General Discussion

OriginalGeek

(12,132 posts)

132. Absolutely

Wed Jan 15, 2014, 12:46 AM

Jan 2014

if the parents are not actively seeking to remedy misbehavior the restaurant has a right to make the most people happy however they see fit. I'm saying nobody should get their nipples in a twist if a kid is there or if the kid starts crying and the parents take the kid outside to deal with the problem. I never said anyone should have to put up with unruly behavior all night. But give folks a chance to deal with the issue and not have to blow their non-refundable deposit.

Babies don't behave like babies just to ruin other peoples' night. All I'm saying is there should be a process in place that allows parents to not have to lose hundreds of dollars.

A restaurateur is free to set most any policy he or she wants (within the law - I have no idea if children are a protected class) and, as long as everyone knows up front what the policy is, patrons can choose to go or pick some place else.

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sitter cancelled. couple took baby to $200 plus fancy pre.pay nonrefundable restaurant. [View all] Liberal_in_LA Jan 2014 OP

... mindwalker_i Jan 2014 #1

I've already tuckered myself out on this one... Chan790 Jan 2014 #2

If you need more butter I've got plenty! Initech Jan 2014 #31

Scooch over on the couch Aerows Jan 2014 #80

Regular, garlic, or movie theater? Initech Jan 2014 #86

Mmmm garlic, please! Aerows Jan 2014 #95

I think there can be restaurants (or at least times) when only adults are served... hlthe2b Jan 2014 #3

Children shouldn't be allowed in IHOP either. Hassin Bin Sober Jan 2014 #21

This is why I refuse to dine anywhere that doesn't have nude dancers. JVS Jan 2014 #146

This is win ;) JesterCS Jan 2014 #161

If This Restaurateur Was That Concerned For His Other Guests He Could Have..... global1 Jan 2014 #4

restaurant or couple would have been out $500. difficult choice Liberal_in_LA Jan 2014 #5

That restaurant is one of the hardest Dorian Gray Jan 2014 #17

The restaurant would not be out $500. Ms. Toad Jan 2014 #129

AH! So all one has to do to get their non-refundable deposit back is feign an absent sitter. KittyWampus Jan 2014 #89

This is dessert at Alinea: begin_within Jan 2014 #118

Already looks like the baby's crashed the tray into the middle of the table Paulie Jan 2014 #120

It's supposed to be art, that you can eat begin_within Jan 2014 #130

I think someone has already eaten it. n/t goldent Jan 2014 #137

And it didn't agree with them. n/t KansDem Jan 2014 #156

As a Mir� or Jackson Pollock, that would kick ass. Warren DeMontague Jan 2014 #153

"Babies cry. Fact of life." Yes, that is why the baby should have not been there in the first yellowcanine Jan 2014 #169

Look - It's A Matter Of Good Customer Service In My Mind..... global1 Jan 2014 #171

The owners have several avenues for folks to sell or trade their tickets. Glassunion Jan 2014 #174

I Guess We've Come To An Impass Here..... global1 Jan 2014 #179

In your opinion the restaurant should just eat the loss? Glassunion Jan 2014 #180

Granted, as a courtesy, yes. But the main fault still goes to the parents. yellowcanine Jan 2014 #184

Why on earth would you want to?? Even if your sitter cancelled. cali Jan 2014 #6

forfeiting $500 hard to accept, i guess Liberal_in_LA Jan 2014 #9

If they're they type of couple who can drop $500+ on dinner Blue_Tires Jan 2014 #16

Sold them for a profit possibly. Chan790 Jan 2014 #20

$3,000 on Valentine's Day?!?? Blue_Tires Jan 2014 #23

Why do you assume the man paid for the tickets Luminous Animal Jan 2014 #45

Just playing percentages...I suppose they could have been a married couple Blue_Tires Jan 2014 #48

So the only thing you can see MattBaggins Jan 2014 #76

especially Niceguy1 Jan 2014 #144

insulting and sexist assumptions. bettyellen Jan 2014 #181

It's probably not easy at the last minute. n/t pnwmom Jan 2014 #64

Most of the time, probably yeah OriginalGeek Jan 2014 #25

We now have smoke free restaurants...perhaps their should be designated child free zones.. VanillaRhapsody Jan 2014 #106

