Community Chat

[NYC Susan]

---

@GCR18wrote:

I wonder why they chose to sit next to another occupied table when there were many available.  I am usually the lucky one whom the restaurant seats the unbehaved children next to.  Last month I met a friend for lunch.  We went at 11am so it would be quieter and we could get in/out in an hour.  Tons of empty tables and a group was put at the next table with a restless toddler.  

---

If people are being seated by restaurant staff, it's probably because they're putting everyone at the tables assigned to the server(s) who is/are currently working.  It's not practical for them (for several reasons) to scatter people all over the restaurant.

In the case of self-seating, that's one of my pet peeves.  It happens to me everywhere I go.  I arrive early for a movie, no one else is there, people trickle in, and maybe there are 5 people in the entire theater, but you can bet that one will either sit right next to me or right in front of me. 

And it happens to me at the beach.  Totally deserted beach, no one there, I'm sitting in the sun, and next thing I know someone is throwing down a blanket just inches away.  An entire empty beach, and they set up camp practically in my lap.

It's really, really hard to get inside people's heads sometimes.  

[SandPiper]

@TenderMercies I noticed a couple restaurants opening up with signs in the window that say “ adults only”. I know families with children that are upset over this.  Heck my husband works a lot of hours and when he is off and we want a relaxing dinner out we go to one of these restaurants. We are assured a nice quiet dinner.

[Cakers3]

---

@Trinity11wrote:

Let me preface my response that I adore children but if they are going to ruin someone's experience in a restaurant mom and dad need to hire a sitter.

Anyone taking an infant, 2 year old and 4 year old out to eat knows they might get noisy. It's really about having common sense. McDonald's or Chucky Cheese, maybe? Any restaurant where a lot of adults dine? I think it's kind of rude. 

---

@Trinity11  Sorry but just because one is at McDonald's doesn't mean they have to put up with kids running around, yelling, etc.   The type of restaurant shouldn't determine when, where, and how a kid can be obnoxious.  LOL

And have you ever been to a Chuck-E-Cheese??  It's ok for a birthday party or for the game rooms but the food is...........well, I'm not into buffets anyway but having been at one for a birthday party I can tell you the even the pizza s*cked.

[Spurt]

---

@Carmiewrote:

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.

---

@Carmie

If the child has an emotional or health problem then all the more reason to take the family to a place that is more child friendly where the child would feel more comfortable........Rather than an atmosophere that is filled with adults and more imposing place to the child...

[mousiegirl]

---

@NYC Susanwrote:

---

@GCR18wrote:

I wonder why they chose to sit next to another occupied table when there were many available.  I am usually the lucky one whom the restaurant seats the unbehaved children next to.  Last month I met a friend for lunch.  We went at 11am so it would be quieter and we could get in/out in an hour.  Tons of empty tables and a group was put at the next table with a restless toddler.  

---

If people are being seated by restaurant staff, it's probably because they're putting everyone at the tables assigned to the server(s) who is/are currently working.  It's not practical for them (for several reasons) to scatter people all over the restaurant.

In the case of self-seating, that's one of my pet peeves.  It happens to me everywhere I go.  I arrive early for a movie, no one else is there, people trickle in, and maybe there are 5 people in the entire theater, but you can bet that one will either sit right next to me or right in front of me. 

And it happens to me at the beach.  Totally deserted beach, no one there, I'm sitting in the sun, and next thing I know someone is throwing down a blanket just inches away.  An entire empty beach, and they set up camp practically in my lap.

It's really, really hard to get inside people's heads sometimes.  

---

@NYC Susan  It's a phenomenon, lol, happens every time DD and I would go to the movie in the day, almost empty room, but someone always came to sit next to us.  DD was annoyed that I always moved, but I wanted to enjoy the movie.

[stevieb]

As customers, we have to be assertive. The host or hostess is going to seat people in close proximity because it's easier for the wait and bus staff. If it doesn't work for us, we need to request an alternative seat. In self seating restaurants, when confronted by unruly neighbors, we need to ask the wait staff to move us to another table. We shouldn't need to because when eating out people should recognize they're in public. When they don't, as seems increasingly the case, then we have to make the restaurant accomodate our right to enjoy a meal, for which we're paying, in relative peace and quiet. It's a shame, we shouldn't have to, but if others aren't going to respect the rights of others when in public, then we have to look out for ourselves.

