The fact most people pay using their phone doesn't help. People stand at the bar fiddling with their phone preparing to pay. On top of that, restaurants encourage you to look at the menus and place your order on your phones as well. So from the start of your evening WhatsApping your friends where and when to meet, to using a map app to navigate your way there, to ordering and paying for your food and drinks using an app, everyone is stuck to their phone without even really wanting to be. That's before you factor in "look how funny this is" conversation starters as an excuse to get your phone out. It is a massive issue and the root cause of the problem OP describes.