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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,858
Registered: ‎06-03-2017

Once a week, I eat lunch by myself at a Vietnamese restaurant.  It gives me a chance to get away from my office and enjoy a nice meal in peace and quiet.  

 

I usually go around 2PM, so the lunch rush is over, and I won't feel bad taking up a table by myself.  Today I arrived at 2PM, and there were only 3 tables occupied out of the 30 or so in the restaurant which is one large room.  As usual, you can seat yourself, so I took a booth in the rear, right corner of the room and ordered my food. 

 

Everything was delicious, and during the meal, one table left, and another couple came in and sat down.  All 4 of the occupied tables were spread out in the room.  About 3/4 of the way through my meal, in walks a family of 5 consisting of 2 parents in their 30's an infant, and what looked like a 2 year old boy and 4 year old girl.  They walk right over and sit down in the booth which is back to back with mine.  Luckily I was sitting on the side of the table that was not the side that was back to back with them.  I was facing them with the empty seat at my table being back to back with theirs.  

 

Before they all even sat down, the little girl started crying and hitting her father on the arm.  Instead of disciplining her or holding her hands down, the father holds his hands up in front of him to protect himself, as if he were getting charged by a bear.  She then started taking the sauce ramekins on the table, turning them upside down, and banging them on the table.  I immediately smelled something which alerted me that the infant needed to be changed, then the little boy started screaming as well.  By this point, I had already put my credit card on the table and had waved down the server to bring the check.  I paid and left as quickly as possible, appetite lost, without finishing the meal.

 

Am I the only one who feels that parents shouldn't take children to restaurants until they are sure that the children can behave appropriately in restaurants?  I think restaurants should have a ratings system like the movies.  I think that would ensure that everyone eating there would have an enjoyable experience.  

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,658
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

No, I don't think it is fair for the children or other customers.

Parents should know when and where it will be a good experience for young kids and sitting in a restaurant quietly for long periods is not always possible.

I think good parenting is you can go to a restaurant, but when your kids start to be too loud or disrupt others, its time for at least one of the parents to do the walk around outside duty.

And sometimes, you just have to wait until thy are older and able to enjoy it too.

 

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"
Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,295
Registered: ‎08-03-2013

