Reservations soar at restaurant that has banned children

Reservations soar at restaurant that has banned children - Daily Mail

https://apple.news/A5YcFP9XqTxWgwuQF2hMB_Q

Just wondering if any of our own restaurantuers have considered doing this and what the forum's reaction would be.

Here's an alternate link.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ldren.html

We took our kids everywhere, and now our kids are taking their kids everywhere. The difference is that I think we were "smart" about it, eating early (5:30-6 pm reservations), always brought a jar of peanut butter "just in case," and packed a second case with toys or books (again just in case). Over a period of 6-7 years I think one or both acted up only a handful of times, and one of us left with them immediately until they calmed down.

Today we have seen many examples of parents with kids running wild or screaming at the table at say 8:15 or so, which is most small kids' bedtimes so it's natural they'd be tired and acting out! Don't understand.

I really feel for the restaurateurs. If they kick out the families, they will get applause from some but in most areas will likely lose more business than they'd gain. If they don't, they may lose some adult customers, but I really think most would blame the parents and would not blame the restaurant. I vote for letting the kids in, or maybe restricting them to something like "kids are permitted and welcomed before 8:30pm?

The difference is that I think we were "smart" about it, eating early (5:30-6 pm reservations), always brought a jar of peanut butter "just in case," and packed a second case with toys or books (again just in case). Over a period of 6-7 years I think one or both acted up only a handful of times, and one of us left with them immediately until they calmed down.

Today we have seen many examples of parents with kids running wild or screaming at the table at say 8:15 or so, which is most small kids' bedtimes so it's natural they'd be tired and acting out! Don't understand.

I really feel for the restaurateurs. If they kick out the families, they will get applause from some but in most areas will likely lose more business than they'd gain. If they don't, they may lose some adult customers, but I really think most would blame the parents and would not blame the restaurant. I vote for letting the kids in, or maybe restricting them to something like "kids are permitted and welcomed before 8:30pm?

That's the difference between how you hundred your children in this situation and how most parents today do. Today they just ignore their children when they take them to a restaurant and don't care if they disturb other diners who were enjoying their dinner. I certainly agree with your idea about a time at which children are longer permitted into a restaurant but I think it should be much earlier than 8:30 PM, somewhere around 7 PM. That way it would only be about 830 when they finished eating. That's plenty late enough for them to be out. Also, maybe making the entire restaurant no children on Friday and Saturday evenings? There has to be a compromise someplace but just letting the children run rampant in restaurants certainly isn't it.

Mark - that's what I was going for (banning kids after 8:30 implies a 7:00 latest reservation), but you expressed it much more clearly. Thanks!

So are we going to ban other bad behavior in restaurants ( people on cell calls/ conference calls, drunks, loud parties, etc) or just our next generation of restaurant go-ers?

Like Andrew's example, my son has been going to good restaurants since he was very young and is very well-behaved in restaurants. ( he also goes to bed at 10:00, so the 7:00 rule makes no sense). You get that way from exposure to environments, parental involvement and society expectations- not by being banned. So how do we reinforce correct behavior in restaurants so parents and the next generation know how to behave in restaurants? Banning will only result in less restaurant traffic and less restaurants.

So are we going to ban other bad behavior in restaurants ( people on cell calls/ conference calls, drunks, loud parties, etc) or just our next generation of restaurant go-ers?

Like Andrew's example, my son has been going to good restaurants since he was very young and is very well-behaved in restaurants. ( he also goes to bed at 10:00, so the 7:00 rule makes no sense). You get that way from exposure to environments, parental involvement and society expectations- not by being banned. So how do we reinforce correct behavior in restaurants so parents and the next generation know how to behave in restaurants? Banning will only result in less restaurant traffic and less restaurants.

Hey - no one said it would be easy!

Unfortunately, changing the habits of millennial parents (assumption) is a LOT more difficult any alternative I can come up with . . . and quite frankly there are a couple of places (more in Chicago than in Louisville) where we think twice before going because we know 75% of the time we'll be encountering wild kids.

How about a segregated section of the dining room as a "kid zone" (or maybe a "no kid zone?")? Back in the day when we made a reservation we could specify "smoking" or "non-smoking" sections, so what do you think?

So well-behaved children ( and parents) are forced to sit with those misbehaving?? Not fair and still not sending the right message.

How about a separate section for those using cellphones/devices ( without headphones)? I personally love it when restaurants restrict cell phone use in order to enhance the dining experience. And find it unacceptable to have a child ( or adult) disturbing other's dinner while playing Disney movies or the latest game. Maybe that messaging would reinforce the thought that restaurants are a place to enjoy dining- not be wild and disruptive.

