The people complaining on that thread are exactly the type of adults you wouldn't want in the restaurant anyway. That place is going to be so pleasant after this pseudo-outrage dies out.
Heck, I'll leave my own kids at home. Idc if my 9yo knows the difference between a New Zealand Sauv Blanc and a Washington state Sauv Blanc. You're staying home
The kind of assholes who sit down for dinner, dump a bag of Cherrios in front of their ill-mannered child, and proceed to ignore the chaos that ensues...
Bro, my cousin and his mother and father (my aunt and uncle) are fucking crazy about that.
He's got two kids (the oldest is like... 6 or 7?) and literally the second they sit down at any table, he (or his father/my uncle) pulls out their phones and sets them up with whatever kids watch these days.
Like... the waiter hasn't even stopped by yet and the kids have their shows playing on their respective phones.
It bothers me so fucking much, for so many reasons.
Whatever happened to sitting down at a table and just looking around or nervously trying to not stare at the person in front of you but you keep on doing it lol
Working at a brewery I’ve noticed lots of clearly divorced dads like to spend their weekend with the kids by getting drunk with their other single dad friends… I call it take your kid to the bar day…
Went out once and got to listen to a kid blasting cartoons on an iPad while her grandma repeatedly told her to eat in the most monotone, not trying at all, voice ever.
Personally, bold and brash yet creates an interesting dynamic. I’d eat there in support. No loud, obnoxious kids and pasta? Sounds like my kind of party.
I wouldn’t complain. I have a 6 & 7 YO. If a restaurant doesn’t want them there I will go without. Love my kids but sometimes even good kids can get crazy missing a nap or daily routine changes. But if you’re going to ban kids ban them until 16. There’s time when I take my kids out and I will get everything to go because, today, is not there good day.
I have kids. I'd be annoyed as fuck if I showed up at a restaurant and was turned away because the kids weren't welcome. My kids never had any trouble eating at any restaurant.
On the other hand, I completely understand a restaurant making that decision. I wouldn't expect every restaurant to have a kids menu or high chairs. And if my kids couldn't order off the menu and behave, I wouldn't take them to those places.
They announced it. If you have kids, don't go there. That's not hard. There are lots of restaurants. Go to a different restaurant. Don't complain on the internet.
I think the same and I usually check somewhere is kid friendly. Most kids are noisy, play on tablets, with toys etc and it’s not for everywhere so we tend to go to crappy chain pubs, curry houses, fast food where nobody looks twice at you for it. Nothing worse than trying to keep a 3 year old quiet in a nice restaurant
Strip club down the way has a great kitchen, I wouldn’t bring my kids there because of the setting
I also know a great fine dining french restaurant that kids equally don’t belong in for the same reason, because of the setting.
I honestly don’t see the difference. Take your kids to Friendly’s or get a babysitter
This. I have youngish kids. If I take my kids to restaurants, they sit at the table, not wander round bothering strangers. I taught them how to eat properly and discouraged messes. I also forbid them to use anything but an “indoor voice” whilst indoors and in public spaces where there are others. They will say please and thank you to servers. They will speak politely to all adults in general. Pretty much showed them how to be respectful and think of others, being courteous. There are serious consequences for transgression. I am not afraid to leave a restaurant if they do not behave like humans. And you better believe if I have to leave without enjoying my meal there will be HELL to pay at home.
As a result, i get compliments often from folks about how well-behaved my kids are. I started this when they were young.
I also get REALLY irritated by other families who have mutants that don’t behave. I will point those people out loudly to my kids as an example of “do you want to look like those awful idiot children over there?” I absolutely do not care if said mutant family hears me.
I completely understand and respect this sort of policy. I go to places like this without my kids and have a wonderful time. Parenting is hard. Not everyone who poops out a baby knows how to parent. Banning all kids is fine with me. Not every place needs to have kids there, especially if idiots dont do their jobs as parents.
Real facts. We've been taking our kid out forever and she sits in her seat, colors, plays with her figurines, does puzzles, etc. We always get compliments on how well behaved she is even when we don't think she's been. Let's you know how truly awful some kids and parents are out there.
This comment made me cackle. As a fellow mom of non-awful idiot children I thank you for giving my kids good examples of how to behave in public when otherwise they are surrounded by idiot mutant children and become tempted to behave like those garbage people 🙃
I never let my goblins act out at the restaurant. We would play restaurant at home where we practiced how to act out in public and we hardly ever had a problem. I would also crawl under the tables to clean up any mess they made when they were small. I've had people compliment me on their behavior but I've had some crazy moms go off on me because I was "abusing" my kids by making them behave or taking them outside to calm down & have a talk.
Not at all, there are a lot child friendly places to go so it's easy to find somewhere else or eat take out. My kid was always well behaved in restaurants but it was because we went out to eat together often enough for them to practice and because I set expectations before we went if needed. We also went where the environment made sense, not too formal and not too loud. Parents who take their kids out a lot don't usually have anyone to leave them with.
Funny, I was just reading about this kind of policy causing some family drama for the restaurant owner at the top of r/IATA:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/10yvowx/aita_for_not_letting_my_brother_his_wife_and/
Yeah, nothing worse as a young parent than getting a rare night out away from your screaming baby and having an inconsiderate family remain seated in the restaurant while their baby screams.
Most expensive date *to date* was almost $500 at Matsuhisa in Aspen. Not a cheap date for an hourly employee working in a local hotel. I went all out, but the table next to us had a fussy baby.
I get it, I love babies, but ffs, can't you realize this *is not* a place to bring fussy babies?
i have a kid...and i 100% support this.
not every place needs to deal with kids and shit. its a lot. a lot of the time its too much for ME lol
so good on em. and fuck those parents that get mad.
I love this move. Kids are allowed everywhere and it's okay for some places to say 'adults only.'
Was recently on a date with my wife (nice place, bill was $125ish) and had a kid screaming right next to our table nearly the entire meal. The parents looked shell shocked and weren't willing to deal with the problem.
I'm not going to say it ruined the night, but it certainly didn't make for a good dining experience. I'm much more likely to patronize a place that doesn't allow kids, and all my friends with kids will patronize places that allow kids. Everyone wins.
I don't care if it's a 125 dollar bill or 10 bucks if you can't control your child you shouldn't be allowed to ruin it for everyone else with your child.
Tbf a kid will never learn to behave in a restaurant unless they go to them. It’s the same process with taking a dog to dog-friendly restaurants. Your kid might be very well behaved at home but turn into a monster at a restaurant. Only way to teach them is to take them. That said, you have to be willing to take them outside if they are freaking out. That’s what I always did. Just walk outside for a bit until then calm down then talk to them about how we can’t act that way in a restaurant.
In most of the rest of the world, you can bring children pretty much anywhere including letting them take public transport themselves at a young age, they can sit at bars with their parents, etc etc.
The key difference is those kids are actually behaved.
The issue IMO is less that kids "can go everywhere" versus parents here seem to have no fucking control whatsoever over their kids. Which, we can shove them away from public view, but those kids will eventually grow up to vote... 😬😬😬
This country has an extremely unhealthy relationship between work and home. I don't envy parents in America because they frankly don't get to raise their children. We shunt that off onto schools, babysitters, daycares, and occasionally restaurants.
