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Restaurants Cracking Down On Snapping Photos

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Planning to snap a photo of your plate when you head out to dinner tonight? Some restaurants are cracking down.

At Mercat a la Planxa in the South Loop, it's not uncommon for customers to snap a shot of their favorite tapas.

"We are incredibly flattered. You can go anywhere you'd like to eat, you can take a picture of anything you want to take a picture of, and people do, but it's really nice when they want to express that they like what they're seeing here," says Season Kepfer, senior restaurant manager of Mercat.

Restaurants Cracking Down On Snapping Photos

Kepfer says the restaurant welcomes it, but can understand why some colleagues at other eateries are reigning in the foodarazzi.

"It can cross several lines. You don't want to have pictures of other guests by mistake, and have them be upset about it," says Kepfer.

That said, her team is taking advantage of all the photo-snapping, offering a Snap & Brunch where diners learn how to take better food photos, over brunch.

"And we would really love if they could take better pictures! So, it could be a can't-hurt-might-help situation," says Kepfer.

As the owner of three different restaurants in Hinsdale, Peter Burdi is always snapping pics of food when he goes out to eat.

He shares Kepfer's appreciation for diners who do the same.

"They take their phone out, take a quick picture and then it's off to Facebook, or 'hey, come check this out, this is what I just had," says Burdi.

But some diners, at other restaurants, are reportedly going overboard with lots of flashes or standing up to get the right angle.

The New York Times reports it's happening so much, some restaurant owners are cracking down--no photos in the dining room.

"There are limits in everything. I think that's going overboard and it would be a problem for other diners," says Burdi.

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