# Do you eat at restaurants with NO televisions sets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2022, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210 "2022-06-15T02:39:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/41 "2022-06-15T18:17:43Z")
Hell, a BW3s near me has large projection screens on either side of the bar area and the audio is jammed through the house PA. I’ve made the mistake of not checking whether any major sporting events before heading there. > [@mixdenny](#): > > They no longer have Buzztime Trivia at BWW as the new owners of BWW (and Arbys) dropped the trivia games. I used to stop by every once in a while for some wings, a couple beers and a little trivia. I still go there with friends ( when I wouldn’t be playing anyway) but my solo outings are done. Off topic but I’ll say the wings have improved in the last few years. Larger but with fewer broken bones or odd tendon-y bites. Ordering with sauce on the side helps, too. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/42 "2022-06-15T18:26:58Z")
To me, TV and music as background noise in restaurants are not nearly as annoying as the incomprehensible trend of stripping the walls to the brick and steel beneath. It means an echo chamber of every noise in the place until you have to scream to be heard at all. I hate it. But yeah, I prefer no TV’s at restaurants, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/43 "2022-06-15T18:50:27Z")
I made the mistake of going to a Hooters with some friends a few days ago not knowing the NBA Finals were happening. I didn’t have a problem with the NBA game though, I had a problem that they were piping the TVs through all the interior speakers so the game was extremely loud which when it was during basketball then was fine but what was not fine was hearing COMMERCIALS during this, as commercials are normally louder than standard programming anyway so it was almost painful to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/44 "2022-06-15T18:56:10Z")
I’ll tolerate a tv screen at a restaurant if I’m not subjected to the sound of it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/45 "2022-06-15T19:02:34Z")
Yep. I do not like TVs on. Nor professional sports. A TV in the bar is okay. Worst idea is news programs but no closed captioning. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/46 "2022-06-15T20:03:35Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > … not knowing the NBA Finals were happening. And, even if you get a seat/table, wait times will be massively extended for food, drinks & general service. I’ve gone into BW3s, heard the roar of the tv and other patrons and turned right around without even seeing the bar area. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/47 "2022-06-15T21:26:27Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Huh, it never occurred to me that TVs in American restaurants might be standard. It sure isn’t, at least at nice restaurants. I can’t think of a single place I’d take my wife that has a TV\*. Having retired just before Covid, I took up watching sports as a hobby. Having no cable, and discovering the days of watching sports on broadcast TV are long gone (“Hey, why can’t I watch the Milwaukee Braves on Channel 3?”)… …so I can now tell you every bar/restaurant/tavern/sports pub that carries ESPN/FS1/Bally/Unimás/MLB within a long bike ride of my house. And I can list the “civilized” ones that will have the games on (usually one MLB, one NBA, one Futbol), but with the sound off. Handy if I’m going to chat with a friend, or (more usually) draw or read while I eat. In fact, the other night, I listened to an audiobook while watching the mime version of the Warriors/Celtics… amazing basketball. (Oh, I was one of four people there…I’d picked a hole-in-the-wall joint) (NOT BW3! That’s always sensory overload!) . \*Look, I invite her to the sporty taverns, but she has no interest in Televised Testostrone or greasy burgers… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/48 "2022-06-15T21:34:53Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > TVs in the bar area (but usually not in the dining area, as you note), usually turned to sports programming (but with the sound turned down) are pretty much the standard at other chain “bar and grill” restaurants like TGI Friday’s and Applebee’s. I’d add that a lot of little pizza/red sauce places tend to have a TV or two as well, and some counter-service places do too. Depends on how informal the places are. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/49 "2022-06-15T21:38:11Z")
