Why restaurants are banning shutterbugs

Americans adore food, and just behind indulging our taste buds is a love of photographing our meals. Sometimes it seems the whole reason for Facebook (FB) is to allow friends to brag about their latest culinary adventures.  

But some high-end eateries are banning or limiting photography, reports The New York Times. The reason? Despite paying as much as $175 per person for a meal, shutterbugs risk, well, bugging other customers with the habit.

Among them is the pricey eatery Momofuku Ko, where a recent diner recounted her experience when she started snapping photos. The restaurant, described by Times' reviewer Frank Bruni as "wholly inventive," charges a set price for its meals: $125 per person for dinner, $175 per person for lunch. It also warns to allow three hours for lunch, and two for dinner.

With a pricey, inventive meal that was set to last hours, the diner decided to take a shot of her shaved foie. The diner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, then says she received a reprimand from the staff. Photos are banned at the hot eatery, she was told.

"I was definitely embarrassed," she said. 

At Bouley, photo-crazed diners are escorted to the kitchen, so that they can snap away without making the dining room "like a circus," chef David Bouley told the Times. 

"It’s like, here’s the sauce, here’s the plate. Snap it. We make it like an adventure for them instead of telling them no,” he added. 

A prix-fixe, six-course dinner at Bouley will set you back $175. With wine pairing, it'll cost $280.

Other high-end eateries are more lax about photography -- but set limits. New York's Per Se and Le Bernardin discourage flash photography. 

"Everybody wants to get their shot. They don’t care how it affects people around them," Bouley spokesman Steven Hall complained to the Times. 

More in moneyNOW

• Abandoned no more: Schools become housing
  
• White Castle woos Valentine's Day diners
  
• Donald Trump wants The New York Times