Restaurant Bans Rowdy Children (ABC News)

[matcom]

:popcorn:

<snip>

March 22, 2007 — Have you ever found yourself counting the seconds until your check arrives at a restaurant? Not because the food, service or ambience were lacking, but because someone's child was running laps around the place, hiding under the tables, and practicing his dinosaur roar at ear-splitting volume.

Or maybe you've been on the other side, out to a family meal with the kids, proud of their behavior —which in any other situation might be called exemplary — only to be berated by a fellow diner who believes that children "should be seen and not heard"?

Either way, the moment probably doesn't rank among your top ten dining experiences. Whether they're well-behaved kids bored of waiting for their grilled cheese to arrive or poor-mannered brats hell-bent on ruining a meal for everyone within screaming distance, the friction created by kids in restaurants is something many of us have experienced.

In one Chicago community these tensions reached a boiling point when Dan McCauley, owner of a local cafe, A Taste of Heaven, decided he had had enough of children using his establishment as a playground.

Heaven and Hell

One afternoon, McCauley said, he caught a pair of kids scaling the walls of his restaurant while their parents sat nearby. As the group was leaving, McCauley confronted Julie, one of the supervising mothers, and told her that she and her children were no longer welcome in the cafe.

"I was so shocked," said Julie, who out of concern for the children's anonymity asked that her last name not be used. "It made me feel like I was in the second grade, having my knuckles whacked or something."

The following morning McCauley posted a sign on the front door, thinking it would be a simple solution. It read: "Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices when coming to A Taste of Heaven"

<snip>

Letters applauding the restaurant's stand against rowdy kids began to arrive from around the country, some from as far away as Singapore and the United Kingdom. McCauley even received some small checks from supporters worried he would lose business.

The story reflects a debate that has long been simmering in online chat rooms and letters to local newspapers: How should children be expected to behave in public places, and especially in restaurants? Disciplinarians, advocates of hands-off child rearing, the childless, and mothers of six all seem to have an opinion.

more....

http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2971198&page=2

[skygazer]

1. ....

:popcorn:

[youthere]

5. can I have some of that?

[skygazer]

6. Pull up a chair

:popcorn: :popcorn:

[youthere]

8. this should get good.

[Burma Jones]

2. Good for Mr. McCauley

My kids behave pretty well at restaurants, but when they have been unruly, one of us escorts the child out for awhile.

[grace0418]

49. He's a good guy. And was really mystified by the initial backlash over this story.

I wonder why it's back in the news now, but business has been great for him.

[cwydro]

3. pass the salt.

any beer in here?:popcorn:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Fine with me.

If somebody came over to my house and were just sitting around while their kids were scaling the walls I'd ask them not to come back too.

Boo fucking hoo.

[supernova]

7. I don't have a problem with this

It's his restaurant and he's entitled to whatever atmosphere he is trying to instill.

Adults who get too rowdy and drunk are escorted out the door all the time. I don't see how too rowdy children would be any different.

[LynneSin]

9. I'll fire up the machine!

[crispini]

23. We'll need that.

:popcorn:

[QMPMom]

10. The parents should have managed their children better.

I agree with the restaurant owner. Inside voices and church behavior if you are in a public place eating - unless it's Chuck E. Cheese.

[AlCzervik]

11. Gee Julie maybe you should actually keep and eye on your kids and that

way you won't be so "shocked".

[grace0418]

50. There are lots of "Julies" in my neighborhood (I live less than a mile from this

restaurant) and they don't think their children do anything wrong ever.

[AlCzervik]

55. i used to be a girl scout leader and mostly the girls were wonderful but there is always

one or tweo and of course when their parents would come to pick them up and i had to tell them so and so belted so and so i would often hear "Not my child, she would never!" um yeah she would.

[grace0418]

57. Why is it there are some parents who jump all over their kids for the

tiniest infraction and some parents who insist their kids are perfect?

[AlCzervik]

58. i think the ones that deny their child's behavior see as a direct reflection on them

which it is imo. most parents i know are reality based but there are also a few i know that are in total denial. My friend Donna yells--loud and often and then she wonders why her son gets crazy or withdraws. One night my daughter, husband and i were at her house for dinner when she started screaming and it was a bad scene, it made my daughter close down and it pissed me off to the point where i took her outside and had a discussion with her.

