People who expect life lessons from their fast-food boxes instead of virtual-reality headsets suddenly have the perfect reason to road-trip to the South. A Chick-fil-A franchisee in Georgia has created the most quintessentially Chick-fil-A thing ever — a “family challenge” in which customers place their cell phones in a white box in exchange for free ice cream if the group goes the whole meal without anybody fishing theirs out. Called the Cell Phone Coop Challenge, it traps not chickens but the whole family’s electronics in a dark, cramped space. Chick-fil-A says it’s not a nationwide thing yet, but it’s gotten wildly popular, with more than 150 locations already calling up the corporate office and “requesting the Cell Phone Coops,” which feature a chicken-wire pattern.
The rules are pretty simple, per the flap on the side:
1. Turn all family cell phones to silent and place in this cell phone coop.
2. Enjoy your Chick-fil-A meal and each other distraction free!
3. After the meal, let Chick-fil-A know that your family has successfully completed the challenge and each of you will receive a small Icedream cone.
Williams thought his boxes would help make Americans less distracted by their phones, and that could still prove to be the case, just as soon as people get tired of posting pics of them on social media.
