Seems a restaurant outside of Pittsburgh, PA will be banning children under the age of five years-the reason being the disruptive behavior of younger children whose parents refuse to get them under control and the resulting growing complaints by the majority of their adult patrons. Owner stated he has received over 400 e-mails thanking him for the impending ban.
So, as parents do you feel the ban is unfair and that you have the right to take your child into any eating establishment-or do you feel the establishment has the right to ban a certain age group...
btw, there are bars in Nashville that do NOT allow minors-if you are not 21 or older, you can not enter....should restaurants be allowed to do the same because they want a certain quiet ambiance that unruly children disrupt.|||I think it's great, finally a place where people who don't like kids can eat without worry.|||You know, I can understand their point. It is discrimination, but the thing is some kids really shouldn't be in some restaurants. Say you and your spouse are on a rare, romantic night out and choose to go to a 5-star restaurant that is very expensive and formal. Surely you won't welcome the idea of a screaming/tantruming child nearby.
If it's a place like Chili's or the Outback, even the Cheesecake Factory, I say kids should be allowed. But if it's A super fancy place geared towards older adults, get a babysitter.|||"btw, there are bars in Nashville that do NOT allow minors-if you are not 21 or older, you can not enter...."
...That is because the legal drinking age is 21. The legal eating age is birth. I do not agree with banning children from restaurants.
(Edit) I see no reason why MY child shouldn't be allowed to eat in a certain restaurant because 'some' other peoples children cannot behave.
I'm in NY and NO bar allows anyone under 21.|||Read this story earlier this morning and I agree with it on one level and disagree on another.
I have raised my son (4) and daughter (17 months) to be respectful, not bother the people next to use, stay seated, have manners etc. My friend has a daughter who is almost 8 and behaves worse than my son. I think it needs to be a case by case basis because age has nothing to do with being able to behave if it isn't taught. It is a shame that some parents these days have neglected to raise their kids right and with manners that this is necessary.|||I think its fair, the owner has a right to decide what sort of restaurant he wants to have. There are plenty of child friendly places so why shouldnt there be adult restaurants too.
Also I get really annoyed with parents who dont make an effort to control their kids, i know its hard and they will play up from time to time but you still have to try!|||Don't really care. I believe they should have the right to do business as they please and not have to worry about pissed off parents throwing hissy fits about the rules banning their children throwing hissy fits.
We cannot expect billions of people around this globe to build their entire business around our families. We are too self involved and self entitled if we get offended over something like this.|||I feel it's the right of the restaurant to implement the ban. It's a private establishment. I think in certain situations and different restaurants are set for certain age groups. Some are child friendly while others are more for quiet adult conversation.
I do not think the ban is unfair.|||i agree with this ban because if someone cant control their kids that are out of control screaming an crying, they should go somewhere else. why should everyone else have to suffer with the noise, and theyre are plenty of other places you can go where their are other kids just as loud its not like that is the only restraunt out there|||I'd feel relieved that there's one place in town I can go to and share a meal with another adult(s) without having the night ruined by somebody else's shrieking crotch-goblins running around like feral animals the whole night.
I don't have the "right" to take my kids anywhere they're not wanted. The world does not revolve around them.|||Sorry, but its up to the resraunt...I hate going places where kids are behaving badly, and no parental control...it ruins my evening.It would be better for the resraunt to tell the parents to leave cause thier kids are brats.It only takes 1 bad apple to ruin the barrel. I took my kids everywhere and they always behaved.|||Well, there need to be places adult can go without having screaming children in there. And it is only one restaurant. And yes, a private establishment should be able to make it a no kid zone, just as there are child friendly places, what about adult friendly places?|||I have no problem with that. Its actually preferable to have a few places where just the adults can go and eat dinner without ill behaved children screaming (besides bars.)|||I have no problem with it. If people can't control their children every one trying to eat should not suffer for it. There are plenty of family places to chose from.|||his restaurant his policy there are plenty of other places to go where there kids can disturb other people|||I have no problem with it. Of course, we don't typically take our children (ages 3, 6, and 8) to nice restaurants anyway. They have been to "nicer" restaurants (think Red Lobster, Olive Garden, or Macaroni Grill) once or twice a year. And if any of them were disruptive, an adult took the child outside to settle, or we simply left the restaurant.
I know that when my husband and I go on a date, it's annoying to be seated at the table right next to the kids who run around, yell loudly, or constantly peek over the seats. As much as I love my children (and other kids), some places are not child-friendly, especially when the parents aren't able to teach their children appropriate behavior.