[Nicole]

12. Good for him!

Did you vote in the poll?

Have you had enough of rowdy children in restaurants disturbing your dinner?

Yes. It drives me crazy. Children should mind their manners in public.
856

It depends. If their children are really out of control parents should take action.
288

No. Kids will be kids.
18

Total Vote: 1,162

[Missy Vixen]

13. I'll be visiting A Taste of Heaven on my next trip to Chicago

We enjoy the presence of children, but we don't enjoy the "restaurant as playground" concept.

Julie

[grace0418]

48. It's a cute little place with decent breakfast. It gets busy though! In no small part

because people love that sign! :hi:

[Missy Vixen]

52. Hopefully, I'll be having a cuppa with some DU'ers!

Grace, do you live in Chicago?

Julie

[grace0418]

53. Less than a mile from that restaurant. I don't eat there much anymore though.

My husband and I have cut way back on simple carbs, and they do better sweets and baked items than eggs and savory items. It's still a great little place though. And Andersonville is a great neighborhood.

[LeftyMom]

14. Good!

And I say that as a parent. When I signed up for this job I was promising to put up with the kid even when he's being a brat. Since nobody else made the same commitment, when he's acting up I have no problem tossing him over my shoulder and taking him out to the car and straight home from there.

Thankfully, since he knows good and well I've taken him home from fun places before and am perfectly willing to do so again, my son is usually very well behaved in public.

[Arkansas Granny]

39. Absolutely! Part of the responsibility of being a parent is to teach

your child how to behave in public. Even if a parent is willing to condone bad behavior from their child, that same behavior should not be inflicted on others in public places. It sounds like you are teaching your son some very good lessons.

:thumbsup:

[Mad_Dem_X]

81. Good for you! n/t

[Yavin4]

15. I Agree 100% With The Restaurant. Parents Do Not Teach Manners Any More

Table manners were a big part of my rearing. We were taught to behave ourselves at the table AT HOME, let alone in a public restaurant. If your children do not have proper table manners, then they should not be allowed in a public restaurant.

I even hate the fact that there are Chucky Cheeses or some other family restaurant where such behavior is tolerated. That just sends a signal that it's appropriate behavior. It's wrong to act out in a public space no matter what your age. It's disrepectful and rude.

[AlCzervik]

16. totally agree, table manners were a must when i was growing up and i made it

a point with daughter to ingrain in her that good manners go a long way in many situations, so far so good and never once had a problem with her out in public or when she was at a friends. teaching a child manners is a service and a responsibility, it will make their lives better.

[skygazer]

18. We learned manners at home, too

It was a rule that the family sat down to dinner together, the table was set properly, you used your napkin and silverware in the prescribed manner and you asked to be excused when you were done. You did not read, play or watch tv while eating dinner.

My family brought me to (nice) restaurants from the time I was about 6 or 7 and I was expected to behave the same way I did at home. Having been doing it all my life, it was pretty easy. I did the same with my kids.

Pretty simple, really.

[Yavin4]

21. Exactly. Teach Table Manners At Home And Never Have A Problem

Teach common table manners at home and there won't be a problem.

[Dora]

27. I agree. At two years old, my son asks to be excused from the table.

That's because I insist that he ask. And he complies, "May I be exkoosd?"

I cannot imagine bringing him to a restaurant (at any age) and allowing him to run around willy nilly.

Gawd. I feel old. I'm losing punk points.

[Roon]

33. exkoosd?"

cute!!!

[Missy Vixen]

67. That's adorable

>And he complies, "May I be exkoosd?"<

I was remembering last Easter morning. Mr. JulieRB and I were at a local, very popular breakfast place. (The Maltby Cafe, for those who live in the Seattle area.) A family arrived for breakfast. The parents had brought coloring books and other items to amuse the children till the meal came, they ate their breakfast and evidently had a great time, then the mother gave two of the older children the tip money and asked them to give it to the server and to thank her. She also got a hug, I might add.