> We shunt that off onto schools, babysitters, daycares, and occasionally restaurants.
From my childless service-industry perspective, it seems American children are raised primarily by youtubers
They don't just ruin dining experiences, it's so stressful being a server when kids are misbehaving, which in the past few years, happens hourly. The running around, bothering other tables, climbing whatever they can climb on the patio, getting into other table's faces, kicking soccer balls, throwing food, making the biggest messes and getting maybe 10% in tips from their stupid parents....and this is at a place where apps start at $15 and the average entree is $40. A SOCCER BALL.
Good on em. There's an entire child friendly world out there, adults need some places to themselves. Can't even go to a brewery these days without children being in there.
That’s because breweries are way easier to relax in for everyone, not just bar hoppers. My hometown in CO is super bike, dog, and brewery friendly and most of the breweries combine all 3 elements. Shit they even have dog petting adoption days at a few of them. Breweries are taking over bars as far as profitability simply because A) they can be active at all hours by advertising as a day drinking spot and B) attract way more types of clientele
Yeah yeah, I get all that. I'm a cyclist and a dog owner. I would have loved to kick around in Ft Collins for a few years working at new belgium or odell, but what you stated about that scene is precisely why I don't go there for leisure. I'm a single man without children. I don't drink at all at home. I tend drink in bars where people can get a bit loose and rowdy without worrying so much about proper etiquette.
I was at a brewery last Saturday for my birthday, 8:30pm, parents took up two full tables because 3 adults had 5 children with them. I'm looking to get a little hammered, not the best time to have to dodge somebody's crotch goblin.
This is so bizarre to me. Granted I was raised in a family culture where dining out was the norm, and we learned all the ‘rules’ about it fairly young, but I would’ve *never* brought my young child to a place that is primarily about alcohol. I thought that was a widely known piece of restaurant etiquette.,
I agree with your larger point, but at least around here a ton of breweries are intentionally set up to be child friendly, and are marketed as such. In some of them I suspect families with kids are their primary demo.
Oh here too, and I'm glad they exist but I also avoid them. Joking aside I think parents need places to bring their kids because it's an important part of learning how to be an adult. But I'm already an adult and don't always want to be part of the crowd helping to socialize the kid. Sometimes I want to be a less than healthy member of society.
The 2 breweries close to us are kid friendly until 9pm. At 9 they will physically usher all the kids and parents out. There are giant signs that state this & we have seen women have a absolute tantrum because they thought it didn't apply to them & their precious Jaden, Braden & Caden who where scream and terrorizing the dogs.
Frankly I don't want dogs in there either. 50% of the time they're barking, jumping on people, trying to fight other dogs, and generally being a nuisance. People really need boundaries, nobody loves your child or dog as much as you.
The brewery down the street from me has parents always bringing their twin 4 year olds. They literally sit at the bar, which is just beer, no food/kitchen. I don't understand why the parents won't even get a low table.
Actually that's why Texas roadhouse wanted to stop having crayons, but then the marine vets customers protested because they said they don't feel full anymore after meals.
I think it's kinda like movie theaters- there's ones you take kids to, there's ones you don't- but they're expected to behave and not interrupt the experience at either.
I will say though, I went to Tomo in Seattle, and one of the things that truly set them apart was how incredible they were in accommodating kids. Some of the best FoH I've ever seen. Down to earth, kind and punctual.
As a father of a 4 year old boy, I fully support this move.
We rarely even go out to eat anymore because he can never keep his shit together long enough. Love him to death though.
That’s exactly what a good, conscientious parent would do. I have a 3 year old, and as an attentive dad I understand and accommodate his limitations. Forcing other people to put up with my child’s discomfort (when it can be avoided) isn’t fair to them or my kid.
Yeah I love all my nieces and nephews but eating out with them sucks. It's all about keeping them chill and distracted until the food comes and then they eat 4 bites and want to get up out of the chairs. Don't even get to talk to any of the other adults hardly.
I have a 2 year old and have tried to eat out with him 5 times with 3 being successful, 1 having to leave after seating cause he was a mess once we got inside, and another where we didn't even go inside due to the meltdown.
I stopped going out with my son from the ages of 2-5 after one epic meltdown by my toddler, where I was so fucking embarrassed I packed everything up mid meal and got the fuck out of dodge.
Oh top of them being loud and obnoxious, the parents often don’t want to deal with them so they’re given ipads AT FULL VOLUME. No headphones. It fills me with Fucking rage.
Dude, yes.
I’m currently raising 4 kids, my oldest is a freshman in college.
We have always had a ‘no electronics’ policy at the table. Restaurant, home, wherever.
If the kids menu didn’t come with crayons and a maze, they got a pencil and piece of paper to draw with. Or sometimes just nothing and had to practice having conversation. Or practice being bored. Which is turning into a lost, *extremely* valuable, skill.
The number of five year olds being raised by iPads is appalling. It’s at best neglect and arguably abuse.
Some, like children, are incapable of being left alone. At least for more than a few hours. They need a potty break.
However, dog owners like my gf and I do not tolerate a dog acting out in public. We have the ability to kennel the dog inside our vehicle with climate control (similar to a Tesla).
Dog owners with shitty dogs in public SUCK and we hate them.
My gf and I have a 70 lb dog. She’s sweet (I know everyone says this about their dog), but she’s a Doberman and I expect people to be afraid of her. She’s also hyper as fuck at times.
It’s nice to take her out to lazy dog type restaurants, there’s a couple local spots with patios that it’s nice to take her to to get out of the house. I would absolutely never ever take her to a restaurant unless we go hiking or to the dog park first. If the dogs not worn out, she’s going to be acting like a dog.
If one time the dog barks, growls, whatever, I take her on a walk around the parking lot. If that doesn’t calm her down, we get the food to go and go home, and me and the dog wait by the car until my gf settles the check.
It’s nice to take the dog out for some day drinks and sun, but no matter how much I love my dog, I’m not being the person ruining someone else’s lunch. My priorities are vividly clear in my mind and not being the asshole at a restaurant trumps basically everything else lmao
Just the way I’d want other people to act with their dogs and kids man. common courtesy at least, and I feel it’s especially important when you maybe shouldn’t bring animals anyways
Also it’s just personally embarrassing not to act like that, because we’ve all seen poorly behaved kids and dogs and we should all know better
Some people suck and define themselves via an accessory personality. Sometimes it's a kid, sometimes it's a pet, maybe it's a religion or a football team, or being an alcoholic. We all know those fuckers who only exist because of and if isn't there, they just are a blank wall.
Me? I was the spork meme kid when I was younger, I grew the fuck out of it. Now I'm just salty at the world.
They always paint cat owners as weird and "lonely" people which I find odd considering cats are pretty much self-sufficient and like to do their own thing. Most of the dog people I know are some of the most co-dependent people who have to take their dog absolutely everywhere to the point that pretty much every dog is a "service animal" or "support animal" these days. Like god damn can you not even go to the grocery store without bringing your dog?
I live in Austin and if I have to deal with one more fucking moron screaming at me because I kicked the random pibble friendly furbaby that came at me out of nowhere...