> [@digs](#): > > It sure isn’t, at least at nice restaurants. I can’t think of a single place I’d take my wife that has a TV\*. Anecdotally: our very favorite “nice” restaurant, for close to twenty years, was Mon Ami Gabi, a French bistro – it’s operated by the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, and they have several locations, in the Chicago area, and elsewhere. (Their location which was close to us, in west suburban Chicago, closed last fall, when their lease was up, and Lettuce chose to not renew it.) Anyway, it’s a lovely white-tablecloth restaurant, with great ambiance, delicious food, a great selection of French wines, and excellent staff. Even so, the west suburban location, at least, had a small bar, and there were two or three TV screens, set to sports stations, above the bar (though not visible from the actual dining rooms). ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/50 "2022-06-15T21:46:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yep. > > I do not like TVs on. Nor professional sports. A TV in the bar is okay. > > Worst idea is news programs but no closed captioning. You mean like McDonalds with FoxNews on all of the times. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/51 "2022-06-16T00:18:57Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Look, I invite her to the sporty taverns, but she has no interest in Televised Testostrone or greasy burgers… I take my gf to an English Style Brewpub that brews English Ales. They have TVs just to show Premiere League Football matches. They have food trucks, so the food is good. _But_, the second the match is over, the tv is off. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/52 "2022-06-16T01:57:47Z")
Depends on what I’m in the mood for. If it’s bar & grill & beer, TVs and/or loud music don’t bother me. Sitting down in a fin(er) dining establishment to have dinner and conversation with family & friends? I can do without. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/53 "2022-06-16T02:31:13Z")
Apart from a bar I’ve never eaten in a restaurant that does have a TV ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/54 "2022-06-16T14:52:17Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > Is this really a thing in the US? > > As for restaurants, I do not recall eating anywhere where a TV was on. It’s just contrary to the idea of a restaurant (as opposed to a _Kneipe_ (bar)). My strangest experience with a TV in a restaurant was in Nanjing, China. My wife and I were having a fairly formal dinner (an army general was invited as a special guest) in a private room at a restaurant and during the first course a waiter wheeled in a TV on a cart and turned it on (to CCTV1, or whatever). I was confused and I asked my wife if we could turn it off (which we did). I hope that wasn’t some big breach of etiquette that I was unaware of. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/55 "2022-06-16T15:44:44Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > They have food trucks, so the food is good. I didn’t know there was a correlation. (but to be honest, I’ve never eaten food from a truck) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/56 "2022-06-16T15:48:13Z")
The pandemic introduced me to the concept of food trucks. We’ve tried many dozens and have a top ten list, mostly foodie-type food trucks. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/57 "2022-06-16T15:51:05Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > The pandemic introduced me to the concept of food trucks. We’ve tried many dozens and have a top ten list, mostly foodie-type food trucks . I know Portland Oregon has a food truck “scene,” but we don’t have any around where I live that I know of. I’m willing to give it a try, if the opportunity presents itself. (plus, no TVs.) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/58 "2022-06-16T16:25:41Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > Here in Germany a number of restaurants (the midrange, not the gourmet sort) do have a video projector and a screen that can be pulled down, but that’s reseved for an occasional screening of European/world championship late-round games that are billed as an event in the restaurant, a few times during championships, not for everyday use. Yes, I was about to say the same about the UK. Restaurants don’t have TVs (what a horrible concept), and the pubs that do will only switch them on for big games, never just as background noise/imagery. I have seen TVs very occasionally in small independent restaurants in Italy - generally the low end kind, very casual. I remember eating in one in Sicily during a EUFA Cup game between England and Portugal - all the diners were looking over their partners shoulders at the TV during the entire meal. Awful - and I like football! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/59 "2022-06-16T16:44:14Z")
For what it’s worth (particularly for the non-Americans in this thread): watching TV (or otherwise using a screen, like a computer or phone) while eating is a very common habit for Americans. The study referenced in this article says that: - 88% of Americans are using some sort of screen while eating - 91% watch TV while eating, at least occasionally - 49% regularly watch TV while eating > **['Zombie Eating': 88% Of Adults Dine While Staring At A Screen, Survey Finds](https://studyfinds.org/zombie-eating-88-percent-adults-dine-while-staring-at-screen-survey-finds/)** > > A new survey of 2,000 adults has found that a whopping 88% are so-called "zombie eaters" who stare at some type of screen while eating. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210/60 "2022-06-16T17:10:07Z")
I have just this moment returned from a fast food place that had no TV on. There was a TV on the wall, but it was unplugged. Looked like they were doing some work on a few areas, but were open anyway. Really nice, peaceful dining experience. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-at-restaurants-with-no-televisions-sets/966210.md?page=4)