Photo credit: YouTube/mweb

There’s something not quite right about the #dinnercam, and we’re not talking about the hashtag in its name. The gadget, a rather clunky-looking lighting set-up, supposedly helps restaurant patrons snap better Instagram photos of their food.

#Dinnercam is the work of a South African internet provider, MWEB, created as part of an ongoing project ”exploring how WiFi and the web are changing everyday life in public spaces,” which admittedly makes #dinnercam sound more like an advertising gimmick than a real product.

Regardless, MWEB recently lent the machine to a Cape Town Mexican restaurant called El Burro, which had it available to customers on request. #Dinnercam has a few lighting options—red, violet, and white to name a few—which don’t appear to always yield the same results as professional photography. Or Instagrams taken with good, old-fashioned natural light, for that matter. Take a gander:

Gimmick or not, the #dinnercam represents a startling trend in restaurant etiquette. We love a great food photograph as much as the next person, but when a hulking lighting machine appears atop the two-top next to you, things have gone too far. Just put down the cell phone and enjoy your meal, people.

If you’re not annoyed already, watch the video of #dinnercam in action below.

[via Eater]