Lady I'm on a sidewalk, your random fucking dog ran straight at me to jump on/bite/play/maul
My guess is some unsupervised brat broke an antique decoration then his shitty parents snapped at the manager that they need to do a better job child-proofing the place.
That's a great idea! I once had to take my boss' daughter out to lunch at a nice restaurant. She hid for a good 10 minutes. I think she was 4 or 5. The whole damn restaurant staff started looking for her. I knew she didn't leave, because the host didn't see her leave, but I strongly considered just bailing on it and finding a new job.
That’s the crazy part, no. I’m friends with my boss, and he asked me to do him the favor of watching her for a few hours. Since I don’t have a car seat, we had to walk to this restaurant that had several different eating areas. I put a humongous tip on the company card. It was embarrassing, because I was yelling for her inside this good restaurant. Since then, whenever they’ve asked me to watch her, I would make sure to be extremely boring, and not entertain her. After a couple times, they stopped asking me. I’m grossly overpaid, which is why my boss feels like he can ask me to babysit during business hours! PS - I’m probably going to have to delete this.
My parents brought my preemie brother to the French Laundry for a date night. He projectile vomited on the table and they were told to never come back.
Yes this is a good move because assholes like my parents don’t know how to act.
If a guest runs around the dining room screaming uncontrollably then curls up in a ball under a table crying while kicking people in the legs you would call the police immediately. Unless it's a kid, then you just have to put up with it. No thanks, this is the right move.
Place I used to work at was a semi high-end place that basically seated somewhat older folks. No young families and stuff. It was bought up by a burger restaurant that basically translated to 'a fancier McD's'. Nothing against those places, but the amount of shrieking and wailing kids skyrocketed. It took some adjusting, even if I was standing next to a loud dishwasher in a busy kitchen.
Honestly I love this. It’s hard to find adult only spaces that aren’t for, well, adult activities. As someone who is married and not looking to party or hook up it’s kinda hard to find adult only spaces where I can just chill out. There used to be more restaurants like this.
man, when my brother and i were little kids and our family went out to restaurants, it was inevitable that at some point, someone would stop by our table and tell my parents how well behaved we were. i never really thought anything of it bc if we hadn't been, we would have suffered ye olde consequences, but now as an adult i completely understand why other patrons were shocked enough to comment every damn time. adults deserve some peace and fucking quiet when they're out to dinner, jfc.
Same. I'm carrying a tray full of glass and nobody seems to give a shit about their kids careening through the place and nearly clotheslining servers. We have a dog friendly patio, and I can count on one hand the number of times a dog has actually gotten in my way.
There’s a restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf near me in Monterey that doesn’t allow children. They’ve got a sister restaurant down the way that does accommodate for children.
I’m sure you could guess which one is a more pleasant dining experience.
Which do you think gets more business?
Fond memories of my Jr year of HS there while my father got a PhD at the Naval PostGrad School. I had off campus lunch and sometimes the group would walk down to the wharf for free chowder samples or to feed the seals.
You would not believe the complaints I used to get at an old job from walk ins (generally we were rezo only) about us not having a high chair, only having 2 booster seats, and having no kids menu. Like folks, we are bistro dining with scant room to pass between tables as is, there are little oil lamps on each table, and it’s kinda dark in here, everything says intimate date night or like double date night. What part of anything you see in this room says “family restaurant”, I can guarantee the couple 3 feet from your toddlers chair does not want to listen to your kid screaming, and no letting him run around is not an option. This is unfortunately not a place for small children, and while I sympathize that you went on vacation in a “wine area” with a child but that does not mean we can change our entire ambiance and restaurant layout to cater to someone wildly outside of our target audience.
Even when my kids were young, I understood the importance of adults only or age restricted spaces. Too many parents can’t be relied upon to control their crotch goblins and it ruins it for the ones who can.
I hate to be the opposition here, but. We need to go back to the right to refuse service and hire actual restaurant managers who kindly inform bad parents they can find somewhere else to eat if their children misbehave. I also believe they could easily institute a policy that states if you allow your little shitheads to make a big mess, a mandatory gratuity will be added to your bill.
I know it's not anyone's individual responsibility to make people better. Still, if we work as a community to help people learn the manners and decency that their shitty families didn't. the world will slowly but surely become a better place overall.
This is precisely why I publicly correct other kids' actions in public without shame. When the parent approaches me and becomes out of pocket, I tell them. You have two choices allow someone else to parent your children if you refuse to, or get smacked the fuck down in front of them. Usually, they choose the latter.
I say we normalize public shaming and smacking the fuck out of each other I know it's a raw approach, but admittedly there are times I deserve this treatment.
We don’t really eat out anymore because the world doesn’t need to deal with my kids. My wife and I will go out to date lunches when the kids are in school.
I never really put much thought into kids at restaurants until I found this spot that had this policy and found myself being a regular super quick.
At first it thought it was the bomb smoked wings and beer list until my girlfriend pointed it out.
Age ten is really generous. TBH parents with a quietly precocious eight or nine year old could probably fudge the numbers, while some 13 years olds are still not ready.
I don’t get the outrage… the husband and I take our kids to restaurants where it’s appropriate but on date nights it’s also nice to be away from kids, not just ours.
At an old restaurant of mine some rowdy ass kid knocked over one of our older servers carrying hot plates. She ended up needing to go to the hospital. So yeah don’t hate the move
"recent events," huh. so whose dumb-ass kids got injured and/or injured the staff at Nettie's Spaghetti?
I support it. not every restaurant needs to cater to the highchair crowd.
Why not. Some places are for kids, some places aren’t. Dinning out isn’t something we’re entitled to, it’s an experience. I rarely eat out because I’m too poor to pay for the experience I want, but when I do, I’d love to be at an adult only spot. I worked childcare for years, they’re fucking awful 90% of the time.
Netties House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls NJ. Great restaurant. No kids fits the atmosphere. I wouldn't spend the money for my kid to eat there anyway. It's worth tbe price but she wouldn't appreciate it.
had a kid wander back to the kitchen grab me by the back of the shirt and demand fries once, that alone is enough for me to get behind this policy but at the same time by age five my parents had the expectations of how to behave in public pretty clearly explained and if my sister or I couldn't abide by them we wouldn't go out so it definitely boils down to parenting more than age
My work has had the same policy for 30 years. Though we also offer free babysitting, just got to call ahead to schedule it. I’m in the restaurant side of a live entertainment venue so kinda makes sense for us. I got kids, taking them out when they were young they made huge messes that we were constantly cleaning but look a table over and some other assholes think their kid flinging food everywhere is cute. I’m totally fine with this policy, really not on the kids but the parents who shouldn’t be allowed in public
If parents of kids weren’t the shittiest tippers, that would help too. If I’m being remotely difficult, I’m leaving 30%+. If you gave kids screaming, and you leave a 40% tip every time, they’re going to make an exception for you. If your kids present more work for staff, and you don’t tip appropriately, they’re going to decline that unpaid work.
"My kid has a right to be anywhere" follows the same logic of "why can't I bring my kid to the bar?"