We would have any meal at all in any restaurant on earth with the above family, and made sure to compliment the parents on their beautiful and charming children on our way out the door. It's still a nice memory.

Julie

[grace0418]

51. That's just it. No reasonable people expect children to be perfect. But it's

completely reasonable to expect the adult caring for that child to intervene if the child misbehaves. Does that mean sometimes that the parent has to leave a half-eaten meal and go? Yeah, it does. That's part of what you sign up for when you have a kid. I've seen some of the parents described in the article at this very restaurant, and they act like their children are no longer their responsibility when they sit down for a meal. It's a small place, and very crowded. And you just *know* these same parents would be the first to sue if their child tripped a waitress and got scalding coffee dumped on them.

[blondeatlast]

17. I prefer "My DU" to bookmarking... nt

[Beausoir]

19. As a mom of 5 young children I have NO problem with this. It's a good idea.

My kids behave or they are out in the car. Period.

I spend my hard earned money to go out for dinner and I'll be damned if I'll let kids...especially my own...ruin my evening. My kids learned that really fast.

I cringe at the behavior I see around us sometimes.

[Missy Vixen]

64. Beausoir, I'll bet visiting with your family is a delight

They're going with us to A Taste of Heaven for a cuppa, too, right? :woohoo: Then we're going to Millennium Park to see the Bean...

:hi:
Julie

[Beausoir]

69. Can I leave the kids behind?

LOL.

I need a girls get away.

[Missy Vixen]

72. I'll never tell

We'll have some fun, and I'll buy souvenirs for the kids!

Just for you: Big Daddy.



Julie

[Beausoir]

83. You sweet-talker, you!

Loves me some Big Daddy.

[trackfan]

20. All kids, up to age 35, should be kept behind a fence.

That will solve ALL the problems.
(And yes, you're a kid until you're 35. That's why you can't be President, and I can, ya baby).
:hide:

[skygazer]

22. This thread's a bust

Where are all the defenders of bratty children? x(

[AlCzervik]

24. it's still pretty early.

[Katina]

28. I think too many of us have had our meals ruined

by rowdy children who have obnoxious parents who assume that the world revolves around their children.
When my kids were young, they were told what to expect at a restaurant and what we expected from them. They were also told that if they did not live up to our expectations, we would leave the restaurant immediately. I think we only had to leave a restaurant once. It's all about setting the expectations and following through.

[AlCzervik]

29. probably so, if my daughter was a disrupter i'd kick my own ass first.

[cwydro]

30. They're busy right now

breaking up afterschool skirmishes.:P

[jakefrep]

36. They're out allowing their children to ruin other peoples' meals

[GoddessOfGuinness]

37. This isn't the typical thread...

I've only seen one snarky "all kids below age x should be (insert torture of choice here)" comment.

[Maine-ah]

54. In GD

:shrug:

[Squatch]

25. As a parent of a 2-year old, I applaud this!

We take our kid to restaurants often, and leave early when he starts to act up. Other patrons are there to enjoy the place just as much as we are. We usually get our first round of drinks before he starts getting restless and then get our meal boxed to go.

[crim son]

26. I like it.

I've had three kids of the impossible age and during the years when it didn't work, I didn't take them to restaurants, period. On those occasions when they should have behaved well but didn't, we left the restaurant. Neither parents nor children are "entitled" to eat out for pleasure at the expense of others' pleasure, IMHO.

:hide:

:hi:

[El Fuego]

31. That's the way it should be.

:thumbsup:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. Fantastic!

Now if they can do something with the rowdy adults... :-)

[jakefrep]

34. Is this from the Greatest Hits Collection?

:popcorn:

[LSK]

35. matcom got a story published on abcnews!!!

:rofl:

[Ilsa]

38. Climbing the walls? No way! We would have left already

versus ignoring our kids doing that.

Those families need to go to kid-friendly restaurants like Chick-Fil-A if they don't want to mind the kiddos.

[qwlauren35]

40. "My Kids are Spoiled, but that's why they stay HOME!"

Now, i happen to be talking about my dogs, but the point is the same. My dogs have no social skills. They jump up on people, they bite when they play with us, and each other. I'd have to be NUTS to let them be around other people. Somewhere, you have to draw the line at accountability.

