A New Teahouse With No Wi-Fi Gives You Discounts For Striking Up Convos With Strangers

In an age where social media and technology have virtually taken over our lives, one new teahouse aims to inspire their customers to disconnect by giving them a discount for talking to strangers.

The new Hey Hey teahouse in Los Angeles is introducing the discount as a “20/20 challenge,” where saying “hey” to a stranger and talking over drinks lands you a 20 percent discount. Owner Christopher Kwok aimed to create an environment where people are inspired to get off of their phones and talk to real people instead.

Kwok aims to counter what he describes as the “modern, over-connected and often lonely lives” led by social media addicts. Given the presence of Angelenos on Instagram and other apps, it’s safe to say they fall within this group of people Kwok wants to reach out to with his concept.

Quitting social media for a time can have its benefits. Foodbeast Editor-in-Chief Elie Ayrouth recently deactivated all of his accounts for an entire month because of how addicted he felt. While the temptation to go back was strong at first, he says that doing it made him feel “more like a human again,” rather than the mindless robot mode we can get in while scrolling through our phones. Perhaps, through the Hey Hey teahouse’s enticing discount, we can all get a taste of that feeling as well, if only in passing.

The discount will begin on April 7th, Hey Hey’s grand opening day, and continue for an entire week afterward.