A Chick-fil-A Goes Viral for Giving Free Ice Cream to Families Who Put Phones Away
It’s a familiar scene in modern society: individuals sitting at a restaurant, not deep in conversation or even trading light banter about the weather, but instead staring at their phones, doomscrolling in silence.
A handful of Chick-fil-A locations across the United States are gently pushing back on screen addiction by offering free ice cream to families who resist the urge to scroll, and instead do what was common during the pre-smartphone era: talk.
The promotion is not company-wide but has recently gone viral and drawn praise from families as well as from government officials, including the governor of Arkansas.
I think this is a great idea! A Chick-fil-A restaurant in Maryland is in the news for urging families to take the “Cell Phone Coop Challenge” and be phone-free during their meals. If customers place their phones in a coop provided by the restaurant during the meal, everyone at…
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) March 30, 2026
Brad Williams, who owns two Chick-fil-A locations in Georgia, told ABC News he was inspired to introduce the ice cream incentive after noticing a mother of two spend an entire meal on her cellphone. Williams placed a box – dubbed a chicken “coop” – on each table, offering free ice cream to families who place their phones inside and finish their meal phone-free.
“It just got me thinking how to get people to disconnect in order to connect and to take a technology timeout,” Williams told ABC News.
Williams said the concept has expanded, with more than 10,000 “co-ops” created and approximately 200 independent Chick-fil-A operators now using them in their restaurants. Each box is decorated with chicken coop wire.
The idea, he added, has worked.
“We’re trying to slowly create rituals that create disciplines and will slowly create habits,” Williams said. “It’s almost like we’re starting to create a no-cellphone zone.”
“There’s more conversation and chatter,” he said of the impact. “It’s hard to sit with your family and not do the challenge now.”
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders applauded the concept.
“More and more people are realizing that phones create distance at the table,” she wrote on X/Twitter. “I hope more restaurants will follow @ChickfilA’s lead.”
More and more people are realizing that phones create distance at the table.
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) March 30, 2026
I hope more restaurants will follow @ChickfilA’s lead. https://t.co/k6NRtIva7H
Related Article
More States Ban Smartphones in Local Schools
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Penghao Xiong
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published March 31, 2026.