Perhaps, but OriginalGeek Jan 2014 #115

Yes...but we should be more supportive of the choice not to have children... VanillaRhapsody Jan 2014 #123

Absolutely OriginalGeek Jan 2014 #132

I'd rather take a chance with the baby than throw all that money away. n/t pnwmom Jan 2014 #62

But if you had tickets to the opera or a huge Broadway play, would you? PeaceNikki Jan 2014 #67

No, that's where I'd draw the line. pnwmom Jan 2014 #69

So the patrons of this establishment are not deserving of the same respect? PeaceNikki Jan 2014 #70

Where does it say the baby was screaming for several hours? n/t pnwmom Jan 2014 #71

OK, I stand corrected. It's a several hour long experience and the baby cried at least some of that PeaceNikki Jan 2014 #75

$200??? Wow! That place must be even fancier than the Olive Garden! QC Jan 2014 #7

Not possible! Squinch Jan 2014 #33

Well, they should have it, and it should be twice as big! goldent Jan 2014 #138

One can hope! QC Jan 2014 #162

"First world" problems 1000words Jan 2014 #8

Well that's true get the red out Jan 2014 #10

hey? did the kid have a ticket? n/t hollysmom Jan 2014 #11

They should have 4Q2u2 Jan 2014 #12

You indeed can "exchange" tickets at Alinea (if someone wants them) frazzled Jan 2014 #13

thanks for the background info Liberal_in_LA Jan 2014 #15

Very well said. redqueen Jan 2014 #24

My sentiments exactly! Well said!!!!!! nt MADem Jan 2014 #38

If I was going to spend tons on a meal, I'd go to MASA's here in NYC. I'm a sushi fan stevenleser Jan 2014 #68

I lived in Japan for 2 years... 3catwoman3 Jan 2014 #93

I'd have to have a ton of money to be willing to part with $1500 on dinner stevenleser Jan 2014 #107

Whoa, that is way 1%! frazzled Jan 2014 #97

Yes, it's hard to imagine those who can do this and not have to worry about the tab stevenleser Jan 2014 #154

It sucks for the parents of the baby but I think that avebury Jan 2014 #14

Yep. Give them the chance to dine another night. riqster Jan 2014 #18

+100 CFLDem Jan 2014 #22

It would cost the restaurant five hundred bucks. MADem Jan 2014 #41

That defeats the purpose of the ticket system frazzled Jan 2014 #42

This ^ PeaceNikki Jan 2014 #53

The price quoted in the article doesn't include the tip, but frazzled Jan 2014 #56

It's an interesting concept, for sure. PeaceNikki Jan 2014 #58

thanks for the education about this sort of restaurant. Really interesting. I bet the chef KittyWampus Jan 2014 #91

since i consider all of this a luxury, i just view it as a risk people take JI7 Jan 2014 #19

Gosh! I hope they survived starvation or the horrors of eating...well..just food. Tierra_y_Libertad Jan 2014 #26

I'm sure glad I don't have such problems. Buns_of_Fire Jan 2014 #27

This message was self-deleted by its author Rowdyboy Jan 2014 #28

too soon dlwickham Jan 2014 #32

Probably.... Rowdyboy Jan 2014 #34

if only more people would self delete on here dlwickham Jan 2014 #103

I've finally learned to think before I spout off in "real life" but its so easy to act like an ass Rowdyboy Jan 2014 #122

next time bring the kid to schwa AngryAmish Jan 2014 #29

Did the baby have a ticket? Xithras Jan 2014 #30

Bingo! nt MADem Jan 2014 #44

The baby can sit on a lap and drink a bottle. He shouldn't need a ticket. n/t pnwmom Jan 2014 #60

But it didn't. It screamed loud enough to heard in the kitchen. REP Jan 2014 #102

The restaurant had the option, which they chose not to exercise, pnwmom Jan 2014 #114