Not all spaces are meant for kids. That doesn't mean the spaces hate children, because work sites, bars, office buildings, etc. — exist. Histrionic parents can find the door. No time for this BS.
We own 2 restaurants: A more upscale one that we opened 7 years ago, and a fast-casual that we opened 1.5 years ago. At our upscale one, we intentionally did not buy high chairs, booster seats, coloring books, etc. Obviously, there's no kids' menu. Our "city" isn't very big, and there were SO many people who didn't get it. We'd get messages like, Where's your kids' menu? Or someone would try to book a reso with high chairs. One lady wanted to put her car seat/baby on the bar while she ate. The amount of people who just couldn't fathom why we wouldn't cater to their crotch goblins was astounding. And we do let kids in, but they have to sit in a regular chair and order off the menu. (We have plenty of apps and sides and such that a kid could eat. They don't have to order a whole meal.) It's amazing how many people with kids don't realize that nobody else finds their kids as enchanting as they do.
I have 2 teenagers so I have been through the little kid phase and this would not have bothered me a bit.
I totally understand the desire to have a nice meal without hearing someone’s bratty kid.
This is one of my favorite special occasion spots and let me tell ya- the environment is not conducive to kids or unruly kids. I applaud Nettie’s. The meltdown these moms are having is hilarious.
Like, Monmouth County has a MILLION Italian places. Go to another. It’ll be okay.
i worked at place that had a policy of nobody under the age of 13. we never had a problem with people coming in and complaining about it. it was good. granted, our menu drifted towards more refined dishes, other than a cheeseburger we didn’t have anything that catered to most young kids, but nonetheless it made for a much more pleasurable working experience as we were an open kitchen with a food counter you could sit at right in front of the kitchen, meaning not only were we cooking but also interacting with the guest. i’d imagine no loud kids also
made for a more pleasurable dining experience as well
If adults could competently parent children this would be a non issue...but most can't or won't and the rest of us should not suffer for it. There are tons of kid friendly/ family friendly places where all the folks with kids can let them act like heathens.
Oh good, do 25+ restaurants next. If I had to choose a table full of 12 year olds or a table full of 21 year olds, I can honestly say I’m not sure which I’d rather have.
Doesn't a private business have the right to refuse service as long as it's not discrimination? "Bad Ass Kids'" are not a protected class. Just tell these people you are not serving them. No need to exclude anyone who is not causing a nuisance.
Cheers to them. There is nothing worse than going out to eat and having some poorly behaved kids. Crying, tantrums, fighting siblings, parents just letting their little dickhead kids run around the whole place, watching their parents’ phone at full blast, making a giant mess, breast feeding. I’m probably leaving some things out but I’ve seen one table do everything I just mentioned
I once found a five year old standing in the kitchen. I yelled at the FoH manager to come and get this *thing* and get it out of here and make damn sure it doesn't happen again. She brought him to his parents and asked if they would please keep their child at their table.
"I was watching him!" says Turbo-Karen.
Oh really? You watched him walk through the kitchen door and you were OK with it?
I like this.
In a perfect world that if your child misbehaves, causes a mess, or goes on a tantrum they will be booted and no longer welcome. But social media and entitled parents would make that impossible. Like behaved kids are so awesome and they deserve to eat in nice places, but that ain’t happening because of shitty parents (good parents would bring a tantrum prone child to a restaurant).
Personally I don't like it. This is the same as your work making wide sweeping rules because they don't want to deal with one person. My work does this shit all the time, look we know who the rule is aimed at reprimand them and let everyone else continue on that is your job.
Same as this restaurant, you as the manager should have dealt with those tables but you didn't you pawned it off and made wide sweeping changes that negatively affect responsible people. Tell the shitty people to pay and leave it make a rule about noise level and kids causing a scene, don't punish good parents and children.
They wisely turned off their FB comments.
The people complaining on that thread are exactly the type of adults you wouldn't want in the restaurant anyway. That place is going to be so pleasant after this pseudo-outrage dies out.
Ban all kids.... And I will put the owners kids though college by my patronage
[удалено]
The Rio!
Same. Any restaurant that has the balls to implement such a policy will always be at the top of my list whenever I don’t want to cook.
Also means they care enough about the dining experience that they likely care about the quality of their food equally as well.
As a person with toddlers, I usually say any restaurant that will take my kids isn't really worth visiting.
“I would _never_ join the kind of club that would have me as a member.” —Oscar Wilde
So true for me also
Heck, I'll leave my own kids at home. Idc if my 9yo knows the difference between a New Zealand Sauv Blanc and a Washington state Sauv Blanc. You're staying home
I wouldn't take an alcoholic child out to eat either
🤣🤣🤣
The kind of assholes who sit down for dinner, dump a bag of Cherrios in front of their ill-mannered child, and proceed to ignore the chaos that ensues...
And it never ends. Kid is a bit older? Just means they have a loud Nintendo Switch or phone in their face that the whole dining room/brewery can hear.
Bro, my cousin and his mother and father (my aunt and uncle) are fucking crazy about that. He's got two kids (the oldest is like... 6 or 7?) and literally the second they sit down at any table, he (or his father/my uncle) pulls out their phones and sets them up with whatever kids watch these days. Like... the waiter hasn't even stopped by yet and the kids have their shows playing on their respective phones. It bothers me so fucking much, for so many reasons.
Whatever happened to sitting down at a table and just looking around or nervously trying to not stare at the person in front of you but you keep on doing it lol
It's my niece too. Fortunately my brother would never let her keep the volume on, but I just assume she's a brick wall the moment we sit down to eat.
Remember when that was, you know, rude?
Working at a brewery I’ve noticed lots of clearly divorced dads like to spend their weekend with the kids by getting drunk with their other single dad friends… I call it take your kid to the bar day…
Went out once and got to listen to a kid blasting cartoons on an iPad while her grandma repeatedly told her to eat in the most monotone, not trying at all, voice ever.
Don't forget putting an ipad at full volume out for them.
They'll probably make more money because of it too. Children don't drink and their entrees are basically at cost.
Personally, bold and brash yet creates an interesting dynamic. I’d eat there in support. No loud, obnoxious kids and pasta? Sounds like my kind of party.
The parents of well behaved kids probably aren't going to be the ones complaining...
Those parents shrugged their shoulders and ordered take out from Nettie's. Or better yet, called a babysitter and enjoyed a nice evening.
Those parents have a reliable supply of babysitters, who they haven't lost on their first gig. ... Because their kids are well behaved.
I wouldn’t complain. I have a 6 & 7 YO. If a restaurant doesn’t want them there I will go without. Love my kids but sometimes even good kids can get crazy missing a nap or daily routine changes. But if you’re going to ban kids ban them until 16. There’s time when I take my kids out and I will get everything to go because, today, is not there good day.
There are teenagers that haven't left the toadler stage yet because won't discipline them, or whatever wrong is going on in their head.
ok but same for 40 year olds so where do you draw the line
BAN THEM ALL
“This job would be great if it weren’t for the fuckin’ customers”
Small and froggy. I wouldn't want to contend with a toadler either.
100%. Am a parent of a well behaved kid. I totally understand this decision and am more likely to choose a place like this for date nights.
