Restaurant In Italy Gives Free Wine To Customers But There's A Catch

If you are in Italy, you could avail yourself of some free wine but there’s a catch. An Italian restaurant named Al Condominio in Verona is providing its customers with a free bottle of wine. However, to be eligible for the offer, customers will have to surrender their mobile phones before their meal. As per a popular Instagram handle, restaurant’s owner Angelo Lella started the place in the Northern Italian city in March. He aimed to encourage the visiting diners to engage in conversations rather than glancing at their smartphones.

Speaking to The Guardian, the owner said, “Technology is becoming a problem – there is no need to look at your phone every five seconds…This way they have an opportunity to put it aside and drink some good wine.”

Meanwhile, the Instagram post has so far attracted more than 68,000 likes. Several users have also reacted to the post with one of them commending the owner for his efforts. “A true man of class, giving away items that would cost money just for the consumer to enjoy their time there,” he wrote. Another hilariously joked that he needed an owner like that in the office. “Get this man in office ASAP,” he wrote.

In one reply, a netizen suggested that she does not drink but would happily give up her phone for the complimentary reward. “I don’t really drink. If they gave me a complimentary blunt, I’d happily give up my phone,” she commented. Another person seemed to agree as he wrote, “I don’t drink wine but that sounds like a great offer.”

Angelo Lella further talked about the idea’s origin. “We wanted to open a restaurant that was different from the others. So we picked this format – customers can choose to renounce technology while enjoying a convivial moment together,” the portal quoted the owner as saying.

This idea of free wine for a break from the internet is seemingly working well for the restaurant. Al Condominio has reported that nearly 90 per cent of the patrons accept this offer during their visit to the place. “The response has been very positive. Ninety per cent of the customers have opted to leave aside their phones in exchange for wine. It really is a beautiful thing to see people embracing it”, the restaurant owner concluded.

Al Condominio is regarded as the first restaurant in the Veneto region to adopt such a unique initiative. However, there are still other examples of restaurants that offer vouchers to customers who give up their phones.