CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A wine bar in Inman Square has an unusual policy for its customers: no cellphones allowed.
Owners Alexandra Whisnant and Bobby MacLean said that their wine and dessert bar, Zuzu’s Petals, provides a space for people to connect and log off from their devices.
“It’s more fun if everyone is talking and drinking,” said Whisnant.
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The menu offers a variety of wines and desserts, which customers peruse as they listen to vinyl playing in the background.
The space is decorated with a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, polaroids of customers pinned to the walls, and a sign that reads “No Cell Phone Use, Please.”
“We like to think of it as our living room,” said MacLean.
The unusual concept of a phone-free dining environment has attracted a number of customers for that very reason. “A lot of people come here for the policy,” shared MacLean.
“Some people come here for the policy and then realize that it’s hard, and we help them by giving them books and games and magazines and things to read.”
MacLean and Whisnant don’t use cellphones at all, instead using a good old-fashioned landline.
“I felt that I wasn’t really living my life because I was staring at the cellphone all the time,” shared Whisnant about the choice to go cellphone-free.
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And so far, their customers have adjusted to the “no cellphones” rule.
“We haven’t had to kick anyone out yet, but I almost did on Valentine’s Day,” said Whisnant.
Zuzu’s Petals is located on Hampshire St. in Inman Square.
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports.
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