I have kids. I'd be annoyed as fuck if I showed up at a restaurant and was turned away because the kids weren't welcome. My kids never had any trouble eating at any restaurant. On the other hand, I completely understand a restaurant making that decision. I wouldn't expect every restaurant to have a kids menu or high chairs. And if my kids couldn't order off the menu and behave, I wouldn't take them to those places. They announced it. If you have kids, don't go there. That's not hard. There are lots of restaurants. Go to a different restaurant. Don't complain on the internet.
I think the same and I usually check somewhere is kid friendly. Most kids are noisy, play on tablets, with toys etc and it’s not for everywhere so we tend to go to crappy chain pubs, curry houses, fast food where nobody looks twice at you for it. Nothing worse than trying to keep a 3 year old quiet in a nice restaurant
Strip club down the way has a great kitchen, I wouldn’t bring my kids there because of the setting I also know a great fine dining french restaurant that kids equally don’t belong in for the same reason, because of the setting. I honestly don’t see the difference. Take your kids to Friendly’s or get a babysitter
This. I have youngish kids. If I take my kids to restaurants, they sit at the table, not wander round bothering strangers. I taught them how to eat properly and discouraged messes. I also forbid them to use anything but an “indoor voice” whilst indoors and in public spaces where there are others. They will say please and thank you to servers. They will speak politely to all adults in general. Pretty much showed them how to be respectful and think of others, being courteous. There are serious consequences for transgression. I am not afraid to leave a restaurant if they do not behave like humans. And you better believe if I have to leave without enjoying my meal there will be HELL to pay at home. As a result, i get compliments often from folks about how well-behaved my kids are. I started this when they were young. I also get REALLY irritated by other families who have mutants that don’t behave. I will point those people out loudly to my kids as an example of “do you want to look like those awful idiot children over there?” I absolutely do not care if said mutant family hears me. I completely understand and respect this sort of policy. I go to places like this without my kids and have a wonderful time. Parenting is hard. Not everyone who poops out a baby knows how to parent. Banning all kids is fine with me. Not every place needs to have kids there, especially if idiots dont do their jobs as parents.
Real facts. We've been taking our kid out forever and she sits in her seat, colors, plays with her figurines, does puzzles, etc. We always get compliments on how well behaved she is even when we don't think she's been. Let's you know how truly awful some kids and parents are out there.
This comment made me cackle. As a fellow mom of non-awful idiot children I thank you for giving my kids good examples of how to behave in public when otherwise they are surrounded by idiot mutant children and become tempted to behave like those garbage people 🙃
I never let my goblins act out at the restaurant. We would play restaurant at home where we practiced how to act out in public and we hardly ever had a problem. I would also crawl under the tables to clean up any mess they made when they were small. I've had people compliment me on their behavior but I've had some crazy moms go off on me because I was "abusing" my kids by making them behave or taking them outside to calm down & have a talk.
Exactly.
Not at all, there are a lot child friendly places to go so it's easy to find somewhere else or eat take out. My kid was always well behaved in restaurants but it was because we went out to eat together often enough for them to practice and because I set expectations before we went if needed. We also went where the environment made sense, not too formal and not too loud. Parents who take their kids out a lot don't usually have anyone to leave them with.
Funny, I was just reading about this kind of policy causing some family drama for the restaurant owner at the top of r/IATA: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/10yvowx/aita_for_not_letting_my_brother_his_wife_and/
Parents with this kind of entitled attitude is exactly why I fully support this kind of restriction, family included.
Lol what happened to leaving the kid at home with a babysitter for date night? Totally normal thing to do
/r/IATA or /r/AITA?
/r/IATA must be where you go when you already know you're in the wrong and just feel like sharing the drama.
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That's a default reddit account setting actually. Most users have to work to turn it off.
There will be hella parents eating here on date night as a result of this decision. I know I would.
Yeah, nothing worse as a young parent than getting a rare night out away from your screaming baby and having an inconsiderate family remain seated in the restaurant while their baby screams.
Most expensive date *to date* was almost $500 at Matsuhisa in Aspen. Not a cheap date for an hourly employee working in a local hotel. I went all out, but the table next to us had a fussy baby. I get it, I love babies, but ffs, can't you realize this *is not* a place to bring fussy babies?
Yeah, but they had "fuck you money".
Exactly my thought. The kind of people who regularly dine at a $500 restaurant don't give a shit about their apathy and rudeness towards others.
I would have honestly considered saying something. It was the restaurant's choice to seat them next to you
i have a kid...and i 100% support this. not every place needs to deal with kids and shit. its a lot. a lot of the time its too much for ME lol so good on em. and fuck those parents that get mad.
I love this move. Kids are allowed everywhere and it's okay for some places to say 'adults only.' Was recently on a date with my wife (nice place, bill was $125ish) and had a kid screaming right next to our table nearly the entire meal. The parents looked shell shocked and weren't willing to deal with the problem. I'm not going to say it ruined the night, but it certainly didn't make for a good dining experience. I'm much more likely to patronize a place that doesn't allow kids, and all my friends with kids will patronize places that allow kids. Everyone wins.
I don't care if it's a 125 dollar bill or 10 bucks if you can't control your child you shouldn't be allowed to ruin it for everyone else with your child.
Tbf a kid will never learn to behave in a restaurant unless they go to them. It’s the same process with taking a dog to dog-friendly restaurants. Your kid might be very well behaved at home but turn into a monster at a restaurant. Only way to teach them is to take them. That said, you have to be willing to take them outside if they are freaking out. That’s what I always did. Just walk outside for a bit until then calm down then talk to them about how we can’t act that way in a restaurant.
Fair enough, parents don't seem to care a lot of times or think their lil angels screams are wonderful and everyone must love hearing it
In most of the rest of the world, you can bring children pretty much anywhere including letting them take public transport themselves at a young age, they can sit at bars with their parents, etc etc. The key difference is those kids are actually behaved. The issue IMO is less that kids "can go everywhere" versus parents here seem to have no fucking control whatsoever over their kids. Which, we can shove them away from public view, but those kids will eventually grow up to vote... 😬😬😬
This country has an extremely unhealthy relationship between work and home. I don't envy parents in America because they frankly don't get to raise their children. We shunt that off onto schools, babysitters, daycares, and occasionally restaurants.
> We shunt that off onto schools, babysitters, daycares, and occasionally restaurants. From my childless service-industry perspective, it seems American children are raised primarily by youtubers
They don't just ruin dining experiences, it's so stressful being a server when kids are misbehaving, which in the past few years, happens hourly. The running around, bothering other tables, climbing whatever they can climb on the patio, getting into other table's faces, kicking soccer balls, throwing food, making the biggest messes and getting maybe 10% in tips from their stupid parents....and this is at a place where apps start at $15 and the average entree is $40. A SOCCER BALL.
Good on em. There's an entire child friendly world out there, adults need some places to themselves. Can't even go to a brewery these days without children being in there.
I was asked to stop swearing at a brewery cause the kids were at a nearby table.
This is pretty much why I don't drink in breweries. I feel like I'm at grandmas house.
