Refused a table at restaurant for having kids

[marissac]

I'm thinking of going to my local news paper to name and shame this restaurant, but would like your wise opinion on it before I do.

Today was the eve of Chinese New Year, my friends decided we should have lunch at a certain Chinese restaurant in Canary Wharf to celebrate. They et extremely busy at lunchtimes so I phoned ahead to make a reservation. Greeted by the maitre d with usual formalities, asked me what time I would like the table for etc. Then when I said it was for a party of 4 adults and 3 kids he paused. Then proceeded to tell mr they were fully booked for lunch today and that they will jot be able to fit us in AT ALL (which was strange since he was asking for my name time and phone number just a minute ago). Then I heard a female voice in the background say that there is a table free until 2, to which I immediately replied I'll take it, we will be done and your table vacated no later than 1:30.

Lo and behold this male waiter then said "don't take this the wrong way, but many customers have complained about noisy children during lunch like it's a party. We get a lot of business people here at lunchtimes. We don't mind children on the weekends, just not during the week." (please note these aren't his EXACT words in the exact order)

I could NOT believe what I heard. And to paint a clearer picture, this is our local Chinese restaurant which we have frequented roughly once a week for the past 3 yrs. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. I will sure be taking my business elsewhere, but would like everyone to be aware of the appalling attitude and service. My kids are never rowdy or unruly, yet they are being talked about like they animals that should be left on a leash tied to a lamppost.

Sorry for the rant. I'm still fuming. Do you think it's worth going to local press? Thanks for listening and for any input.

Would think it a bit inappropriate to take dcs to a city restaurant at lunchtime on a weekday.

Quite often business meetings are held at these restaurants.

The restaurant is probably totally reliant financially on certain businesses coming back. One bad experience could make them change their preference. It's not easy to make a profit on any small business at the moment.

Yes, it's insulting - but try and see it from their point of view. I don't think they meant to insult you.

Perhaps people generally aren't very tolerant of children; they might like their own but they're not the slightest bit interested in anybody elses.

Children do chatter, giggle and muck about a bit even if they're generally well behaved. Of course they do - they're children. What parent would want to stifle their kids' enjoyment by surrounding them with business people?

Piglet... there are lots of places to take children other than fast food joints. It's also a sad fact of life but a raucous, lairy business lunch party is never going to get the same level of 'tuts' and sang froid that children would.

I am probably going to get flamed for this but so be it.

I had the misfortune to be seated in a good restuarant in central London on my lunch break next to a few tables of children.

The behaviour was disgraceful from some of them. One in particular wouldn't stop screaming and complaining and she looked about 6 so she was hardly tiny and not old enought to know better. She wouldn't eat her food, didn't want to sit down, screamed and cried the whole time. Wouldn't sit down, kept running away from the table, knocking over the chairs, broke several glasses, etc. Her brother wasn't much better.

Two toddlers next to me wouldn't sit down and kept running around screaming and opening the back door into the patio. It was December and right in the middle of the snow. So it let icy cold air in every single time he did it which was every 5 minutes. His mother couldn't care less.

I am very tolerant most of time with children but I can't be doing with that on my lunch break from work when I'm spending alot of money in an upmarket restaurant in the city. So I will never go there again.

I see where they're coming from.

have you look into whether or not you can sue?

I have to say that I'm so glad that in France children are welcome in all places. I have never had so much as a raised eyebrow when booking/sitting down at any restaurant- whether Michelin starred or a corner cafe.

OTOH I don't really see kids running around in the restaurants here- they are usually very well behaved.

are you serious karen? Sue the restaurant? What for?

Sue for what exactly? FGS, no wonder everything is costing so much more with this claim culture. The restaurant haven't committed a civil wrong so on what grounds could OP possibly sue?

I don't see any point in naming and shaming, a lot of the customers will think 'great, I can go there for a child free lunch'.
They will probably have more to gain but lose.

I think it is sad, but unfortunately not every parent looks after their DC and they let them get down and run around. Mine were always fine when they were little, but they had to sit still. I expect yours are fine, but they have probably had too many badly behaved ones.

I think there is only one really good Chinese Restaurant at Canary Wharf? The Dim Sum is amazing. I would still go back there because of the food!!!!!!!

