It wasn’t that long ago that I tackled the topic of “Banning Babies” here on the Life360 blog. I wrote about Malaysia Airlines and their decision to ban infants from first class. You can read my feelings on that here.
But now this trend has gone even further!
McDain’s, a restaurant in Monroeville, Pa. has decided to completely ban kids under the age of six from their establishment. “Beginning July 16, 2011, McDain’s Restaurant will no longer admit children under six years of age. “We feel that McDain’s is not a place for young children. Their volume can’t be controlled and many, many times, they have disturbed other customers,” owner Mike Vuick stated in an email sent to customers.
The website lists the restaurant as “Fine, Casual dining” and based on the menu, it is the kind of place I would not think twice about taking my kids too.
Since my kids were infants we have happily taken them to restaurants. As infants we timed those visits so that they would immediately follow a feeding and the baby would sleep happily in the carrier or stroller depending on the situation. If there was outdoor seating, we almost always opted for it, weather permitting. And we never had a problem.
As the kids got older I always made sure my bag was filled with crayons, paper, coloring and activity books and anything else that would quietly keep the kids busy while we waited for our food. We also made sure we only went to restaurants that had food we knew the kids would eat, and again timed our eating out to make sure we weren’t dragging cranky kids in need of a nap into a lunch or dinner rush.
With that being said, we ALWAYS took and still take our kids into a restaurant prepared to leave if a meltdown occurs. Yes, I reserve the right to eat out with my kids at places that serve more than pizza and don’t have a man in a mouse suit scaring the bejesus out of me as I try and eat dinner. But other patrons reserve the right to eat their meals without my kids screaming at them, throwing things at them or climbing over the seats. So my kids DON’T do that. They know if they do, we will simply get up and leave.
That is the give and take of parenthood. I know that some days everything falls apart and my kids test every fiber of my patience. But those are the days; I don’t take my kids out to dinner. But for the most part my kids are well behaved and respectful of other people’s space and privacy in a public setting and are pretty fun to be around.
So my feeling is this, if my kids aren’t behaving like little heathens I should be able to take them to eat anywhere I want. If they are bothering you, tell me. If I don’t do something about it, tell the manager. And if the manager asks me to leave, it’s my own fault. But don’t ban my kids from your establishment, simply because a handful of parents cannot follow the simple guidelines I’ve laid out in this post.
I can honestly say, as a patron, unless I’m at a bar or a place where children are really inappropriate, I don’t care that they’re there. As long as they aren’t screaming at me, throwing things at me or climbing over the seats, I couldn’t care less. And just so you know if your child IS doing those things I’m going to ask them to stop. If they don’t I WILL ask the manager to do something about it. Whether it be kicking you out or giving my meal for free.
I am getting sick and tired of people trying to make what is already a difficult job (parenthood) even harder.
I believe a restaurant (family friendly or not) reserves the right to ask anyone to leave who is disturbing the patrons. That includes uncontrollable children, fighting couples, annoying people who have had too much to drink, people who yak on their cell phones so loud that I can’t hear myself think, and loud and annoying smartass teenagers.
In fact, if McDain’s really wanted to be fair, they would ban ALL of those people from their restaurant and not just the occasional rugrat who’s parents should’ve chosen to eat at McDonald’s that particular day instead.
What do you think? Should restaurants ban children? And if so, should they also include the other types of annoying people we find in public places?
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{ 18 comments }
I love your view on parenting. Unfortunately, many parents do not see your view. I do not have kids (yet), but I hope I can be as prepared as you are with your children when I do. The problem is the minority often ruins things for the majority. I think this restaurant has the right to allow whichever customers they choose. The growth or decrease in their business will be the consequence.
Personally, I would love to eat at this restaurant! Honestly, I get tired of spending my downtime harassed by children. Camping last weekend, we had a child from a neighbouring campsite invade out site. He played with the bbq; I asked him to "go home". He threw sand in my face. The kid was about 3. Where were his parents? Children like this are too common, so I can't blame the restaurant. I'm not some kind of anti-child person. I enjoy listening to the laughter and squeals of the children in my neighbourhood when they play outside. But there is a time and a place for that.
I think the owner was right to ban children under six. I too would love to visit this establishment. I’m tired of having to put up with little obnoxious brats running around and screaming, ruining my occasional restaurant experience. Why should inconsiderate parents have the right to burden the rest of us with their uncontrollable children out in a public restaurant? This is fine dining establishment and I don’t want to pay for the entertainment of bratty kids. if the parents can’t control their kids then ban them. Take them to Chuck E Cheese. You won’t ever see me there for that very same reason.
I think you sound like a great parent. But sadly, you are in the minority. Having worked in restaurants for many years, there are a lot of parents who just don't give a damn about how their kids act in public. And if you try to say something to them about jr's behaviour, they have a temper tantrum too.
If I lived anywhere near Mc Dain's I would be there in a heartbeat. Not every place is appropriate for children and a restaurant is a private establishment. The owner has the right to ban whomever he chooses.
Way to go McDain's!! It is high time that someone has the chutzpah to stand up to these parents who allow their children's bad behavior to be imposed on the rest of the dining public. To you they might be the most wonderful little creatures on the planet but to many of us they are bothersome, dirty, loud and altogether unpleasant to be around, especially in a restaurant. If we want to enjoy a nice quiet childless dinner, we should have that option, so I applaud the owners of McDain's for their courage. If I were anywhere near the place I would make a point of supporting them.