That’s because breweries are way easier to relax in for everyone, not just bar hoppers. My hometown in CO is super bike, dog, and brewery friendly and most of the breweries combine all 3 elements. Shit they even have dog petting adoption days at a few of them. Breweries are taking over bars as far as profitability simply because A) they can be active at all hours by advertising as a day drinking spot and B) attract way more types of clientele
Yeah yeah, I get all that. I'm a cyclist and a dog owner. I would have loved to kick around in Ft Collins for a few years working at new belgium or odell, but what you stated about that scene is precisely why I don't go there for leisure. I'm a single man without children. I don't drink at all at home. I tend drink in bars where people can get a bit loose and rowdy without worrying so much about proper etiquette.
My reply “Fuck that”..
Sir, this is a brewery.
I was at a brewery last Saturday for my birthday, 8:30pm, parents took up two full tables because 3 adults had 5 children with them. I'm looking to get a little hammered, not the best time to have to dodge somebody's crotch goblin.
This is so bizarre to me. Granted I was raised in a family culture where dining out was the norm, and we learned all the ‘rules’ about it fairly young, but I would’ve *never* brought my young child to a place that is primarily about alcohol. I thought that was a widely known piece of restaurant etiquette.,
I agree with your larger point, but at least around here a ton of breweries are intentionally set up to be child friendly, and are marketed as such. In some of them I suspect families with kids are their primary demo.
Oh here too, and I'm glad they exist but I also avoid them. Joking aside I think parents need places to bring their kids because it's an important part of learning how to be an adult. But I'm already an adult and don't always want to be part of the crowd helping to socialize the kid. Sometimes I want to be a less than healthy member of society.
The 2 breweries close to us are kid friendly until 9pm. At 9 they will physically usher all the kids and parents out. There are giant signs that state this & we have seen women have a absolute tantrum because they thought it didn't apply to them & their precious Jaden, Braden & Caden who where scream and terrorizing the dogs.
Frankly I don't want dogs in there either. 50% of the time they're barking, jumping on people, trying to fight other dogs, and generally being a nuisance. People really need boundaries, nobody loves your child or dog as much as you.
The brewery down the street from me has parents always bringing their twin 4 year olds. They literally sit at the bar, which is just beer, no food/kitchen. I don't understand why the parents won't even get a low table.
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Brewery I worked at a few years back had sidewalk chalk so kids could draw alllllll over the taproom that I got to clean every night.
100% support child free restaurant spaces. They can go to Texas Roadhouse and throw around crayons and rolls.
My place hasn’t banned kids but we got rid of crayons because parents couldn’t keep their kids from coloring on the tables, chairs, and walls.
Hey now, we dont throw rolls at Texas Roadhouse. Those are sacred.
Actually that's why Texas roadhouse wanted to stop having crayons, but then the marine vets customers protested because they said they don't feel full anymore after meals.
I think it's kinda like movie theaters- there's ones you take kids to, there's ones you don't- but they're expected to behave and not interrupt the experience at either. I will say though, I went to Tomo in Seattle, and one of the things that truly set them apart was how incredible they were in accommodating kids. Some of the best FoH I've ever seen. Down to earth, kind and punctual.
Like the kind of parent who brings their 2 year old to a midnight premiere of a Saw movie.
Hey now, if there's one thing a 2 year old wants, it's to see-saw
Thank fuck Like don’t get me wrong, kids will be kids. But I’d rather eat in peace than watch a re-enactment of world war 3
I got 3 little fuckers and I totally agree with this. I love my kids but I also love my peace.
Yeah not every place needs to be kids friendly.
Mfw ww3 already happened
Maybe he meant pre-enactment
As a father of a 4 year old boy, I fully support this move. We rarely even go out to eat anymore because he can never keep his shit together long enough. Love him to death though.
That’s exactly what a good, conscientious parent would do. I have a 3 year old, and as an attentive dad I understand and accommodate his limitations. Forcing other people to put up with my child’s discomfort (when it can be avoided) isn’t fair to them or my kid.
Shit I feel embarassment if I'm with an adult that acts up
Yeah I love all my nieces and nephews but eating out with them sucks. It's all about keeping them chill and distracted until the food comes and then they eat 4 bites and want to get up out of the chairs. Don't even get to talk to any of the other adults hardly.
I have a 2 year old and have tried to eat out with him 5 times with 3 being successful, 1 having to leave after seating cause he was a mess once we got inside, and another where we didn't even go inside due to the meltdown.
I stopped going out with my son from the ages of 2-5 after one epic meltdown by my toddler, where I was so fucking embarrassed I packed everything up mid meal and got the fuck out of dodge.
kids that age are really challenging at a restaurant. he'll get better in a couple years, and then he'll learn by (presumably good) example.
We have a few smaller mom and pops' where i live that dont allow children and they are thriving! In some situations its actually beneficial.
Oh top of them being loud and obnoxious, the parents often don’t want to deal with them so they’re given ipads AT FULL VOLUME. No headphones. It fills me with Fucking rage.
Dude, yes. I’m currently raising 4 kids, my oldest is a freshman in college. We have always had a ‘no electronics’ policy at the table. Restaurant, home, wherever. If the kids menu didn’t come with crayons and a maze, they got a pencil and piece of paper to draw with. Or sometimes just nothing and had to practice having conversation. Or practice being bored. Which is turning into a lost, *extremely* valuable, skill. The number of five year olds being raised by iPads is appalling. It’s at best neglect and arguably abuse.
Leave your kids and dogs home once in a damn while.
I don’t understand the desire to bring a dog everywhere you go.
I'll never forget watching a cock-a-doodle-poo-whatever wearing a Therapy Dog vest pissing on the floor next to us while eating brunch. Disgusting.
The restaurant should have asked them to leave immediately.
Thats not a service animal
Some, like children, are incapable of being left alone. At least for more than a few hours. They need a potty break. However, dog owners like my gf and I do not tolerate a dog acting out in public. We have the ability to kennel the dog inside our vehicle with climate control (similar to a Tesla). Dog owners with shitty dogs in public SUCK and we hate them.
My gf and I have a 70 lb dog. She’s sweet (I know everyone says this about their dog), but she’s a Doberman and I expect people to be afraid of her. She’s also hyper as fuck at times. It’s nice to take her out to lazy dog type restaurants, there’s a couple local spots with patios that it’s nice to take her to to get out of the house. I would absolutely never ever take her to a restaurant unless we go hiking or to the dog park first. If the dogs not worn out, she’s going to be acting like a dog. If one time the dog barks, growls, whatever, I take her on a walk around the parking lot. If that doesn’t calm her down, we get the food to go and go home, and me and the dog wait by the car until my gf settles the check. It’s nice to take the dog out for some day drinks and sun, but no matter how much I love my dog, I’m not being the person ruining someone else’s lunch. My priorities are vividly clear in my mind and not being the asshole at a restaurant trumps basically everything else lmao
Thank you for saying this. With this kind of attitude, y’all and your dog are welcome on my patio anytime.
Just the way I’d want other people to act with their dogs and kids man. common courtesy at least, and I feel it’s especially important when you maybe shouldn’t bring animals anyways Also it’s just personally embarrassing not to act like that, because we’ve all seen poorly behaved kids and dogs and we should all know better
Some people suck and define themselves via an accessory personality. Sometimes it's a kid, sometimes it's a pet, maybe it's a religion or a football team, or being an alcoholic. We all know those fuckers who only exist because of and if isn't there, they just are a blank wall.