So well-behaved children ( and parents) are forced to sit with those misbehaving?? Not fair and still not sending the right message.

How about a separate section for those using cellphones/devices ( without headphones)? I personally love it when restaurants restrict cell phone use in order to enhance the dining experience. And find it unacceptable to have a child ( or adult) disturbing other's dinner while playing Disney movies or the latest game. Maybe that messaging would reinforce the thought that restaurants are a place to enjoy dining- not be wild and disruptive.

I would have no problem with banning cell phones, although I would allow vibration (in case we get an emergency call, which has happened - we go outside to take it). And, while I totally agree that it's not fair and not sending the right message to segregate good kids as well as bad parents, what would you suggest? I'm sure you've come across parents that let their kids run wild in a restaurant before.

When we experience it, normally we do nothing; it's certainly not the restaurant's fault, and we aren't going to get into a fight with parents! On the few occasions we truly couldn't stand it, we asked to move tables, and were accommodated.

Is it your suggestion to ignore the situation? What do you recommend a restaurant do if it encounters evil parents? How should a restaurant send "the right message" without aggravating the situation even more?

Andrew,

I don't have a solution, but don't think singling out a specific group of annoying people ( kids) is a fix or appropriate. I hate sitting by wild kids too. But I think banned annoying behavior for all patrons is more appropriate.

Assuming we are talking only white tablecloth here, I'd start with a cell phone talking / video playing ban- that'll strongly discourage those who don't have manners in the first place. And no one can claim it's ageist. Once these distractions are eliminated, a restaurant can also choose not to offer a kid's meal to help discourage large amounts of kids, and diners can choose to eat later if being around kids is intrusive or ask for another table. ( We've done all of these). The real answer is for parents and people to reinforce the correct behavior in restaurants, but I'm not sure how that's going to happen.

Deb, I'm sure your children are well behaved not only when you take them to a restaurant but all the time. That's because you are a caring parent that has good parenting skills and you brought your children up to respect their parents as well as others. The problem arises with parents think their children should be free to do whatever they want to while in a restaurant. The parents go about their business eating dinner and don't care if their children are screaming, running around or raising hell in an assortment of ways.

Last night was a good example, we were at a local restaurant having a quiet dinner until a couple with 2 young children were seated next to us. The children were around 2 years old and 5 years old and the 5-year-old especially was always running around, hitting her sister chewing on and throwing her straw around and screaming. At least your sister stayed in one place I think that was more or less because they had are strapped into a children's chair. Needless to say we quickly finished our dinner and left. They were also a couple other tables with children seated in the restaurant but those children were well behaved. You would think the parents of the ones seated next to us would get the message! But instead doing they did was yell at the children loudly which accomplished nothing but cause more interruption.

(Heavy sigh)
People with bad kids NEVER get the message. They don't WANT the message. For some reason they think their responsibility ends at feeding and clothing their kids and to everything else they shrug and ask ,"Kids! Whattaya gonna do?" And there are a bunch of them out there. I am totally befuddled by the number of parents that think that because their kids go to school/nursery/day care that all responsibility for teaching that child anything falls on someone else's shoulders. Diligent moms like Deb that take an active interest in raising good kids/good citizens are now the minority.
Because of that I would gladly patronize a no kids restaurant. Training kids for restaurant behavior can start at home and continue at any of other number of restaurants that do accept kids. I work with other people's kids all day and when I'm off ...god save me from lazy parents ' yelling screaming Ill-behaved darlings.

This was the subject of our family dinner conversation last night. Interestingly enough, both my husband and my now 13 year old son thought banning "5 and under " was good for fine dining. My son's suggestion is that kids go to other more casual, restaurants ( his example was Mussel and Burger Bar) when they were younger to learn how to behave, and "graduate" to nicer places as they get older. I doubt he would have agreed with that position when he was younger....

I personally have no problem with well behaved children dining out with their parents...I've even gone so far as to thank the parents for their well behaved/mannered children when I've dined out (as recently as last week).

Does there need to be as standard....YES. HOWEVER, it needs to be determined by 1) the restaurant itself and 2) reliant on "proper" manners, which in lies the problem.

Before I open up yet another heated debate on what is proper, I'll leave this discussing with this thought...what would have happened to you if you had "acted up in that way" when you were a child? I know what would have happened to me, and trust me, I wouldn't be typing this right now!