Disclaimer: I'm not talking about the occasional loud noise from a young child or the cry of a young baby when the adults are actively working to quiet or teach the child. Stuff happens. I'm talking about the parents who allow their children to continually disrupt others.
There are plenty of family restaurants where we can eat. I'm fine with restaurant owners setting their own rules.|||If he wants a certain type of ambience in his restaurant, the owner has the right to make rules that allow for that. If parents or anyone else doesn't like it they don't have to eat there. There are plenty of restaurants that cater to kids, not every place has to. Personally I don't blame someone for banning young children from a nice restaurant because parents today have no discretion about where is appropriate to bring their children. It's incredibly annoying when you are on a date trying to have a romantic dinner or trying to have a business dinner where you need to discuss something important and there are screaming children and children running all over the place. You wouldn't like it if business people came to lunch at Chuck E Cheese and spent the whole time telling the kids to be quiet would you? There's a time and place for everything.
ETA - Courtney has a really good point that most children that age would not even enjoy being in that place. Sitting in a fancy restaurant doing nothing for hours while their parents eat the multi-course meal with wine and stuff is probably torture for them. Banning kids is probably doing the kids a favor more than anyone!|||I think it is a GREAT idea. I have 3 children under the age of 9. My two youngest are 4 and 1. Me and my husband rarely get to go out and have alone time. There is nothing worse than getting to go out on a date for the first time in over 6 months and there be a miss behaving child at the place you are trying to eat. I mean come on, we did not bring our children with us so that we could have a quiet evening and now we have to deal with someone elses child.|||Don't have children, but have friends who do and I'm going to basically write what we've said in our conversation over this.
Basically, they all agree that it's actually a good move. In fact, they don't think it would be such a bad thing if more of these restaurants start popping up.
Why? Because even they are tired of going out to have a nice dinner and finally having a little time away from their kids, a rarity for all of them, and then having it ruined because someone else decided to bring their children (screaming, wild brats nine times out of ten) into a restaurant that isn't even designed for children.
There are all kinds of family friendly restaurants out there. From those that have playgrounds to those who have meals and little place mats designed for kids. Even a million restaurants that only serve adults isn't going to harm any child's feelings or make it any harder to find a place to take a child out to eat.|||I was going to ask if you were in Nashville because I am and I caught the end of this clip today on the news (:
I don't think it bothers me right now.. I don't normally eat out so it doesn't effect me. I can say that my child has been going out to eat twice a week to meet my X for lunch since he was born so he does know how to behave in them rather well .. but if a stranger were to look at my son, waiting in line to get into the place.. they wouldn't know that.
I guess I don't think that there should be a ban but I also think that the world should be better in the states.. I lived in Japan and it's very polite. If a child is unhappy the parents remove them and themselves. I don't understnad why people in the states wouldn't do such a thing.. If everyone would take care of the situation like that then these bans wouldn't be needed. Sometimes a child cries.. It just happens.. So get up and take care of it or you will have to just end your lunch early.. It isn't the end of the world.|||I don't care one way or another.
In a city near by that we frequently visit (2-3 times a week), there are 3 different restaurants with restrictions. One has a rule about not allowing children under 13 in (this restaurant is extra "fancy"; prices up to $40+ a plate so i doubt many families would go often anyway). The other two have a sign posted at the door that says, "Management reserves the right to ask diners with disruptive children to remove them to the _______ (basically a quiet area) until they've settled" or something along those lines. And i have seen that enforced on 10-11 different occasions.
I love kids and love being around kids...but i can't stand being in a non-kid-friendly environment and having little munchkins running around and screaming obnoxiously. There's no reason parents should be giving them that much lee way. If the kids can't control themselves and their behavior or if their parents can't tame them, then they should be taken to a more kid-friendly environment. And what really gets me? The majority of the time the parents with disruptive children KNOW that their kids are overly restless and won't enjoy sitting in a stuffy environment doing nothing...and yet they INSIST on taking their kids to the environment. They willingly and knowingly take their hyper children to a restaurant not suited for hyper children...and then they get pissy about other diners complaining about them.