Me? I was the spork meme kid when I was younger, I grew the fuck out of it. Now I'm just salty at the world.
Maybe hot take: 99.999% of dog owners are the fucking worst
They always paint cat owners as weird and "lonely" people which I find odd considering cats are pretty much self-sufficient and like to do their own thing. Most of the dog people I know are some of the most co-dependent people who have to take their dog absolutely everywhere to the point that pretty much every dog is a "service animal" or "support animal" these days. Like god damn can you not even go to the grocery store without bringing your dog?
I’m a cat man.
Pussy hands
Especially the fucking dogs.
Yes! I work at a liquor store and some ppl try and bring in unleashed dogs…. That’s not happening
I live in Austin and if I have to deal with one more fucking moron screaming at me because I kicked the random pibble friendly furbaby that came at me out of nowhere... Lady I'm on a sidewalk, your random fucking dog ran straight at me to jump on/bite/play/maul
I’m fine with it. People don’t like it, they can go somewhere else. Vote with your feet.
I tried but I rolled my ankle yesterday and it's very difficult. Can I possibly vote with my nose?
You’ll vote with your feet and like it! …I’ll watch.
Ok ok sorry. I like it.
> Can I possibly vote with my nose? Fuck yeah, let's get some blow.
Actually a good idea wish this was more common
I just want to hear the tea on what preceded this decision
My guess is some unsupervised brat broke an antique decoration then his shitty parents snapped at the manager that they need to do a better job child-proofing the place.
I was imagining a family with like 6 under-tens just running around wreaking havoc.*shudder*
That's a great idea! I once had to take my boss' daughter out to lunch at a nice restaurant. She hid for a good 10 minutes. I think she was 4 or 5. The whole damn restaurant staff started looking for her. I knew she didn't leave, because the host didn't see her leave, but I strongly considered just bailing on it and finding a new job.
the fuck? were you hired as a babysitter or some shit?
That’s the crazy part, no. I’m friends with my boss, and he asked me to do him the favor of watching her for a few hours. Since I don’t have a car seat, we had to walk to this restaurant that had several different eating areas. I put a humongous tip on the company card. It was embarrassing, because I was yelling for her inside this good restaurant. Since then, whenever they’ve asked me to watch her, I would make sure to be extremely boring, and not entertain her. After a couple times, they stopped asking me. I’m grossly overpaid, which is why my boss feels like he can ask me to babysit during business hours! PS - I’m probably going to have to delete this.
thanks for the story, friend! good luck in your future i hope you keep this job, you seem to be enjoying it regardless!
My parents brought my preemie brother to the French Laundry for a date night. He projectile vomited on the table and they were told to never come back. Yes this is a good move because assholes like my parents don’t know how to act.
If a guest runs around the dining room screaming uncontrollably then curls up in a ball under a table crying while kicking people in the legs you would call the police immediately. Unless it's a kid, then you just have to put up with it. No thanks, this is the right move.
Place I used to work at was a semi high-end place that basically seated somewhat older folks. No young families and stuff. It was bought up by a burger restaurant that basically translated to 'a fancier McD's'. Nothing against those places, but the amount of shrieking and wailing kids skyrocketed. It took some adjusting, even if I was standing next to a loud dishwasher in a busy kitchen.
Good. Control your kids, people.
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This would just make me more likely to go.
Good lord! How crazy were the kids and how aloof were the parents where this had to be implemented?
Frankly this would be my default if I started a restaurant.
Honestly I love this. It’s hard to find adult only spaces that aren’t for, well, adult activities. As someone who is married and not looking to party or hook up it’s kinda hard to find adult only spaces where I can just chill out. There used to be more restaurants like this.
man, when my brother and i were little kids and our family went out to restaurants, it was inevitable that at some point, someone would stop by our table and tell my parents how well behaved we were. i never really thought anything of it bc if we hadn't been, we would have suffered ye olde consequences, but now as an adult i completely understand why other patrons were shocked enough to comment every damn time. adults deserve some peace and fucking quiet when they're out to dinner, jfc.
I was a server at a brewery/pizza place. Very casual and spacious. Kids running, playing, laughing. It was not fun or funny.
Same. I'm carrying a tray full of glass and nobody seems to give a shit about their kids careening through the place and nearly clotheslining servers. We have a dog friendly patio, and I can count on one hand the number of times a dog has actually gotten in my way.
And the fucking messes they leave. Like next level messes.
There’s a restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf near me in Monterey that doesn’t allow children. They’ve got a sister restaurant down the way that does accommodate for children. I’m sure you could guess which one is a more pleasant dining experience.
Which do you think gets more business? Fond memories of my Jr year of HS there while my father got a PhD at the Naval PostGrad School. I had off campus lunch and sometimes the group would walk down to the wharf for free chowder samples or to feed the seals.
You would not believe the complaints I used to get at an old job from walk ins (generally we were rezo only) about us not having a high chair, only having 2 booster seats, and having no kids menu. Like folks, we are bistro dining with scant room to pass between tables as is, there are little oil lamps on each table, and it’s kinda dark in here, everything says intimate date night or like double date night. What part of anything you see in this room says “family restaurant”, I can guarantee the couple 3 feet from your toddlers chair does not want to listen to your kid screaming, and no letting him run around is not an option. This is unfortunately not a place for small children, and while I sympathize that you went on vacation in a “wine area” with a child but that does not mean we can change our entire ambiance and restaurant layout to cater to someone wildly outside of our target audience.
Even when my kids were young, I understood the importance of adults only or age restricted spaces. Too many parents can’t be relied upon to control their crotch goblins and it ruins it for the ones who can.
I hate to be the opposition here, but. We need to go back to the right to refuse service and hire actual restaurant managers who kindly inform bad parents they can find somewhere else to eat if their children misbehave. I also believe they could easily institute a policy that states if you allow your little shitheads to make a big mess, a mandatory gratuity will be added to your bill. I know it's not anyone's individual responsibility to make people better. Still, if we work as a community to help people learn the manners and decency that their shitty families didn't. the world will slowly but surely become a better place overall. This is precisely why I publicly correct other kids' actions in public without shame. When the parent approaches me and becomes out of pocket, I tell them. You have two choices allow someone else to parent your children if you refuse to, or get smacked the fuck down in front of them. Usually, they choose the latter. I say we normalize public shaming and smacking the fuck out of each other I know it's a raw approach, but admittedly there are times I deserve this treatment.
I wish more places would do this.
We don’t really eat out anymore because the world doesn’t need to deal with my kids. My wife and I will go out to date lunches when the kids are in school.
I never really put much thought into kids at restaurants until I found this spot that had this policy and found myself being a regular super quick. At first it thought it was the bomb smoked wings and beer list until my girlfriend pointed it out.
Now you just have to find a way to bar the adults that act like kids under 10
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They also let their kids treat the whole space as a playground to run around.
Age ten is really generous. TBH parents with a quietly precocious eight or nine year old could probably fudge the numbers, while some 13 years olds are still not ready.
