New Ramen Restaurant in Portland Will Make You Lock Up Your Phone

Matthew De Fio and business partner Andrew Doolittle are opening a new ramen restaurant in Portland later this fall called Ishi Ishi (which means 'determination' or 'intention' in Japanese), according to the Portland Press Herald.

But there's a catch.

The newspaper states that you will have to put your phone in a locker until you are done eating.

Matthew told the paper he got the idea after he went to Ramen Tatsu-Ya in Austin, Texas, and ordered a bowl of ramen he apparently waited too long to eat so the chef grabbed his food and threw it away. The chef explained to Matthew that the "flavor changes as the bowl cools. Vegetables get soggy."

Matthew told the paper that ramen is supposed to be eaten as soon as it is served and not after pictures are taken and posted to social media.

When asked by the Press Herald 'why not just ask people to put away their phones?' Matthew said it's an option, and "but you know how people are."

The 9 seat ramen shop will be in the Black Box space that used to be occupied by The Cheese Shop of Portland at 93 Washington Avenue and will offer 3 types of ramen, gluten free noodles, brothless and vegetarian options, according to the newspaper.