Kids running in eating places

[cheesefest]

When I see kids doing this, do you think it’s due to their parent(s)’ poor discipline, don’t sit up to a table at home for meals or something else? I believe it’s the not sitting at a table to eat. If the concept is alien for them, they will struggle to do this. The other is boredom. As at home, they are given the food almost immediately after being called that food is ready.

A friend was eating at a restaurant last night and it was ruined by two kids running around and screaming. Restaurant isn’t one of these with a play area next to it. Parents weren’t bothered or told them off as hand and eyes glued to their phones.

A few more diners complained and the manager asked them to leave after paying. The gobby mum said her kids are well behaved!! WTF? Running almost into waiters with trays of drink and hot food? Screaming at top their voices.


Got this information from a longer rant on FB she wrote last night.

What do you think? Seen experiences similar to this when dining out yourself (I have) or if you worked at a restaurant?

 

[theone8181]

My kids are probably 50/50 with meals at tables and on sofa. I'd say when we're out they rarely get up as we take colouring books to entertain them (one exception is lrgoland, as they were having fun looking at all the lego people). I tell them off though if they're being naughty which is probably the difference.

 

[omnomnom]

My kids wouldn’t do that but then I’m not an arse and aware that other people don’t want to hear children screaming so put a stop to it. You can’t expect silence but running around and screaming is ridiculous and is bad parenting.

 

[NoobCannon]

Its infuriating, esp when you have kids yourself and are trying your hardest to keep them eating their dinner and some cretin is letting their demon spawn run riot.

Im glad the manager told them to leave. But from your post it seems not until they had finished eating? So seems almost pointless

 

[cheesefest]

Its infuriating, esp when you have kids yourself and are trying your hardest to keep them eating their dinner and some cretin is letting their demon spawn run riot.

Im glad the manager told them to leave. But from your post it seems not until they had finished eating? So seems almost pointless

I didn’t put this properly. Manager came up to them with bill and card machine and made them pay on the spot. Then threw them out

 

[EdwardTeach]

My kids are probably 50/50 with meals at tables and on sofa. I'd say when we're out they rarely get up as we take colouring books to entertain them (one exception is lrgoland, as they were having fun looking at all the lego people). I tell them off though if they're being naughty which is probably the difference.

Genuinely curious - why do they have meals on the sofa? I have never heard of anyone doing this with kids.

 

[dlockers]

Im glad the manager told them to leave. But from your post it seems not until they had finished eating? So seems almost pointless

Sounds like hyperbole doesn't it really? Folks left once they had eaten and paid = they were thrown out by the manager. If that's how it works I get thrown out each and every time I eat

 

[peterwalkley]

I didn’t put this properly. Manager came up to them with bill and card machine and made them pay on the spot. Then threw them out

Good. Chav gonna chav, but nice too see there are consequences.

Pre-covid there were eating places locally with a play gym attached where younger kids could go play while the food was prepared, but I don't think any are still in use now as I suspect the cleaning is too much or they're just not allowed to open them up. Parents need to bring something to keep the kids occupied if they're not capable of sitting and waiting for food.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Rarely see this, but then again I don’t go to places like Harvester or Wetherspoons

 

[watercooledman]

Rarely see this, but then again I don’t go to places like Harvester or Wetherspoons

because Gucci ?

 

[Yaayuh!]

because Gucci ?

You know it.

 

[Puzzled]

GD is quickly turning in to the cheesefest daily whinge section

 

[nine_tails]

I vote for Rock bottom , followed by the peoples elbow.

 

[Jean-F]

My kids wouldn’t do that but then I’m not an arse and aware that other people don’t want to hear children screaming so put a stop to it. You can’t expect silence but running around and screaming is ridiculous and is bad parenting.

Agree wholeheartedly, my two boys didn’t run around screaming in restaurants when they were small, but if they looked like they were pushing their chairs back and getting ready to leave the table, my ex wife would give them “the look”, this could freeze a grown man in his tracks, and it petrified my boys, me too sometimes.
My son in Germany has two sons as well, I used to take them all to a gaststätte for dinner, which had an indoor water feature, with goldfish swimming around in it.
Naturally the kids were fascinated by it, and my German daughter-in-law would take them to look at it while we were waiting to be seated, but if they tried to get up and go there when we were eating, she’d call one of them by his full name, “LARS WILHELM GENOU, JETZT!”, (L.W.G. NOW!), this stopped them dead, I love her to bits, but she could have had a career in the S.S.!

 

[Ayahuasca]

It’s just a lack of common decency from the parents, the types who think any show of courtesy is a sign of weakness.

 

[robj20]

My children don't sit at a table at home, we don't have one. But they know to do as their told and when eating out stay at the table.

 

[Scam]

I didn’t put this properly. Manager came up to them with bill and card machine and made them pay on the spot. Then threw them out

I absolutely love this. Well done that man(ager).

I absolutely hate it. Back in the day going to a restaurant as a kid was a treat and you knew you had to behave. Nowadays (especially in middle-class London neighbourhoods) it seems parents do this because they either can't think of any proper way to entertain their spawn, or don't want to admit their days of spending the afternoon/evening in a pub are numbered now - because of said children. On a few occasions we've sat down in restaurants at 7.30/8pm on a Fri/Sat night only to find ourselves next to some hipster couple with their kids running amok. We usually pointedly look at them and ask to move tables. Surely if you're going out with your kids a more appropriate time for them to eat is earlier? And not on a Fri or Sat night? I think nice restaurants should have a no kids policy past 7.30pm...

We once sat in a pub garden and moved twice because of little cretins literally running circles around our table. We told them off twice, couldn't even find who the parents were, so we finished up and left. Ridiculous.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

What do you think? Seen experiences similar to this when dining out yourself

Never seen it happen and I go for meals weekly.
I also haven't seen it on holidays and I always go on a Chav all inclusive.

 

[NotAGolf]

Whilst I do sometimes sympathise with some parents, some of them just don't give a ****.

As a parent with two kids under 4, even the best laid plans (colouring, toys, books, etc), go out the window when you're kept waiting forever and a day for a menu, your drinks, your meal etc. If they're that busy that they can't provide efficient service then I'd rather they said upfront. I'd be happy to preorder and just rock up with the meals on the table.

 

[BowdonUK]

The eating places need to start putting it on the sign before people go in that children shouldn't move around without an adult.

I know some resturants have certain sections were they ban children from going in.

I think the kids are showing a lack of respect to their own family by showing them up. The mother blaming other people shows where they get it from.