So I’m going to start off by saying that I honestly don’t think I’m being unreasonable, but this was so mad as to almost be unbelievable so I had to get some other opinions. Also, I don’t live in the UK, so on a completely different time zone, hence why it might appear that I’ve already been for Sunday lunch, far too early!
Anyway, went to a hotel/pub/restaurant today for Sunday lunch with three of my children (two early teens, one aged 20). It’s one of those places where you can choose to eat in the bistro area, outdoor beer garden or sports bar. We booked a table because it’s usually busy on a Sunday, and chose the bistro. It’s child friendly. The sports bar is more adult friendly (minors can sit there but have to be accompanied at all times), and the outdoor beer garden is for anyone, but is in close proximity to the smoking area, so you do get whiffs of it a fair bit.
We had been seated about 15 minutes, had our drinks and were looking at the menu, when nearby we heard someone “playing” a recorder. I say “playing”, because there was no discernible tune, just random blasting away. We all looked at each other, then glanced around and saw a table, a little bit behind us, with a man and woman, and two young boys aged about 3 and 4. Sure enough, one of them was enthusiastically tooting away on a multicoloured recorder. I was half expecting the mum/dad/guardian to tell them to stop. My kids weren’t exactly enjoying it (neither was I), but I said “don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll stop in a minute”, and he did. Only to whip out a fucking tambourine. At this point I did actually say “who the hell let’s their kids bring instruments to a restaurant?”
Other patrons started to glance over, and a table of three women who had just came in and sat down, who hadn’t even been served drinks yet, made some not so quiet comments and got up and just left. My eldest had just gone to use the bathroom, and it went quiet for a moment (he suffers quite badly from misophonia so was really probably affected the most out of all of us) and I was thinking “phew, it’ll be all good when he comes back”, when it started up again, and I shit you not, they had started up with a harmonica as well. So by this point it was pretty unbearable!
I got up and went over to one of the staff and said “could we be moved to a different eating area please? We are X party over there.” She looked a bit sheepish and said, “well sure, however there are also children in the bar and garden area” - I hadn’t even said why I wanted to move! So I just said, “oh I don’t have an issue with that - anything will be better than the one man band!” She stifled a laugh and moved us to the first table outside the bar, in the beer garden. It was generally noisier and I could kind of smell a little bit of smoke, but was heaven in comparison to the melee we had just been listening to!
So I suppose my question is, firstly was IBU to ask to be moved, secondly, would anyone think it’s reasonable to pack musical instruments for their very young children as a means of entertainment whilst eating at a restaurant, and finally, should the staff have asked the parents to stop them? I’m 100% not one of the MN “children shouldn’t be allowed in restaurants” kid haters, I understand that children get restless and need entertainment, I’m not even against a bit of Bluey very quietly on an iPad without earphones if your child won’t wear them (which I never personally did, but totally understand that parents need a breather sometimes), but a recorder, tambourine and fucking harmonica? If I hadn’t been there myself I don’t think I’d have believed it, but I was!
The meal ended up being lovely, so overall not spoiled, (other than the whiffs of smoke), but I just feel that we, if anyone, shouldn’t have had to be the ones who moved.