@TenderMercies    I knew as soon as I read that a family walked in, the next thing was going to be they ended up sitting very close to you even though there were many other open tables in the restaurant. That's the kind of thing that happens to me also. Often young parents can be very inconsiderate of others. Sorry you didn't get to enjoy your food and solitude.

~~~"Patience is the power to do nothing when doing something won't do anything but make everything worse"~~~
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,821
Registered: ‎02-16-2018

@TenderMercieswrote:

Once a week, I eat lunch by myself at a Vietnamese restaurant.  It gives me a chance to get away from my office and enjoy a nice meal in peace and quiet.  

 

I usually go around 2PM, so the lunch rush is over, and I won't feel bad taking up a table by myself.  Today I arrived at 2PM, and there were only 3 tables occupied out of the 30 or so in the restaurant which is one large room.  As usual, you can seat yourself, so I took a booth in the rear, right corner of the room and ordered my food. 

 

Everything was delicious, and during the meal, one table left, and another couple came in and sat down.  All 4 of the occupied tables were spread out in the room.  About 3/4 of the way through my meal, in walks a family of 5 consisting of 2 parents in their 30's an infant, and what looked like a 2 year old boy and 4 year old girl.  They walk right over and sit down in the booth which is back to back with mine.  Luckily I was sitting on the side of the table that was not the side that was back to back with them.  I was facing them with the empty seat at my table being back to back with theirs.  

 

Before they all even sat down, the little girl started crying and hitting her father on the arm.  Instead of disciplining her or holding her hands down, the father holds his hands up in front of him to protect himself, as if he were getting charged by a bear.  She then started taking the sauce ramekins on the table, turning them upside down, and banging them on the table.  I immediately smelled something which alerted me that the infant needed to be changed, then the little boy started screaming as well.  By this point, I had already put my credit card on the table and had waved down the server to bring the check.  I paid and left as quickly as possible, appetite lost, without finishing the meal.

 

Am I the only one who feels that parents shouldn't take children to restaurants until they are sure that the children can behave appropriately in restaurants?  I think restaurants should have a ratings system like the movies.  I think that would ensure that everyone eating there would have an enjoyable experience.  

 

 


@TenderMercies Sometimes you wonder if the concept of manners has been lost in society.😳 The parents should have taken the child out of the restaurant if he wouldn’t mind them. If he still wouldn’t behave they should have been the ones to go home, not you. It’s so inconsiderate, but I see it happen all of the time. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,847
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

The only thing I’m going to say is this because no matter where we go to eat we run into screaming kids and the parents sit there and do nothing.  Throw rocks at me, but most parents today Stink, with a capital S.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,328
Registered: ‎08-20-2012

Re: Restaurant Rant

[ Edited ]

     I agree...there is nothing more irritating than to have a loud, obnoxious family sitting in the next booth. I think if the children and parents act this way at home during a meal, chances are, they might do the same when dining out.  

I also think some parents take their children out for a long day's outing and then expect a tired child to behave while dining out.

     I started by taking my kids to those restaurants where

little children are more comfortable - outside play areas or table games.   Then little by little, they were taken to more adult restaurants where they were expected to act more adult.  Not to say, we didn't have the occasional breakdown of a child, but then child was taken outside by parent until calm.  Am so glad those days are long gone...... Smiley Happy

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,178
Registered: ‎07-26-2014

The diners in my neck of the woods have 2 separate rooms.  One for customers who have "young" children & the main room for "adults."

 

If the children get "unruly" a waitress will close the door.  The family rooms (is what they are called) are soundproof. Smiley LOL

 

"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."


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Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,604
Registered: ‎10-25-2010

We don’t frequent restaurants  often, but when we are on vacation, we often have no choice.

 

i have three children and two youngest are only 1 year apart.  Years ago when  we took our children into a restaurant, we went during “off hours” never during the rush hours for any meal. That way my kids would not be overwhelmed and bother other patrons.

 

My children never hit us or dumped things on the table.  They were not allowed to get out of their seat and run around either.  We usually took a new toy or something to keep them occupied.  My daughter who is the oldest, was a perfect child from birth to age 16. She just did as she was told and we could take her anywhere. Her daughter is the same way.

 

My boys...close in age, would sometimes try something they weren’t allowed to do, and they were taken outside until they they understood  the rules and were ready to return.  I am a no nonsense parent.

 

i take my grandkids into restaurants..all three at once.  I have never had a problem with them either, though my son has on occasion with his two.  Kids just naturally listen to me.  I give them the “look” and they settle down.

 

Sometimes patents don’t have a choice in taking kids to a restaurant.  They have to eat too. In your case, the kids were there during an off hour, but the parents should have made them behave and taken them outside if they acted up. And, they should have seated themselves away from other people since there were empty seats.  Sounds like bad parenting.

 

Then, there are children and adults who have emotional or other health issues,that make it impossible for them to be seated and be quiet.  When someone has a handicap, the rest of us should try to understand.

 

There are some restaurants that do not allow children or only allow respectful children.  They are usually expensive places where it would be too costly to feed kids there anyway.

 

Small family run restaurants often do not do that.  They can’t afford to lose the business of families.  They need the money to stay in business.  If this the only time something like this happen in this restaurant, I would just forget about it.  If it happens often, i’d look for another place to have lunch.

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,407
Registered: ‎07-07-2010

@TenderMercies, what an unpleasant experience.  From reading this, it appears that the parents are afraid of their daughter.  What a sad commentary of that family.  They probably went early because of her behavior, hoping that the restaurant would be empty.  The problem is that there is no discipline for her and what an unhappy future she will have unless there is a change.

 

Since this is a favorite restaurant of yours, I hope that they do not come back while you are there.  Probably the owners also hope that they do not come back ever. 

The next time that I hear salt and ice together, it better be in a margarita!
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,573
Registered: ‎06-19-2010

Same thing usually happens at movie theaters. We usually go when it’s very empty (10 people or less) and it never fails, someone will sit right behind us with their little brats kicking our seats, screaming during the movie or throwing food. I don’t get it.