Parenting

Anti-Child Restaurants

As I've recently found out this is not a new debate but one that has recently reemerged and it's incredibly polarizing.  People are either really happy about it or really angry about it.

clicky link

A popular restaurant on Monterey, California's Old Fisherman's Wharf has effectively banned babies by prohibiting use of strollers, high chairs, and booster seats, despite the fact that the wharf is a popular tourist destination for families. Local news station KSBW reports signage at Old Fisherman's Grotto also reserves the right to remove "children crying or making loud noises" from the dining room. The result pretty much translates into a no-babies-allowed policy, without explicitly saying that babies and toddlers are banned from the restaurant.

Old Fisherman's Grotto owner Chris Shake makes no apologies for the policy, telling KSBW that guests should "go in and abide by the rules, or find a place that's more suitable for your dining."

not super new but its still a trend that seems to gaining momentum

https://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/the-no-kids-allowed-movement-is-spreading-2516110.html
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Re: Anti-Child Restaurants

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  • from all the people that I have spoken with about this, it's about evenly divided and everyone seems to have a strong opinion one way or the other
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  • Love it, I would go there on a date night for sure.  
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  • DD is pretty good when we eat out so since they don't say no kids so long as she's quiet she should be allowed. His response was arrogant and I want to tell him "Fuck You"! If it's super high end fancy I understand but from what I've read it's touristy. So there's that. At least relax the rules until say 7pm. If I want to take DD to a place like that then fine. That way both sides can be appeased. I guess I have been super lucky with DD eating out and she is usually better behaved at a restaurant than home and she loves "eat places". 

    I don't know I shouldn't have so many feels but when I read the owner's statement it pissed me off. Sorry to those who oppose my pov. I understand wanting to be kid free. I just never am. Have not eaten out wo DD in over a year bc I have absolutely no support up here and all of my fam is over 400 miles away so there's that.
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  • bulbasaur359bulbasaur359 member
    edited July 2014
    bay511 said:
    DD is pretty good when we eat out so since they don't say no kids so long as she's quiet she should be allowed. His response was arrogant and I want to tell him "Fuck You"! If it's super high end fancy I understand but from what I've read it's touristy. So there's that. At least relax the rules until say 7pm. If I want to take DD to a place like that then fine. That way both sides can be appeased. I guess I have been super lucky with DD eating out and she is usually better behaved at a restaurant than home and she loves "eat places". 

    I don't know I shouldn't have so many feels but when I read the owner's statement it pissed me off. Sorry to those who oppose my pov. I understand wanting to be kid free. I just never am. Have not eaten out wo DD in over a year bc I have absolutely no support up here and all of my fam is over 400 miles away so there's that.
    Then you get families that come in at 6:59. Or come in at 4:00 and stay till 9:00.
    I see what you're saying. I do. I guess you cannot please everyone. But, if kid is quiet and no one notices then no biggie but when 7 hits and they are noisier than a drunk adult then yes leave. I would not take DD to a place where she was unwelcome I just got too many feels. It happens.
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  • DD is pretty good when we eat out so since they don't say no kids so long as she's quiet she should be allowed. His response was arrogant and I want to tell him "Fuck You"! If it's super high end fancy I understand but from what I've read it's touristy. So there's that. At least relax the rules until say 7pm. If I want to take DD to a place like that then fine. That way both sides can be appeased. I guess I have been super lucky with DD eating out and she is usually better behaved at a restaurant than home and she loves "eat places". 

    I don't know I shouldn't have so many feels but when I read the owner's statement it pissed me off. Sorry to those who oppose my pov. I understand wanting to be kid free. I just never am. Have not eaten out wo DD in over a year bc I have absolutely no support up here and all of my fam is over 400 miles away so there's that.
    Ya but it's not like there aren't a million restaurants that are kid friendly. The fact of the matter is making your establishment unwelcome to any specific group of people could cause a detriment to your bottom line, so it's a risk restaurant owners take.  That being said, I don't think it's as though this trend will sweep the nation and no one with kids or without a sitter will ever be welcome out to eat ever again. 

