What's Your Opinion on Charging Parents for Unruly Children's Behavior?
In the News
So a restaurant in the US is charging parents for unruly children's behaviour (£40)
I absolutely would love this idea in the UK, time after time we have left restaurant because of kids running around, even grabbing things from our children, now I have children and I never let them behave like this
I disagree on this they should be asked to leave in my opinion that way other people can still enjoy there meal
If restaurants follow this then they should include everyone. We were seated near a large table and they were so loud but generated lots of income for the restaurant with their wine and beer consumption.
I saw this a few days ago M, one article posted the actual bill, it was showing $55 dollars for meals and drinks but it didn't show the surcharge they are complaining about
I tried to find the link but can't , the other articles are not showing the bill
I am on the fence with this one though
If this rule is implemented for unruly children then it should also be implemented for other diners who are unruly.
I agree in one way, however, if you cannot keep your kids under control for a short period, then do not take them there in the first place
Though it depends on what is deemed as bad behaviour. They charged someone for bad behaviour for kids being on a tablet
If I had a restaurant, I wouldn't allow under 14s in as they are generally a pain.
But running an eatery is hard and the family £££ is important, so if I had to leave them in and they misbehaved, I'd charge the parents, if it was legal, and give them a lifetime ban.
The problem with this ruling is that different people see things differently to one another. What one person might deem as bad behaviour others may disagree. I was lucky in that when my children were younger they listened to me and behaved, but sometimes they had to be bribed to do so! Maybe just the threat of an additional charge would be enough to get parents to make sure that their children behave appropriately in that environment.
I don't agree with this, especially if it's not advertised pre ordering. Who and how do you decide what an unruly child is? No idea if they cater for children's needs at all with colouring crayons and placemats for example, as other children do. If you don't want any extra noise from kids, make the restaurant either no kids under a certain age or have no kids allowed after a certain time eg 7pm. If you've never taken your kids to a restaurant, that first visit can be an exciting new experience for them, kids are naturally curious and noisy. Whilst I agree that kids running around can be dangerous and parents should be asked to keep kids sitting for that reason, there has to be a little give in the situation
People's ideas of what 'unruly' means is going to differ. If your restaurant is open to children, you have to accept their behaviour within reason.
Probably a publicity stunt but i know that unruly children can be a problem is pubs and restaurants. If i’ve paid my money i expect to be able to eat in relative peace.
jms19 you mention pubs but parents shouldn't be taking their children to a pub in the first place. Plenty of other choices are available
jmbarnes45 I don’t know about that, i agree there are certain pubs that aren’t really child friendly but in most cases these days they are for families
Children should be taught to sit quietly at the table when they're eating, whether out or at home. Maybe a fine would encourage the parents to teach their children good manners.
LadyA Sadly parents these days haven't either the interest or know how to control their children
LadyA maybe back in the 60's kids were taught to be seen and not heard. Yes things may have gone from one extreme to another in some homes, but children are small people. I believe manners are important and should be instilled from a young age, as the norm. However, I think sitting around a table, as a family, is a nice place for a conversation and can be beneficial for children in learning social etiquette. Being still and quiet is difficult enough for an adult, are you like that at a table? Should we really expect that of children? If we are going to all sit in silence at a table, what's the point of even going out for a dinner treat?
clairrobins74 you've misunderstood me. By "sitting quietly" I certainly didn't mean sitting in silence; I agree that this is a time for families to enjoy conversation but, this can't be the case if a child is jumping around in their seat. I agree with you completely.
LadyA OK, no worries if I misunderstood. I was just getting the vibe that a lot of people's answers are 1 extreme or the other. Personally, if a child (in general, yes, there are always exceptions) behaves badly, I would say it's not a naughty child, but an incompetent parent. But that's just my opinion
Brilliant! I totally understand why. It's horrendous working in restaurants were kids are allowed to run wild. The parents never seem to consider the dangers of a staff member being tripped over while carrying hot food or drinks and it landing on their kids.
Don't get me started..children running wild is down to the parents..teaching them some decent manners..not only places to eat..you get on a bus and they are jumping around on seats that others have to sit on..for goodness sake...get a grip on them and learn them right from wrong.
I can understand it but cant see it being that easy to enforce. The parents who let their children run riot are hardly the ones who will happily pay a fine! Ask them to leave and ban them from returning!
I was on holiday in Spain once and went to an indian buffet restaurant , all you can eat for a set price
There was the typical british stereotype family there, tattoos and beer belly, and that was just the wife , plates piled high
The kids were on push scooters riding up and down the restaurant as the buffet was set to one side with a large gap between the buffet and tables
Everyone was gobsmacked but the owners said nothing as the family looked so intimidating
The only consolation was the food tasted delicious despite the disturbance
Would anyone have a quiet word with the parents and ask them very politely if they could ask their children to calm down- say its because you are worried over the children’s safety?
I have looked after children who are on the autistic spectrum and some of them wouldn’t cope if there were kids being noisy and running around.
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