The fact is...aside from those 3 restaurants above, that city has AT LEAST 50-60 more. So am i going to throw a b*tch fit because of those rules? No. I don't have the time or energy to waste on something so pointless when there are dozens on top of dozen on top of dozens other places we can go to eat. I still don't get how some parents can complain about how there aren't enough hours in the day to raise kids and cook meals and clean the house and do their work and help their kids with homework...but they have time to complain about 1 restaurant putting a ban on children.|||I wouldn't have a problem with a restaurant banning under 5's from the sound of the place it's not the kind of restaurant that I would take that young a child. Before anyone thinks I'm a child hater I have 3 and am pregnant with my fourth so yes the ban would affect me too. I happen to think that there are more appropriate restaurants to take young children to who are more set up for them. For example I'd assume this place doesn't even do a childrens menu. Children do need to learn what is appropriate behaviour in social settings but you need to build up to it and I don't think under 5 is unreasonable.|||Seems like the most disruptive children in my experience are those over five years old. I lived 42 years before having a child so I have plenty of experience on the other side of the dining hall. My son is well behaved and very quiet but we have not gone to any fancier restaurants with him. He's a well behaved little boy in Noah's Bagels where we stop by on the way to Gymboree but I personally avoid going to anyplace where simply bringing a child into the restaurant will get us looks regardless how our child is actually behaving. I really don't mind the ban but I hope they consider adding cell phones to the list.|||I don't agree with it, I think its one of those first step things, there are plenty of kids over 5 who are horribly behaved, so because some parents refuse to control those kids the rest wil be punished and before you know it you won't be able to enter a restaurant under the age of 18.I think it's best to have a policy that disruptive children should be removed, I mean parents with young kids have a right to eat, children have a right to eat, what makes us less important than single/childless people? why not do what they have done with smoking, no-one wanted to lose smoking customers so they set up a new section, why is it simply fine to lose parents of young children as customers. I think it's discrimination at it's worst, against babies, I've taken my son to restaurants as a baby and he slept through and not made a peep, that said I've had him act up as well, and if he acts up we leave simple as that, and I would be outraged to be tod we can't eat at our favorite place because a few parents don't control their kids.|||It doesn't make sense. If you're going to ban kids, then ban ALL kids. Most kids who are unruly are 5 and up! Younger kids are strapped to a highchair and don't really bother anyone. If a baby is crying, a decent parent would leave the room until it calms down. But when I am bothered by kids, it is usually the ones in the 4 to 8 range, who won't sit down and be quiet.
So no I don't agree with this policy. It makes no sense.
But it is up to the restaurant to make whatever policy they want. It doesn't really bother me.|||I think under 5 is reasonable. They can't even reach the table when they're 4. As far as the bars, I think the age should also be 5 (I'm guessing you're allowed to smoke at bars in Tennessee, and smoking is even worse for babies than 5 year olds).
I can't stand it when a parent ignores their crying kids and refuses to do anything about it.|||Go ahead, ban children from restaurants. For a month you will have an increase in sales, and then you will have a sharp decline.
Have any of you child-haters ever looked at how many families are in a restaurant? No, because you miss the 95% that are quiet. No restaurant can afford to lose that many clients.|||I would not go there with out my child. He wants my money but only under his say. So now he can go without my money. It another type of discrimination. How would you feel if he did this because he didn't like the way you looked. He will regret his choice. Do you think parents of a 4 and 6 yo. Will get a babysitter for the 4 yo and take the 6yo? He going to lose money.|||Why would you take the kids to a nice quiet restaurant? Go to McDonalds and eat your nuggets.|||I have the right to not go there. I think that children and lgbt people are the new targets of bigots. My children were always well behaved and were removed if they were disruptive. This ban is on all children, not just the parents and children that are disruptive. People are really entitled when they think they can walk out of their own home and control the behavior of others. If I were working in a group home in the area with mentally disabled adults, I would take them to that restaurant weekly to work on their "eating in a restaurant" skills and their "indoor voices."
BTW - some people think that Chili's is a birthday only treat and it is the only time they go out all year and they don't go to more expensive restaurants. So why are you advocating for people to take their children there instead if you are against "children ruining your meal." If you think that children ruin a romantic couples meal, light the candles at home. I love how everyone is turning this on its head and calling the parents entitled - it is the ones that think they can walk into a restaurant and keep others out that are entitled. If I want a romantic meal in a restaurant with just my husband, I tell the hostess seating us that we are without kids. I find the smokers that are now banned to have ruined many more meals than children have. And one person was bit**ing about a stroller in Starbucks - REALLY? Starbucks is fine dining? - that is the kind of person you want to throw your hat in with? I like the comment "certain irritated zeitgeist about children" - it is the exact description of these childless and bloodless put-upons complaining about the worst thing in their lives - entitled self-centered adult children and now the restaurant owners that cater to them. They deserve each other. Thankfully, many are the end of their family line - so they'll die out.
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