There is a restaurant that i go to that occasionally has parties in the "party room", but since it's a buffet, the kids do meander out... and some of them are a *bit* (really, not much!) rambunctious. It doesn't bother me, because I know it's that kind of restaurant. Just like I don't expect miracles at Denny's, Friendly's, Golden Corral, Shoney's or any other "family" restaurant. At such places, I expect to see a kid turned around in the bench seat, staring at me. And I see it as my job to wave, be friendly, and "make nice". It's a FAMILY restaurant, and I knew it when i walked in the door.

In a restaurant that doesn't have the word "family" (not counting fast food) and they don't have a gigantic playground on the side, I don't expect screaming, running kids. And if it happens ONCE, I'm probably not going back... unless the food is to die for.

I don't think I'm too different from most childless folks out there. Tolerance for poorly behaved kids is about nil; we'll take our business elsewhere. I don't think this is anything that the average restaurant owner wants to see happen.

The owner didn't ban kids. Just disruptive kids. I think there's a BIG difference.

It has always saddened me that landlords can ban cats and dogs, but not noisy, destructive kids. And yet, I guess its like poverty. If you keep squeezing them out of the "nice" places, then the poorly behaved can clan together... and learn from each other.

There is no "grand plan" for getting parents to teach their kids decent manners. In our ridiculously individualistic society, "decent manners" are in the eyes of the beholder. But at least we can draw the line at running around to the point where you're bumping into people, making destructive mess, and a noise level that can be heard from the outside.

Kids who are into any of these three things need to be left in kid-friendly environments.

Perhaps this will go the way of the non-smoking movement.

I would love that.

[GoneOffShore]

41. I expected propane and hand grenades.

Damn, I wanted :popcorn: today!

[nini]

42. WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THIS???

:wtf:


Who does that guy think he is telling people how to raise their kids?!?!?!1111111111??

He's discriminating against the future of this country!! He has no right to tell parents how to raise their kids. Each parent has a right to let their kids express themselves any way they seem fit, even if that means those grumpy adults might not get to sip their cappuccinos in quiet. His business should be shut down if he chooses to discriminate against our precious little ones. Where is the country headed if we don't allow our kids to make the rules???

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

























:P


:sarcasm:

[GoneOffShore]

43. ''''

:bounce:

[Katina]

44. Damn..and I was just about ready to get

:popcorn:

[distantearlywarning]

82. LOL! n/t

[Crabby Appleton]

45. about time, throw the little bastards out. nt

[AwakeAtLast]

46. I wouldn't mind this, BUT -

could that also include adults using indoor voices, too? I've been to many restaurants where adults have acted worse than children.

Just sayin'!

:hi:

[grace0418]

47. How bizarre. This story was in the news already quite some time ago (maybe

a year or more). I wonder why it's getting dragged out again? Well, I'll tell you that A Taste of Heaven is right in my neighborhood and it hasn't hurt for business one bit since this came out. And the sign is still there.

I also know the parents of which he speaks in that 'hood. Not all the moms, mind you. Andersonville is a very cool neighborhood. But the ones to whom that sign was directed are everywhere on the north side. They have kids and think the world needs to stop and cater to their every need. They don't feel like they should have to give up a second of their social lives just because the little one needs a nap or is bored silly by sitting in a coffee shop. They think that everyone loves the sound of their child's voice at ear-splitting volume and don't feel the need to take the child outside or correct the child in anyway. Their precious baby should be free to explore the world around them with no boundaries. If that means the child is pulling plates off a neighboring diner's table, laying on the floor directly in front of the door, opening the bakery cases, or dumping all the clean silverware on the floor that the waitstaff just wrapped, well that's just all part of expressing oneself. Parents like that are always the first to cry foul when asked to rein their children in, naturally. I've seen some of that behavior at Taste of Heaven, and I for one am glad it's gone now.