    Sorry, I am stuck in your box. 

    Ya, I shouldn't really even care. I am sorry for caring way more than I should. I guess I need to relax or have a drink lol.
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  • I'm ok with this. There are plenty of places I can take my kids and on the rare occasion I get to go out with just DH, I like to go to more upscale places where there probably won't be kids.

    I was actually just at this place a few weeks ago. We were on the pier looking for a place to eat and we saw this restaurant and their sign. We had our kids so we did not go there and instead ate at the restaurant across from this one. I will say I found it odd in this particular case because of the location. The pier is very touristy/family oriented and this restaurant was not any nicer or more upscale than the place we did eat at which was kid friendly and did have high chairs.
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  • In general I have no problem with this and would go to a kid free restaurant.  I do think in this case the owner is being a bit of an ass about it and its not really a decision I would make if it were my restaurant in a tourist location that would expect a lot of family foot-traffic but hey its his business that is turning away money, not mine.   




  • fredalina said:
    I don't give a shit about some dumb restaurant. But I do think there's a growing anti-child sentiment in this country, coupled with an anti-minor-inconvenience sentiment, that bothers me. Maybe it's FB and Twitter but people complain over the dumbest stuff. I hate traffic and lines as much as anyone but sometimes they are just part of life. As are kids out and about in the actual public.
    Absolutely. But, I feel like some of it is in response to the fact that people that choose not to have children are often put down for their choice. Or, they are made to feel that choosing to be child-free is not a valid choice. Now that more people are vocal about not wanting children, they are becoming more vocal about how they view children as a nuisance.

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  • I'm ok with it. If you don't want my kids there, then I can go spend my money somewhere else.

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  • aglennaglenn member

    I think banning high chairs is dumb because in my experience my 2 and 4 year olds, who sit in regular chairs now, are way more disruptive than they were when they were babies.  I wish I could still strap them into high chairs but unfortunately they are giants and do not fit.  Anyway, there are plenty of restaurants I would not take my kids to because if I am spending $$$ for a meal I don't really want to be spending the whole time managing them.  I would imagine almost all parents feel the same, so I don't get this "issue."  Seems like a non-issue to me.

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  • Ratpasta said:
    from all the people that I have spoken with about this, it's about evenly divided and everyone seems to have a strong opinion one way or the other
    I guess I'm curious to know who else you've consulted (the other side) seeing as parenting seems in agreement (and parenting clearly runs shit)

    people on FB, people that work in my office.   Some of the people I've spoken to are visibly angry some of them couldn't care less but the yes/no is still about 50/50.  I posed it to Parenting because there is no shortage of strong opinions and I had 26 seconds to rub together for the first time in months.
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  • RatpastaRatpasta member
    edited August 2014
    aditigirl said:
    Oh, I've missed Ratpasta.
    Said no one on Parenting, ever.
    yes, the great indenting calamity of 2013.  I remember it well. 
    I don't come around because I understand that I'm not liked here which is fine, but originally I came to try and become a better father and I believe that I am.
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  • I like when people bring their kids to restaurants. Usually they somehow end up sitting at my table with me and we colour n' shit.


    I need to move and live near you.


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  • I like when people bring their kids to restaurants. Usually they somehow end up sitting at my table with me and we colour n' shit.
    I need to move and live near you.

    I support this. 
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  • It doesn't bother me. If that's the case I'll just go somewhere else or get a sitter if I want to go there. It does seem odd that it's in a family oriented tourist area.

    I went to a place like this once not knowing. Well they didn't have a sign. My sister suggested a restaurant and knew we were bringing DD. She was bringing her (older) DD and had been there several times. When we got there they had no high chair or booster and no kids menu. It was very much like a sport bar. We stuck it out because we were hungry. DD goes with the flow and behaved very well but I said to DH on the way home that it was obvi not a restaurant for kids and families. Food was good though!
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