[TenderMercies]

---

@NYC Susanwrote:

---

@GCR18wrote:

I wonder why they chose to sit next to another occupied table when there were many available.  I am usually the lucky one whom the restaurant seats the unbehaved children next to.  Last month I met a friend for lunch.  We went at 11am so it would be quieter and we could get in/out in an hour.  Tons of empty tables and a group was put at the next table with a restless toddler.  

---

If people are being seated by restaurant staff, it's probably because they're putting everyone at the tables assigned to the server(s) who is/are currently working.  It's not practical for them (for several reasons) to scatter people all over the restaurant.

In the case of self-seating, that's one of my pet peeves.  It happens to me everywhere I go.  I arrive early for a movie, no one else is there, people trickle in, and maybe there are 5 people in the entire theater, but you can bet that one will either sit right next to me or right in front of me. 

And it happens to me at the beach.  Totally deserted beach, no one there, I'm sitting in the sun, and next thing I know someone is throwing down a blanket just inches away.  An entire empty beach, and they set up camp practically in my lap.

It's really, really hard to get inside people's heads sometimes.  

---

@NYC Susan OMG.  That reminds me of when 4 of us went to go see a matinee of a Broadway show.  We were seated in the left section of the mezzanine, but the entire center section was empty.  I asked the usher if we could move to the first row of the center section, and she said to wait until after intermission.  So, during intermission we moved to the center section taking 4 seats in the middle of the first row.  Three teenage girls come along and sit right next to our little group when the entire section was open.  So, I said to the ladies in our group, "why don't we just all move down one seat to put at least one seat between us and them."  The 4 of us moved down one seat, and the 3 teenagers got up and moved right next to us again!  I stood up and screamed at them "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!  WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"  Terrified, they jumped up and moved back 3 rows.  Some people are so stupid.

[Spurt]

---

@Rockycoastwrote:

Similar thing happened to my daughter this past Tuesday. She had gone into a cafe for lunch. It was early still, lots of tables available. My daughter was eating her lunch and playing a game on her phone. A family of 4 come in and took the table right next to my daughter. Mom and dad in their 30's, a 2 and 4 year old my daughter thought. As soon as the mom sat down she said to my daughter, " Could you put your phone away. My daughter(the 2 year old ) will want to play with it".  My daughter looked at her and said "Then you should teach your daughter not to touch other people's property", and went back to eating her lunch and her phone.  When she told me what happened, I told her, well done!  It is the mom's and dad's responsibility to teach her kids what is right and wrong and to not touch other's property.  I agree, parents need to step up their game and start parenting their kids! Not expect others to do it for them.

---

@Rockycoast

Good for your daughter.............

If I was your daughter I would have said..." it's up to you to teach your daughter she can't always have what she wants"...she will not only need it now but all through her life as well".............

We experienced a kid having a tantrum at a restaurant because his mother left her cell phone at home so he couldnt play with it........How did we know what happened-- both the kid and the mother let EVERYONE in the restaurant know!!!.....

[Carmie]

---

@Spurtwrote:

---

@Carmiewrote:

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.

---

@Carmie

If the child has an emotional or health problem then all the more reason to take the family to a place that is more child friendly where the child would feel more comfortable........Rather than an atmosophere that is filled with adults and more imposing place to the child...

---

I agree. I would never even take a well behaved child to a fine dining restaurant.  But, I never have taken my children to a fast food junk restaurant for a meal either.  

Small family restaurants or chain restaurants are not for adults only.   Heck, I have seen adults acting uncouth while eating out..drunk and sober.

We only eat out a few times a year, if that much...usually with friends.  We prefer home cooking.  We both are turned off by other people touching our food as well as not knowing what we are eating and how clean the food is. I hate the taste of salt, cilantro,  deep fried food, greasy food and can’t eat gluten.

Eating out is never a good experience for me.

[luvmybeetle]

---

@Blingqueen023wrote:

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.

---

When my son was young enough to sit in a high chair in a restaurant he was always quiet and women used to come over and comment what a good boy he was and lay down a dime for him.  He is 50 now so they don't do that anymore.  I always disciplined my children when we went out no matter where it was.  Once when we were in a really nice restaurant in Chicago my daughter started to scream and have a tantrum and I took her into the bathroom and spanked her and told her to be quiet or she would be back in there again.  She came out and never did it again.  You need to discipline your children at home and out.  That's my biggest beef with young parents now.