These days, it feels like you can’t escape your phone, no matter how bad you want to. Gone are the days of paper menus; now you need to scan a QR code or order through an app. While some may love how easy phones make life, others… not so much. If you’re a member of the latter group, you’re in luck because one Black-owned bar in Washington, D.C. is taking things back to the Stone Age.
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Well…maybe not that far. But it’s taking things back offline.
Hush Harbor, a Black-owned cocktail bar in Washington, D.C., has set down some strict rules to ensure its customers live in the moment: No phones allowed. Literally. Before entering the bar, customers must lock their phones inside a Yondr pouch. A Yondr pouch is a lockable pouch that customers keep with them and which can only be released by a magnet outside of the bar, according to The Washington Post.
The bar, which opened in September, was founded by Rahman “Rock” Harper, a Washington-based chef and the winner of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” Season 3, according to USA Today. It can be found on Washington’s H Street Corridor, a neighborhood bustling with exciting nightlife, but this bar might be the most unique of all.
Talking to Washington Top News about how he came up with the idea and the name Hush Harbor, Harper explained that it was inspired by talking to his mother about his African American roots and how important community was for his ancestors.
“Spiritually, it came by way of listening to my mother when she was talking about the importance of my ancestors having hush harbors. A hush harbor originally was a meeting, a gathering of formerly enslaved Africans, where they used to commune and convene in the wilderness to practice their spirituality out of the gaze of a slave master for fear, of course, of harm,” Harper told WTOP.
Harper added that his cocktail bar is the modern version of hush harbors of the past, made to give people a space to meet without the distractions of the online world.
“This is the modern version of that. When I asked my mom, she said, You know, a convening, a meeting offline is still important today, to many movements, but also your own personal life.”
While being a bar with a no-phones policy might be what they’re known for, Hush Harbor’s website stresses that it is much more than that.
“We’re laser-focused on what we’re giving you: a space to be present and first-class service. We believe that the best memories in life are made together, in the moment. If you’re ready to relax, slow down and have a great night — we’re here to serve you,” the website reads.
So if you’re looking for a fun night out and a way to get off your phone, knock on Hush Harbor’s door and spend some time in the offline world.
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