‘We Don’t Have Wi-Fi, Talk to Each Other’: Digital Disconnection in the Hospitality Industry

This chapter explores the rise of disconnected third places – cafes, restaurants, pubs, and bars that limit or ban digital technologies to foster face-to-face interaction. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature and empirical data from a desk study, it examines the motivations, methods, and implications of digital disconnection in the Global North. The chapter identifies a spectrum of disconnection policies, from technological control to socio-spatial design, and analyses their dual role in supporting entrepreneurs’ business objectives and non-economic aspirations. It challenges binary narratives that frame disconnection as either nostalgic resistance or profit-driven gimmick, revealing instead a complex interplay of social, cultural, and economic factors. The chapter also critiques assumptions about technology, sociability, and public space, highlighting how disconnection can both empower and exclude. Ultimately, it positions disconnected third places as responses to broader tensions in contemporary urban life, including digital saturation, economic precarity, and the erosion of communal infrastructures.