Italian-American casual dining chain, Frankie & Benny’s is to Introduce designated public displays of affection-free zones this Valentine's Day.
The decision was made by the brand following nationwide research that showed that as many as half of Brits feel uncomfortable when it comes to snogging in restaurants.
And as many as 36% of the 2,000 respondents surveyed feel people indulging in PDAs such as over-zealous kissing, feeding each-other and licking each other’s fingers should save it for when they get home.
Frankie & Benny’s, which has over 230 restaurants across the country, will introduce clearly signposted 'No PDA Zones' on 14 February, in a select number of restaurants across the country.
This will mean diners can tuck into their food, safe in the knowledge they won’t be faced with a steamy scene on the next table.
But the move doesn’t mean heartbreak for couples who wish to get up close and personal - with Frankie’s also inviting flirtatious diners to sit in a designated PDA Zone, with no fear of being judged or criticised.
A spokesperson for Frankie & Benny’s commented, “Our nationwide research clearly indicates that many Brits are uncomfortable with couples being openly tactile with each-other, whilst they are trying to enjoy their meal.
“But we also understand that many couples see Valentine’s Day as the one time of year when they can show physical affection toward their loved ones to show how much they care.
“With this in mind - and to cater to everyone’s needs - we will be creating separate spaces in select restaurants, where couples who want to get amorous are more than welcome and couples who find PDA’s off-putting can have somewhere to enjoy their meal, in our designated “NO PDA ZONE”.
The research revealed restaurants are the most unacceptable place to canoodle with your partner (36 percent), with buses in second place (35 percent).
Public swimming pools came third in the list of places one should never show their affections (34 percent), followed by trains (31 percent) and shopping centres (29 percent).
But the most embarrassing PDA is finger sucking, deemed totally unacceptable by 45 percent of Brits.
That was followed by touching each other under clothes (40 percent), grinding (38 percent) and bum grabbing (32 percent).
29 percent of people think foot massages should only ever happen in private, while 15 percent think nuzzling in public is a big faux pas.
However, for all our loathing of PDAS, the study found that 82 percent of us admit we’ve got carried away with a partner in a public place.