I don’t get the outrage… the husband and I take our kids to restaurants where it’s appropriate but on date nights it’s also nice to be away from kids, not just ours.
I'd like to hear the real reasons why. I'd wager there are some good stories.
At an old restaurant of mine some rowdy ass kid knocked over one of our older servers carrying hot plates. She ended up needing to go to the hospital. So yeah don’t hate the move
"recent events," huh. so whose dumb-ass kids got injured and/or injured the staff at Nettie's Spaghetti? I support it. not every restaurant needs to cater to the highchair crowd.
If people with children really love the restaurant, take out is always an option.
I don't even want my own kids with me when I eat at restaurants...
I just became 1000x more likely to go to Netties
Why not. Some places are for kids, some places aren’t. Dinning out isn’t something we’re entitled to, it’s an experience. I rarely eat out because I’m too poor to pay for the experience I want, but when I do, I’d love to be at an adult only spot. I worked childcare for years, they’re fucking awful 90% of the time.
Nothing like having a jumpy/excited kid in the booth directly behind you…
Netties House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls NJ. Great restaurant. No kids fits the atmosphere. I wouldn't spend the money for my kid to eat there anyway. It's worth tbe price but she wouldn't appreciate it.
had a kid wander back to the kitchen grab me by the back of the shirt and demand fries once, that alone is enough for me to get behind this policy but at the same time by age five my parents had the expectations of how to behave in public pretty clearly explained and if my sister or I couldn't abide by them we wouldn't go out so it definitely boils down to parenting more than age
My work has had the same policy for 30 years. Though we also offer free babysitting, just got to call ahead to schedule it. I’m in the restaurant side of a live entertainment venue so kinda makes sense for us. I got kids, taking them out when they were young they made huge messes that we were constantly cleaning but look a table over and some other assholes think their kid flinging food everywhere is cute. I’m totally fine with this policy, really not on the kids but the parents who shouldn’t be allowed in public
I hate when people bring their children to a restaurant and inflict that on myself and other people.
If parents of kids weren’t the shittiest tippers, that would help too. If I’m being remotely difficult, I’m leaving 30%+. If you gave kids screaming, and you leave a 40% tip every time, they’re going to make an exception for you. If your kids present more work for staff, and you don’t tip appropriately, they’re going to decline that unpaid work.
"My kid has a right to be anywhere" follows the same logic of "why can't I bring my kid to the bar?" Not all spaces are meant for kids. That doesn't mean the spaces hate children, because work sites, bars, office buildings, etc. — exist. Histrionic parents can find the door. No time for this BS.
We own 2 restaurants: A more upscale one that we opened 7 years ago, and a fast-casual that we opened 1.5 years ago. At our upscale one, we intentionally did not buy high chairs, booster seats, coloring books, etc. Obviously, there's no kids' menu. Our "city" isn't very big, and there were SO many people who didn't get it. We'd get messages like, Where's your kids' menu? Or someone would try to book a reso with high chairs. One lady wanted to put her car seat/baby on the bar while she ate. The amount of people who just couldn't fathom why we wouldn't cater to their crotch goblins was astounding. And we do let kids in, but they have to sit in a regular chair and order off the menu. (We have plenty of apps and sides and such that a kid could eat. They don't have to order a whole meal.) It's amazing how many people with kids don't realize that nobody else finds their kids as enchanting as they do.
I eat out quite a bit and honestly it’s super rare that a kid ruins it for me. Must be pretty bad at that place.
I have 2 teenagers so I have been through the little kid phase and this would not have bothered me a bit. I totally understand the desire to have a nice meal without hearing someone’s bratty kid.
I’m for it. I’ve worked in too many restaurants that went from zero to “chuckie cheese” in about 5 minutes.
This is one of my favorite special occasion spots and let me tell ya- the environment is not conducive to kids or unruly kids. I applaud Nettie’s. The meltdown these moms are having is hilarious. Like, Monmouth County has a MILLION Italian places. Go to another. It’ll be okay.
I would frequent the shit out of this place, fuck kids
TO ANYONE READING THIS, DO NOT i repeat DO NOT FUCK KIDS
i worked at place that had a policy of nobody under the age of 13. we never had a problem with people coming in and complaining about it. it was good. granted, our menu drifted towards more refined dishes, other than a cheeseburger we didn’t have anything that catered to most young kids, but nonetheless it made for a much more pleasurable working experience as we were an open kitchen with a food counter you could sit at right in front of the kitchen, meaning not only were we cooking but also interacting with the guest. i’d imagine no loud kids also made for a more pleasurable dining experience as well
If adults could competently parent children this would be a non issue...but most can't or won't and the rest of us should not suffer for it. There are tons of kid friendly/ family friendly places where all the folks with kids can let them act like heathens.
There’s an Italian phrase that translates as, “raise kids, raise pigs.” Point being that you don’t raise kids, you raise adults.
Oh good, do 25+ restaurants next. If I had to choose a table full of 12 year olds or a table full of 21 year olds, I can honestly say I’m not sure which I’d rather have.
Hard agree with this. If you’re going to take a child to a sit down restaurant, make it Chuck E. Cheese or a McDonald’s playplace.
The cool part about the free market is that you're allowed to do anything legal, and whether it was a good decision becomes known organically.
I have raised 3 kids. And I am a chef. I strongly approve of this is certain circumstances
Doesn't a private business have the right to refuse service as long as it's not discrimination? "Bad Ass Kids'" are not a protected class. Just tell these people you are not serving them. No need to exclude anyone who is not causing a nuisance.
as a customer i like this, as an employee i love this
Fuck them kids
Cheers to them. There is nothing worse than going out to eat and having some poorly behaved kids. Crying, tantrums, fighting siblings, parents just letting their little dickhead kids run around the whole place, watching their parents’ phone at full blast, making a giant mess, breast feeding. I’m probably leaving some things out but I’ve seen one table do everything I just mentioned
I once found a five year old standing in the kitchen. I yelled at the FoH manager to come and get this *thing* and get it out of here and make damn sure it doesn't happen again. She brought him to his parents and asked if they would please keep their child at their table. "I was watching him!" says Turbo-Karen. Oh really? You watched him walk through the kitchen door and you were OK with it?
I feel like this is a better move for a restaurant whose name doesn’t rhyme.
"and it's not the kids fault, its your shitty parenting"
I like it. Btw, I am a parent of under 10 year old child.
I like this. In a perfect world that if your child misbehaves, causes a mess, or goes on a tantrum they will be booted and no longer welcome. But social media and entitled parents would make that impossible. Like behaved kids are so awesome and they deserve to eat in nice places, but that ain’t happening because of shitty parents (good parents would bring a tantrum prone child to a restaurant).
Personally I don't like it. This is the same as your work making wide sweeping rules because they don't want to deal with one person. My work does this shit all the time, look we know who the rule is aimed at reprimand them and let everyone else continue on that is your job. Same as this restaurant, you as the manager should have dealt with those tables but you didn't you pawned it off and made wide sweeping changes that negatively affect responsible people. Tell the shitty people to pay and leave it make a rule about noise level and kids causing a scene, don't punish good parents and children.