The baby is a human being. Tickets are per-person Xithras Jan 2014 #142

Buying/selling the tickets constituted a contract between the restaurant and the parents. pnwmom Jan 2014 #145

Yes, the restaurant and parents. Not the child. Xithras Jan 2014 #150

No, the restaurant clearly permitted 3 people to enter and only required tickets of the 2 pnwmom Jan 2014 #152

Oh, I agree with you on that point. Xithras Jan 2014 #165

Except if you were right there would be no difference between the laws of the states pnwmom Jan 2014 #167

Outside beverages? With no corking fee? JVS Jan 2014 #148

This situation is just crazy on every level, beginning with pre-paying for a restaurant. Squinch Jan 2014 #35

It's art. A performance and an experience. People pay that much for theater. PeaceNikki Jan 2014 #54

Give the tickets to friends, if they can't find someone to watch the kid. MADem Jan 2014 #36

I am a parent and I cannot manage such situations. Vattel Jan 2014 #37

If you can't afford a sitter you can't afford that restaurant. MADem Jan 2014 #47

If you don't want to be exposed to small humans, then eat at home. n/t pnwmom Jan 2014 #65

Sorry--I agree with the poster who says that if the price to eat at that restaurant MADem Jan 2014 #72

If you haven't trained your kids to not disturb the peace keep them home. alphafemale Jan 2014 #109

I once took a baby to an upscale restaurant, and the waiter was so taken pnwmom Jan 2014 #113

"I wonder how many people are whipping through the Taco Bell drive-thru at two a.m. because they're nomorenomore08 Jan 2014 #84

I think it's more about the "performance art" than the food. MADem Jan 2014 #87

yeah, I won't be dining there in the near future Vattel Jan 2014 #100

I'd do it if someone gave me a ticket, or invited me! MADem Jan 2014 #163

Never lived in that universe... hunter Jan 2014 #39

I never would have thought beachbum bob Jan 2014 #40

has anyone tried the food there ? JI7 Jan 2014 #43

In places like that, it's not so much "food" as "art"..."food" is merely the medium. Xithras Jan 2014 #49

yeah, i would rather spend on something like this than on jewelry, bags, shoes , JI7 Jan 2014 #147

No, but here are 2 videos frazzled Jan 2014 #50

It's art. A performance and an experience. People pay that much for theater. PeaceNikki Jan 2014 #55

Not there, but at Grant Achatz's other restaurant, Next. Chan790 Jan 2014 #92

Pretentious and craven seveneyes Jan 2014 #46

I would not eat in a place with "non-refundable tickets" Skittles Jan 2014 #51

There is no such thing as an "ill-behaved baby" demwing Jan 2014 #52

bingo reddread Jan 2014 #61

Yes, there are most certainly ill behaved parents. /nt demwing Jan 2014 #94

But there are such things as places where it is inappropriate to bring them. Egalitarian Thug Jan 2014 #73

Agreed. See my post #94 /nt demwing Jan 2014 #96

Yes, they do--and they don't need to be crying in the midst of theater performances, or MADem Jan 2014 #77

For something like that I'd have had a backup sitter on hand. n/t LadyHawkAZ Jan 2014 #57

Seriously. If you have a few hundred bucks tied into dinner, then letting the babysitter... JVS Jan 2014 #151

I could eat off the dollar menu for a long time on that kind of money dembotoz Jan 2014 #59

Well if it costs that much pipi_k Jan 2014 #63

^^^^THIS^^^^ Fumesucker Jan 2014 #131

OR, you could do what I do. Help the parents out by taking the kids for a walk. Luminous Animal Jan 2014 #149

I'm way past that stage, but I don't mind babies anywhere I go, whether in a restaurant pnwmom Jan 2014 #66

I love babies rebecca_herman Jan 2014 #78

In a movie, play, or show, a baby could interrupt the proceedings. I agree. pnwmom Jan 2014 #81

+100% /nt demwing Jan 2014 #99

you do realize that the cry of a human baby is SUPPOSED to be annoying, right? Scout Jan 2014 #164

