We've all been there - you're out for a round of drinks or dinner with friends, then one by one, each of you drop from the conversation to text mom or tweet at your celebrity crush.

Soon, your table of four is silent but for the patter of thumbs tapping away like tiny jackhammers at 50,000 years of social etiquette.

The scene is so ubiquitous that staff at one Vancouver bar have started placing the phones of willing patrons under lock and key for the evening. But the idea's not just about saving us from ourselves, said Jesse Ritchie, the owner of Score on Davie, it's also about fostering a return to civility.

"People are sort of in their own little worlds on their phones," he said. "The worst thing in this industry, because it's so personal, is when you go up to a table or a group of people and you tell them specials, or you ask if they have any questions, and they don't even look up from their phone."

Things aren't supposed to be like that, he said. "You're supposed to leave the outside world when you step into a bar and be in the moment."

So when staff server Ian Kampman came up with the idea to let patrons lock-up their phones for the evening, it seemed like an instant winner.

How it works is the bartender passes a key to willing patrons, who themselves have to go through the pain of placing their phones inside a transparent box beside their table. Once the box is closed and locked, the bartender takes back the key and puts it away for safekeeping.

It is then that the table mates decide on some form of punishment, should one of them give in to an overwhelming urge to unlock the box and check their phone, said Ritchie.

"They have to come up with some sort of penalty, whether it be buying a round of drinks, paying for the whole bill, or paying for half the bill," said Ritchie. "I think somebody the other day made a guy go say a cheesy pickup line on a girl."

Ritchie said bar staff don't make up the rules of the game, and it's strictly voluntary, but they're happy to assist by holding the keys.

The general concept is not entirely new, with so-called phone stacks or 'trees' becoming popular in some crowds, where everyone at a given table places their phones one on top of the other and is banned from touching the stack.

As difficult as that is for many people, Score on Davie's method of enforced etiquette seems that much harder.

"The first time we did it I panicked. I hated it," said Ritchie with a laugh. "I felt like I was going through some sort of rehab program."

In the end, it was he who gave-in first and he recalled having to pick up the tab for his table.

Ritchie said patrons usually laugh when they hear about the boxes and say they're a great idea, but once somebody at the table says "well, let's lock our phones," there's usually another who hems and haws and says sheepishly, "maybe not."

So far about one third of patrons are trying it out, said Ritchie, and many soon forget about their phones entirely.

But as the night continues, others find themselves wanting to show a picture on their phone before realizing they'll need to explain it instead.

"They're using their words, which is nice," he chuckled.

"The culture has changed so much and it's nice to have it back a little."

mattrobinson@vancouversun.com

Follow me: @mt_robinson