of scratches can be a quick cosmetic fix.
7. Egg and potassium aluminum sulfate
An online tutorial from Yahoo says that mixing egg whites and potassium aluminum sulfate can get rid of scratches.
For this, you’ll need a microfiber cloth, an egg, aluminum foil and alum (potassium aluminum sulfate, which can be purchased at your local drugstore).
Mix one egg white and one teaspoon of alum in a saucepan. Heat to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Soak the microfiber cloth in the egg and alum mixture.
Put the cloth on aluminum foil, and then place it into a 300-degree oven until the cloth is completely dry.
Take the cloth out of the oven and rinse it in cold water for 20 to 30 seconds.
Repeat the step above three times, and then let the cloth air-dry for 48 hours.
Now, use the cloth to remove scratches.
8. Brasso, Silvo or other polishes
Silvo and Brasso have been said to clean and repair scratches on phones.
A word of caution before you follow through with this method: Using polishes such as Brasso and Silvo can sometimes remove the screen coating and result in larger scratches. Try this at your own risk.
Pour polish into a bowl. It’s a good idea to put a towel underneath the bowl so it does not spill.
Dip a soft cloth into the polish.
Rub the cloth up and down the scratch and in circular motions.
After this, wipe your screen with a fresh cloth to remove any excess.
IMAGES:
How to ..scratches MASHABLE
Baking Soda FLICKR, KAFKA4PREZ
Baby Powder FLICKR, AUKIRK
Brasso Silvo FLICKR, MARKCPH
For more on this story go to: http://mashable.com/2014/06/28/phone-screen-scratches/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