And I've never seen parents in public NOT try to deal with their baby's cries, pnwmom Jan 2014 #176

still on that high horse i see LOL. Scout Jan 2014 #185

Everyone is missing the obvious. Glassunion Jan 2014 #74

Gaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!! MADem Jan 2014 #79

Baby didn't belong there. They should have used the restaurant's FB to sell the tickets. n/t tammywammy Jan 2014 #82

The restaurant should have refunded the couple their ticket money at the door pnwmom Jan 2014 #83

Why should the business lose money because of patron's inability to plan? REP Jan 2014 #104

It was the restaurant's fault for not having a baby ban in place. pnwmom Jan 2014 #111

There are two concepts you are failing to grasp: Hassin Bin Sober Jan 2014 #110

There is a bigger concept you are failing to grasp. pnwmom Jan 2014 #112

"The owner did NOT have a baby plan in place" Hassin Bin Sober Jan 2014 #116

He should if he wants to. He will alienate some customers and please others, pnwmom Jan 2014 #119

I promise you. He isn't going to alienate any of his customers. Hassin Bin Sober Jan 2014 #136

When we had small children, we especially liked some ethnic restaurants. pnwmom Jan 2014 #140

I must be able to work in Olive Garden here somehow ... nt TBF Jan 2014 #85

If I'm dropping a couple hundred bucks for dinner. I expect a nice quiet dining experience. Glassunion Jan 2014 #88

No reflection on anyone here, but if I ever pay that much for a meal demwing Jan 2014 #98

yeah pretty much. neverforget Jan 2014 #108

Maybe some of them pipi_k Jan 2014 #127

if I ever become so shallow and self absorbed that the sound of a crying baby neverforget Jan 2014 #128

It's not about being pipi_k Jan 2014 #178

LOL pnwmom Jan 2014 #117

So having a very nice dinner out with your wife = part of the problem? Glassunion Jan 2014 #121

If you care about poor people, you must live like a monk/nun Nevernose Jan 2014 #124

Babies should NOT be allowed in fine dining restaurants. Vashta Nerada Jan 2014 #90

Sez You. Warren DeMontague Jan 2014 #135

Done that 30 years ago HockeyMom Jan 2014 #101

My opinion FreeJoe Jan 2014 #105

Don't have two good friends, but can eat at these prices? Coyotl Jan 2014 #125

It's the little people that make life worth living. Turbineguy Jan 2014 #126

Maybe to you. Others, like myself, couldn't care less about children. Gravitycollapse Jan 2014 #143

Im with you. bunnies Jan 2014 #166

"Kids in Restaurants Thread.... Okay, I'm going in!" Warren DeMontague Jan 2014 #133

There should be an age limit, and rules of conduct. Skip Intro Jan 2014 #134

Why do some people find it so hard to ignore/tune out others? ecstatic Jan 2014 #139

Baby crying vs someone texting? Yeah, that's comparable. yellowcanine Jan 2014 #170

Two reasons... pipi_k Jan 2014 #172

Hehe... Glassunion Jan 2014 #175

I'm sorry if you got the impression ecstatic Jan 2014 #182

They should have had their pit bull babysit or stayed home and ordered fried chicken. LeftyMom Jan 2014 #141

The restaurant should have explicit rules around it, if they think it will be a problem. Warren DeMontague Jan 2014 #155

Solution: Give the parents their food in "to go" containers. KansDem Jan 2014 #157

sorry, but if they sell NON REFUNDABLE tickets, then screw them. ejpoeta Jan 2014 #158

Or you could not buy a ticket if you don't like their policy. Travis_0004 Jan 2014 #183

If a meal cost me that much I shouldn't have to eat again for a month. hobbit709 Jan 2014 #159

I have an idea!!! ejpoeta Jan 2014 #160

Nahhh.... pipi_k Jan 2014 #173

That's really hard with how they operate. Glassunion Jan 2014 #177

These parents were thoughtless and careless. yellowcanine Jan 2014 #168

Hard for me to defend some rich couple blowing over $200 for a meal! B Calm Jan 2014 #186