'Child Free' is probably a good marketing strategy for some places; venues in the business quarter could see a distinct increase in their business.

YABU.

The restaurant has every right to try and maintain its target market's happiness - go somewhere else if you don't like it.

He didn't insult you personally, he only explained when really pressed as to why, and frankly it makes sense if the restaurant has had previous (more valuable) groups of customers complaining about kids during the week.

I remember there was a leaving lunch for a girl at the end of last year, the person organising itbooked a table at a relatively well known upmarket pizza chain (not fast food - we had wine with lunch and it mostly caters to business lunches). not that there's many places to choose from - but an email was sent afterwards asking the social events team not to organise anything there again because it was PACKED, they'd put on a special area for us because there was about 18 people attending lunch, but right next to our end of the restaurant was a couple of harassed looking mums with about 4 kids and big buggies blocking the way to the toilets, running inbetween the poor staff trying to serve trays of alcohol and hot food. a very unpleasent environment all around.

Fizzy is it RC down on Westferry?

PS please do name the restaurant, I'll be there like a shot for a child free lunch

is it the one by the water or the one on the boat?

I've heard it all now. Sue them? On what possible grounds could one instigate proceedings against the restaurant? Your response should be entertaining, if showing an utter misunderstanding of legal concepts and practice.

I wonder what they'd have done if you'd just booked a table for 6 rather than saying that some of them were kids. Would they have let you in when you arrived?

Than in that case when the op was booking on the phone she should have been asked whether she will be coming with children and told upfront of the policy, why the secretiveness of it.

This is Canary Wharf, DH is up there at the moment, and I often used to shop there at weekends, when the vibe is completely different to how it is during the week. You would undoubtedly have been served very happily if you'd gone into Chinatown or any other bit of London other than the City or CW.

You also mentioned that although you are a regular customer you usually have takeout which is a very different ball game to eating in. Also, as it's term time at the moment, I'm guessing your DC are very small - preschool? Older children might have been a safer bet for the restaurant.

Restaurants, like pubs, hotels etc. should be and are free to serve whoever they like (subject of course to legal issues) based on a business decision. Customers can then choose to patronise them or not. For me, something like an adult only hotel would be lovely. I wouldn't book somewhere that was advertised as family friendly unless I could avoid it or we had children in the party with us.

As a dog owner, I recognise that some pubs are happy for us to come in - others don't - purely a business decision and I don't resent the ones who exclude. These days, virtually any restaurant will have its own website to make its policies clear and there are hundreds of good restaurant review sites that tell you about things like the atmosphere and whether kids are welcome.

Where I think the restaurant DID go wrong in this instance is not checking when you made the booking.

YABU. By your OP the maitre'd was polite and explained their policy. Of course they're going to protect their business income. They would be stupid indeed to risk that - and seeing as the concern would be that one poor experience would mean no repeat custom, they wouldn't take the risk that your children aren't angels.

I don't think it would have been secretive, piglet. OP didn't mention it and neither did the person taking the booking, it just didn't occur to either party to ask I don't think.

Well mabey the restaurant should be more explicit when taking bookings for weekdays then!

They probably get more money from the city types they entertain in one lunch time than from your one visit a week.

While I think you have a point, I'm sure they can refuse to sit anyone for any reason (aside from sex,race blah blah blah).

I'd write a letter to make my feelings heard, but I'd rather take my business else where.

They should even put signs on so that customers are aware, to save offence like the op. If i were her I would have told them that they need to highligt this to customers when taking bookings and to put signs up.

Well, they can refuse your business. I understand why you're peed off but I would really go somewhere else. It's not like Canary Wharf is short of places.

I personally think the culture of Child-Friendly (ghastly play-pubs, pizzerias and fast food chains) VS adults-only perpetuates a culture in which kids don't learn how to behave properly in restaurants. If you'd only ever been taken to Wacky Warehouse how will you know that running around at full pelt and demanding chips and chicken nuggets won't be acceptable at Hakkasan.

But I speak as someone who had to deal with a toddler meltdown at an otherwise hushed and sophisticated Thai restaurant on Friday. Sometimes banning the children is kinder on the parents than letting 'em in and it all going horribly wrong.