Badly behaved children in restaurants = £40

[Jewelspun]

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/restaurants-parenting-policy-could-see-28010645.amp

A restaurant has sparked controversy for charging extra for “adults unable to parent”, adding £40 to the bill for families with badly behaved children. Toccoa Riverside Restaurant said the charge has been around for a long time, but is just now garnering attention.

Sounds like a good idea.

Great idea

In hospitality we have what we call 'the wanker tax' we apply to the bill when adults behave like children. I see no difference 😂

Difficult is what one parent feels is acceptable and another's will not always be the same.

Sounds wonderful to kick a stressed parent when they're down.

We have a 'twat tax' too, it's just an extra charge that we can put on orders but generally don't bother.

I don't see how this really helps anyone though - if my night is ruined by inconsiderate people then I don't particularly give a shit that it cost them £40. The restaurant should have asked them to leave.

How on earth do restaurants add a tax for difficult customers that hasn’t been advertised?

Maybe the restaurant owner already asked them to leave but got a no.

A few parents I can imagine could be combative and confrontational if restaurant staff told the children off for eg running around so I can see why staff wouldn’t ask them to leave and would slap on a fine.

Couldn’t the parents in theory chose not to pay this tax eg same as with optional service charge?

Hummm as a decent-ish parent I disagree. There are times/circumstances that not anyone's fault.

I must say I HATE from the bottom of my heart the parents who give their kids the phone with the sound on 🤬🤬🤬 those I would happily give the fine to!

No if you read the story, the adults thought the owner was approaching them to compliment how well behaved the children were!

I think turning up with 11 kids was never going to go well really.

This is shit. If there is an issue then ask politely, if it continues then ask them to leave. All this would do is line the owners pockets, not improve the dining experience of the other customers. My kids are well behaved but I would still actively avoid a place doing this.

How do you know they are stressed? More likely that they just don't give a shit about anyone else.
But obviously on MN, any inconsiderate behaviour has to be excused because of mental health issues.

It just sounds like a way to stop parents eating there. I wouldn't go to anywhere that had that policy and I don't have young children anymore.
Who decides what badly behaved is and what parents not parenting means?

My own experience. We've been to places when my ds suddenly refuses to listen, tried to run around the table. We don't offer screens and we always have loads of colouring and story books, but he gets in a state of just not caring and he's loud. We often have to pack up and go mid-meal, or I leave DH and dc1 to enjoy their meal and stand outside with Ds running about on the pavement. We try to take him because we want him to learn but it's slow road.

To get £40 fine for that, when I'm already trying to handle the situation as best as I can and trying not to annoy other diners would be soul destroying.

But the children were behaving badly, running around etc. lots of parents think their children’s behaviour is exemplary yet running around, screaming in a restaurant is never acceptable.

The places where I go and I see above behaviour I make a mental note not to go there again. Family pubs, Pizza Express and the like I’m more likely to accept this, as they’re more aimed towards families.

This sounds like a very good idea and should be rolled out across society. Anyone buying a telly that takes up a whole wall of their sitting room should have to pay a big tax on it to payt for all the problems their kids will cause in school as a result of being overstimulated.

Quite. I’d be questioning any extra charge added to my bill, twat or not.

I absolutely agree, although the parents claim the kids were quiet in the restaurant and 'only' ran around outside whilst supervised by an adult.

But as a PP says, all the fines in the world wouldn't make me return to a restaurant where the staff don't actively do something there and then.

Also, the adults sat 11 kids aged 3 to 8 years old down the other end of the table on their own, and that's bound to get noisy as kids that age don't tend to be great at regulating noise.

My kids are well behaved and I am quite strict with them making sure they are considerate of others when we’re out. They’re also 8 and 11 so old enough to behave. As much as I hate my meal being ruined by screaming kids, I disagree with this. Speak to the parents first and remove them from the restaurant if they continue. If anyone gave me an extra £40 charge on my bill, I would not be paying it. I would imagine most people would also decline the charge.

I'm surprised that nobody has gone to the restaurant and filmed their kids being badly behaved for £40 so that they might make more than £40 when it's viewed online.

Ha! Great idea. I spent decades working in hospitality, some parents let their children run around restaurants and hotels. It’s so dangerous and embarrassing for them.

There's lots of stress in life

So?