This Chick-fil-A In Maryland Is Rewarding Phone-Free Meals With Free Ice Cream Cones
How long can you go without checking your phone during a meal? One Chick-fil-A location is betting a free ice cream cone that most families are willing to try.
A Chick-fil-A in Towson Place, Maryland, is offering free Icedream Cones to customers who stash their phones in a designated container while they eat as part of a limited in-store promotion called the “Chick-fil-A® Cell Phone Coop Challenge.”
The concept is straightforward: Put your phone away, enjoy your meal without screens and walk away with a complimentary treat.
How the Challenge Works
According to signage shared by the X account Complex, the in-store instructions lay out the rules simply:
“Introducing our Chick-fil-A® Cell Phone Coop Challenge.” “Ask a Team Member for a coop, place all phones in the coop, and enjoy your meal together.” “After you finished let a Team Member know and everyone at the table will receive a Icedream® Cone as a reward.” “Grab a coop and take the challenge.”
The Chick-fil-A Towson Place location also promoted the challenge in a Facebook post, offering a bit more detail:
“Take the Dine-in Cell Phone Coop Challenge at Chick-fil-A Towson Place. Ask a Team Member for a coop, place all phones in the coop, and enjoy your meal together without distractions. When your table finishes, let a Team Member know and everyone will receive an Icedream Cone as a reward. Are you up for the challenge?”
Every person at the table receives a cone, meaning a family of four could walk away with four free treats simply for staying off their devices during dinner.
A Local Effort, Not a Nationwide Rollout
It is important to note that the initiative is not a nationwide program. The challenge appears to be specific to the Towson Place location in Maryland, so customers elsewhere should not expect to find the same promotion at their local Chick-fil-A.
Still, the idea has attracted widespread attention online, with the post from Complex circulating widely and sparking conversation about phone habits at the dinner table.
Phone Use at Meals Is Common — and Commonly Disliked
The promotion taps into a tension many families know well. According to a 2023 study, 68% of households have someone using a phone during meals with others. That means at most tables across the country, at least one person is scrolling, texting or checking notifications while everyone else eats.
But the same study found that 65% of respondents do not like it. And 42% believe using phones during meals is rude.
Those numbers paint a clear picture: Phone use during shared meals is widespread, but it is also widely unwelcome. The gap between how often it happens and how people feel about it suggests many families struggle with setting boundaries around screens at the table.
Will the Challenge Expand to Other Chick-fil-A Locations?
The Chick-fil-A Cell Phone Coop Challenge does not require signing up for an app, joining a loyalty program or making a minimum purchase. The ask is simple — put the phones in the container and eat your meal together.
For parents trying to model good screen habits or families looking for an excuse to disconnect, the reward of a free Icedream Cone adds a playful incentive to something many already want to do but find difficult in practice.
Whether the idea spreads to other Chick-fil-A locations remains to be seen. For now, customers at the Towson Place restaurant in Maryland can test their willpower — and earn a sweet reward for the effort.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
