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| Tue, 04-03-2007 - 9:22am |
Restaurant Takes On Kids Behaving Badly
Should Parents Have to Leave Children Home When Dining Out?
By JOHN STOSSEL and CHRISTOPHER ST. JOHN
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.
Watch the story on "20/20" Friday, March 23, 2007 at 10 p.m. ET
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 Walsh, one of the supervising mothers, and told her that she and her children were no longer welcome in the cafe.
"I was so shocked," Walsh said, adding that she thought the children had been relatively well-behaved that afternoon. "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"
To his astonishment, the sign quickly provoked a strong response within the community. "We had like 50 or 60 phone calls," McCauley said. "People stating that they were really offended, and they would never step foot in here again, which really surprised me." A local newspaper even wrote that a group of concerned parents was going to boycott the cafe.
The Debate Changes
But then things began to change, when the story was picked up outside of the community and reported nationally. All of a sudden, McCauley said, the steady stream of angry phone calls turned into a tidal wave of support.
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.
The point of contention is rarely whether or not children should be allowed in restaurants, or whether or not they should behave. Most agree that kids are welcome to dine out as long as they don't make nuisances of themselves. But tempers seem to flare when the topic is addressed in public.
'It's Like Speaking Against Nuns'
Ralph Walsh, the husband of Julie and father of the children banned from A Taste of Heaven, said that while it was hard not to agree with McCauley, "What I'm saying is that there are ways to approach this issue without making parents feel uncomfortable, patronized, pushed away."
Meanwhile, Ted, a Taste of Heaven patron who gave only his first name, had his own theory to explain the nation-wide debate touched off by the cafe's sign.
"It was kinda groundbreaking," he said. "It's almost taboo. Children definitely are the one thing that you cannot speak against in our society. They are innately good. It's like speaking against nuns. You know what I mean?"
From http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2971198&page=1
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What do you think?


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I agree Denise, it is all about respect!
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Also, i have worked at Red Lobster for 21 years. For the most part kids are usually well behaved but i have had to on several occasions tell kids to remain seated. It is dangerous with the waitstaff carrying large trays of food or dishes to have a small child running around. We cannot see them and there have been times where they have nearly tripped the server.
I understand that going out for dinner is often an escape for mom and dad but we are not babysitters that are going to watch to see if your child remains in the restaurant. We are not there to take your child to the bathroom, to babysit or to entertain the child. I had a little girl about 3 follow me into the kitchen one day. She wanted me to tie her shoes. I didn't even realize she was behind me until i turned around with a large tray in my hand. Her parents should have kept a better eye on her.
I am surprised the manager of your location did not go and speak to the parents of these kids. I know my boss would have and when i was in management i would have too.
The manager is there to ensure everyone enjoys themselves not just the people who expect others to look out for their kids.
Kelly
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You know Laura, your point about the kids having good manners ... based on what I've seen most of the regulars here post about their kids, it seems like manners are important to our members here.
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I completely agree! It's not a class you sit down and teach your children, it's a way of life...you model what's expected, correct it when it's missing and reinforce it when it happens!
Isn't it funny when you get those strange looks? The lady who shakes her head and wonders if she heard em right? LOL!
Denise
I JUST NOW remembered a place we took the kids in Colorado Springs lately...it was kind of a pub but served meals during the day. I recall a sign saying "Unruly Kids Will Be Asked To Leave"..we were with a group of about 10 adults so we just shuffled my two kids in with the group. Even though they're 13 & 15, I was still kind of nervous that someone was watching them for any kind of misbehavior! Of course they didn't do anything wrong, but it WAS kind of nice to see all of the other kids in the place sitting at the tables...NO running around! LOL!
Denise
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