[LostinVA]

56. YUMMO -- there's still time for popcorn!

[fishwax]

59. hey, I was just thinking of this set of flamewars the other day

a very timely revival :)

:popcorn:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

60. That's awesome!

You stupid...you feel like a child being rapped on the knuckles? THEN STOP LETTING YOUR CHILDREN ACT LIKE LITTLE ASSHOLES!! Be a freaking parent. If there is a rowdy idiot kid running around a restaurant, that is a restaurant we never show up to again. My god, why is it so terrible for the owner of a restaurant not want that idiotic behavior happening? I hope that idiot woman understands that not everyone finds her brats as adorable as she does. Good god, what is wrong with some people!? :grr: We would have had our asses BEAT if we had behaved like that.
Duckie

[sasquatch]

61. Oh sweet Jesus Matcom! Eureka

:applause:

[NewJeffCT]

62. We only bring our daughter to kid friendly restaurants

she is usually okay, but no 4 year old is that perfect. So, we tend to stick to places that give out crayons with their kids menu - Friendly's is big with us, and you can't beat them for kid's meals: $4.99 pays for the main course, plus a side of veggies, a drink and an ice cream for dessert.

[Roon]

70. Nice!

If I had kids, I would take them to the same places.

[qnr]

63. This is a problem somewhere? Strange, you'd think I'd have heard mention of it. n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

65. Good. If your kid can't act like a human fucking being in public, keep it home and train it.

Because until you DO YOUR FUCKING JOB and train it to act like a human being, it's an "it".

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

66. I think ALL children should be banned from ALL restaurants at ALL times

EVERYWHERE.

NO exceptions.

[Roon]

71. awwww!

Kids are wonderful!!!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

73. I agree.

I prefer them roasted, myself.

[Roon]

74. You're terrible!!

:spank:

[sendero]

68. Good for them...

.. people don't go out to eat to have someone else's out of control brats ruin their meal.

If you can't control your kids, stay home.

[youthere]

75. Next time I'm in Chicago, I know where I'll be eating.

[ZombieNixon]

76. Pff...old news.

Let me know when Olive Garden bans rowdy kids who order the cornflake-breaded chicken. :P

[Midlodemocrat]

77. Until they were able to behave, the MidloKidlos didn't

go out to eat with us. In fact, we didn't go out to eat either.

We've actually been complimented numerous times on how well behaved they are in restaurants, especially when they were younger. Now, at 16,14, and 10, if they didn't behave, it would be a sign of a serious problem.

I would have NEVER allowed my child to disturb another diner's experience. We would have left.

[dropkickpa]

78. I see nothing wrong with it

My restaurant rules (for going out) are simple :behave or we leave. The behaving people get a to go box, the brats get a PBJ when they get home (me and my best friend take our kids out occasionally, and this is the rule). Lately, I have turned around and walked out of several restaurants when Dropkid wasn't even able to keep it together enough for us to be seated. I've also left in the middle of a meal. I certainly don't get any enjoyment out of my meal when she acts up, so I am loathe to subject my fellow diners to her crap.

She used to be a total angel in public, extremely polite, but lately she's been acting up a LOT. Not sure exactly why, if it's just cabin fever from being cooped up all winter, an age thing (she's 6 going on 16) or what, but I was about ready to put a "Kid 4 Sale" sign around her neck last weekend when attempting to grocery shop. She was acting like a speed freak in a strobe light factory, everything done at top volume and whininess. :mad: That was the last straw.

For the time being, until I notice an improvement, she is banned from going out to eat, and does not get to go to the store unless it is a necessity and I have no other choice. She has been told this, we'll see how much of an effect it has after a couple hundred times of hearing "Nope, not going out to eat today, you can't behave".

[edbermac]

79. The Bush girls are at it again?

[Mad_Dem_X]

80. Oh, yeah!

If only all restaurants would follow suit! Take responsibility for your kids' actions, or you will be kicked out. I love it! :bounce:

[GumboYaYa]

84. We take our kids to very nice restaurants all the time.

They have been going out with us since they were very small children, but a restaurant owner would never have to tell us to keep them in line. If they misbehaved, we would remove them from the restaurant and there fancy dining privileges would be over for a good while.

Never, not once, have we had a problem with our kids misbehaving in public. They know it is a privilege to go to nice restaurants with us and they act that way. It is a shame that a business owner is chastised for telling parents that they should make their kids behave in public.