Do YOU think 7.30pm is too late for children to be in a restaurant? Diner sparks furious debate after claiming her expensive meal was ‘ruined’ by a family-of-five – with some insisting ‘they should be in bed by then’
- The woman on Mumsnet said she was looking forward to her posh meal out
- But she was sat by family with two noisy children and a screaming baby
- Questions whether expensive restaurants should have a policy on this
- But some have defended the parents, saying they also have a right to eat out
A woman has sparked a furious debate asking whether expensive restaurants should have a policy on noisy children.
The woman took to British parenting forum Mumsnet complaining that her adult night out was ruined by a family with three children sitting next to her.
While she got support in some quarters – with one Mumsnet user writing, ‘I’d have left a long time before’, others slammed her views.
A woman has sparked a furious debate asking whether expensive restaurants should have a policy on noisy children. Stock image
The woman took to British parenting forum Mumsnet complaining that her adult night out was ruined by a family with three children sitting next to her
One wrote: ‘So parents shouldn’t be entitled to a meal out? Babies cry and toddlers can make noise. You’re in a public restaurant.’
The woman wrote: ‘About 10 minutes after we’d sat down a couple came in pushing a buggy and with 2 other children in tow. They were seated at the table beside us.
‘One child kept bashing his spoon off the table, another kept crawling along the wide windowsill so that he was right behind my head, and the baby was kept amused by the father playing peek a boo while she screamed excitedly. This went on and on.
‘We asked to be moved to another table. There were none available.Then the baby started crying loudly and the toddler got tired and cranky and joined the wailing.
‘We left without dessert and complained on the way out. They knocked the price of a bottle of wine off our bill.
‘AIBU [Am I Being Unreasonable] to think expensive restaurants, charging a fortune, should have a policy for dealing with situations like this? We paid a lot of money for a meal we couldn’t enjoy.’
Some Mumsnet users agreed that 7.30pm is too late for rowdy children to be allowed into an expensive restaurant, and said they would also be annoyed
The post prompted mixed reactions however, with some Mumsnet users in support of her.
One wrote: ‘A lot of nice restaurants don’t allow children to dinner seating times and I think that’s ok.
‘They’ll allow well-behaved children at lunch and I think this is a good policy as it would put me off taking a toddler or baby.’
She added: ‘I’m sorry your meal was ruined. I would feel the same if I’d gone out with [my husband] on our own as it’s such a rare occasion.’
But others thought she was being very unreasonable.
However others argued the woman was being unreasonable and said children – and their parents – are entitled to enjoy a posh meal out
One compared the strict British attitude towards children in restaurants to that of those in the Mediterranean.
She wrote of her holiday in Italy: ‘Dinner at 9 and loads of children in restaurants behaving much the same and Italians love it.
‘Everyone was chatting, eating great food and generally a lovely feel. What is wrong with this country?’
Others also commented that it is not just children that make noise.
A Mumsnet user said: ‘We booked at table and we were literally surrounded by three hen parties. Noisy, squealing women covered in plastic d****.’
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