It’s only rude if it isn’t expected. If reading the menu requires a phone, having your phone out is expected and not rude. If needing to take out your phone at

It’s only rude if it isn’t expected. If reading the menu requires a phone, having your phone out is expected and not rude. If needing to take out your phone at the beginning of dinner is enough to distract your friends throughout the rest of the meal, perhaps there are larger problems than how you order food. When I eat with people we use our phones to order and then put them away when they’re no longer necessary. It doesn’t change the dining experience at all and people still talk to each other.