While a restaurant can ask any one that is causing a disturbance to leave, that requires someone to intervene and most likely upset many people (I have seen many parents become highly agitated when they are asked to remove a crying baby from a movie theater or an unruly child from a restaurant). Many of this restaurant's patrons asked the owner to do something about the noise level from the young children, so rather than make a scene (on what would have been a regular basis) by asking people to leave, he opted to simply ban children under 6. So far, people are in favor of his ban 11 to 1.
the owner of an establishment should be aloud to make WHATEVER rules he sees fit for his place. If he finds it cuts his profit to much, he will change it back. I don’t believe I should have to put up with screaming children when I go out for a relaxing evening out! Unfortunately, the majority of parents these days do not teach their children how to behave in public or just have the ability to tune it out!, but I hear it all to LOUD and clear, seems like everywhere I go! I hope more places adopt the no kids rule, grown ups should have somewhere to go to unwind, with out kids. Don’t worry parents, there will still be plenty of places to take your kids. I wish this place was not a 2 hour drive for me, if it were closer, I would visit often!
Children under 8 should not be taken to upscale restaurants. Many parents do the right thing and hire a babysitter when they go out.
Many people who go out are in dire need of relaxation and it is not fair to hear babies crying or toddlers who are simply acting their age. (Temper tantrums, short attention spans or running around.) There seems to be this new movement where parents want to showcase their children in public. What happened to children should be seen and not heard. As the owner of the restaurant in Baltimore so astutely stated "All children should be the center of their parents universe but that doesn't mean they have to be the center of everyone elses universe." There are plenty of children friendly restaurants for people.,it is not necessary to torture everyone else that wants a nice evening out.
there are PLENTY of establishments that cater to loud children. not every eatery should have to. i think banning small kids is a wonderful idea — because far too few parents believe their precious urchins could possibly be disturbing everyone else in a public establishment.
"Yea!"to all the above posts! I don't hate kids, I hate parents! I work in a restaurant that is open every day of the year. I get calls or resevations from families wanting two tables, one for grown-ups and one for the "kids". I ask how old the "kids" are, because they might mean High School or collegeage "kids" The oldest is twelve", I think. The author of this article is obviously a good parent and a thoughtful person. To them; you are unusual. My parents gaged us and trained us well before our forst time in a restaurant. I am amazed how many dangerous and obstacle related areas I have to point out to parents. Frankly, grandparents, who know better, are the pithiest when these things need to be pointed out to them. Not only have they been coming there longer than the ten years I've worked there but they have rights! Restaurants fight to keep customers, and when others complain, we often buy their meals. Your babies are adorable to you. This short period of their and your lives will be over before you know it. The benefits and memories will be yours. There are good babysitters available. Also, you might be glad that narcissistic syndrome has been downplayed lately. Your kids are not your reflection. Their behavior might be. Glad this I'd a forum for a change! Now set the fire! Reasonable people have spoken!
Listen, i work at this restaurant and its no place for small kids. It seats 75 people and maybe 20 more outside. The bar is probably basically in the dinning room. The average clientele are 45+ yrs old. It decorated in early 20th century golf memorabilia. Nice for older adults, boring for kids. When kids are bored, i don't care how awesome of a parent you are, they get restless and act up. Period
Thanks for clarifying better what the restaurant is like, it was hard to get a true feel from the articles I read (which gave varying descriptions). I am curious though, how often do people bring their rowdy kids that this became such a problem? And how have parents been in the past when asked to settle their kids down? And are there EVER kids who don't cause a problem?
If I lived in the area, I would visit this restaurant weekly. Too many parents will NOT do anything about their kids, and will become offended if anything is said about screaming or running around. If parents want to end their patronage of this restaurant altogether, fine. People like me will more than make up the difference.
Wow people, I really didn't think I would be standing alone on this issue. LOL But do you guys agree that a place that makes this kind of ban SHOULD also ban other types of annoying people as I mentioned?
Great responses guys, and for the record I also HATE being around wild children who's parents don't bother trying to wrangle them in…
It's unfortunate when the children of parents who refuse to take control and discipline ruin things for everyone else's children. I had the privilege of eating next to a wonderful family with three children a few weeks ago at a local wing joint, and those kids were pretty near perfect. They ate quietly, talked amongst themselves and played a little in their chairs. I actually told the parents how great it was! Those children should be able to have dinner with the President, or win an award or something.
Even when kids start yelling or crying, if the parents quiet them down or take them out of the room, it's not a big deal. That's how kids are. We should all have some patience with them, but still expect the parents to handle the situation.
Well, Meghan, while I didn’t agree with you on the airplane issue, I am with you when it comes to restaurants. Fine, casual dining doesn’t strike me as a place from which children should be banned. But I would say, it is a place in which parents should be warned that if their children act up, they Must Leave.
I don’t have children, but I have many children in my life whom I love. This spring, the highlight of my sister-in-law’s birthday was taking her two children, ages 4 and 8, to a nice restaurant. They had practiced good manners in advance, read library books about etiquette, and were thrilled to demonstrate how they could behave in public.
I know that not everyone prepares like my sister-in-law does. Not all children would shine in that situation–and my niece and nephew don’t shine every time, in every situation. But I’m glad they had that opportunity, and made such a sweet memory, and now take pride in their ability to act properly in “a really nice restaurant” as they described it to me.
Beth,
What a perfect example of how a "fine dinning" experience can be for children! Your niece & nephew were able to practice, learn, and show off their good manners. It turned into a positive experience for everyone!
Maybe this issue really isn't about banning children after all? Maybe it's actually about children not being given the proper education or opportunities to learn how to behave and demonstrate proper etiquette.
It is their establishment and they can run it ho they want. They will get a certain crowd of people who want just what they are offering.
Apparently, McDain's business surged by 20% after banning children. Has anyone realized that perhaps it is not the ban, but the simple fact that this has created free advertising for the business?