Chick-fil-A Wants Diners to Put Their Phones Away and Is Offering Something Sweet to Those Who Do

A small cardboard box decorated with chicken wire is sitting on tables at select Chick-fil-A locations, and it comes with an offer worth taking. Drop your phone inside for the length of your meal, and the restaurant hands you a free ice cream cone. The promotion, called the “Cell Phone Coop Challenge,” is back after first appearing in 2016, and it is already drawing attention online.

A Georgia Franchisee Started This Back in 2016

The challenge traces back to Brad Williams, who owns two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Georgia. Williams launched it in mid-January 2016 after watching a mother sit through an entire meal scrolling on her phone while her two children ate beside her. That moment, he told ABC News, pushed him to think about how to make the dining room feel like a space for actual conversation again.

Phones Go in the Box, Ice Cream Comes at the End

Diners who want to participate ask an employee for the coop, a small container that holds everyone’s phones on silent for the meal. When the table finishes eating without touching their devices, each person receives a free ice cream cone. The Chick-fil-A at Towson Place in Maryland, which recently revived the challenge, posted the invitation to its Facebook followers: “Are you up for the challenge?”

Within Months, the Idea Spread to Nearly 200 Locations

When Williams introduced the coop at his two Georgia restaurants in 2016, the uptake was immediate. Within weeks, more than 10,000 coops had been produced, and nearly 200 independent Chick-fil-A operators had adopted the idea at their own locations. Williams used a local printer and designs sourced from Pinterest to build the original coops before the concept grew beyond his restaurants.

The Goal Was Habit-Building, Not Just a One-Time Gimmick

Williams framed the coop as more than a short-term promotion. “We’re trying to slowly create rituals that create disciplines and will slowly create habits,” he told ABC News. The aim was to shift how families relate to mealtime, not just offer a free dessert. He described the atmosphere in his restaurants as noticeably different once phones disappeared from the table: more chatter, more eye contact.

Phone-Free Dining Is Not a New Idea

The coop concept has a parallel in fine dining. In 2018, New York City’s Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park introduced small wooden boxes at tables, inviting guests to store their phones during the meal. Chef and owner Daniel Humm posted the idea on Instagram, framing it as an invitation for diners to be present with the people they came with, rather than with their screens.

Research Backs Up What Williams Observed in His Dining Room

Studies support the idea that phones change how people eat and how much. A 2019 study found that diners who ate while looking at their phones consumed an average of 535 more calories than those who stayed focused on their food. A separate 2018 study found that one in three Americans regularly uses their phone during meals, pointing to how deeply the habit had taken hold.

Younger Generations Are the Most Likely to Scroll While Eating

Younger diners show the clearest pull toward screens at mealtime. According to reporting from the New York Post, 81 percent of Gen Z and 60 percent of millennials admit to using their phones while eating. Among those dining with others, 25 percent of Gen Z and 23 percent of millennials said they had ignored someone at the table to check their phone, a behavior now widely referred to as “phubbing.”

The 2026 Revival Is Confirmed at Only a Few Locations So Far

When Business Insider investigated the challenge’s return in late March 2026, reporters contacted Chick-fil-A locations across California, New York, New Jersey, and the Washington, D.C. area and found no additional participating restaurants. Three restaurants confirmed they had offered the promotion. Williams’ Georgia locations, which brought the coop back in January, told Business Insider on Monday that the promotion was no longer running at their stores.

What the Coop Challenge Says About How We Eat Together Now

The Cell Phone Coop Challenge, in both its original run and its 2026 revival, reflects a broader tension that restaurants, families, and researchers have been wrestling with for years: how to reclaim mealtime as a shared experience when everyone at the table has a screen in their pocket. Whether or not the ice cream seals the deal, the question Williams posed back in 2016 still holds: “Be present where your feet are.”