JD Wetherspoon has banned the use of loudspeaker mode on mobile phones in all 792 of its pubs. Customers are being told to use earphones or switch their phones to silent.
“Following complaints from customers, who are being driven nuts by other people’s videos and amplified phone conversations, Wetherspoon has asked customers to switch their phones to silent or to use earphones,” said a spokesperson.
Founder and chairman Sir Tim Martin added: “In a world dominated by other people’s music and amplified sound, Wetherspoon pubs are an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation.
“In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down.”
The Wetherspoon move comes at a time when large proportions of the public are increasingly annoyed by noise from mobile devices.
