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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to expect parents to control children even in the likes of Pizza Express

287 replies

Jewels234 · 04/05/2015 14:23

I know it's more of a family restaurant, but there are children all around me going mental. Screaming, having tantrums, standing on chairs. It's horrendous.

I am probably being unreasonable being here in the first place, but I love a leg gera salad.

OP posts:
mrsdavidbowie · 04/05/2015 14:25

Avoid like the plague. Ditto Bill's, Wagamama and Giraffe.

ImNameyChangey · 04/05/2015 14:26

I don't know about any leg gera salad but YANBU.

UncertainSmile · 04/05/2015 14:27

YANBU. It's fine that kids are noisy, but running around and standing on chairs? Noooo.

Galvanized · 04/05/2015 14:27

Yabu complaining about this on a bank holiday Monday daytime Wink it's a notoriously kid friendly restaurant chain, the food isn't that good but we go there for the kids menu and friendly staff. That said!! We never let our kid roam or scream or stand on chairs or be a nuisance. That is of course bad manners.

Original poster
Jewels234 · 04/05/2015 14:29

*leggera...grr auto correct. Possibly still haven't spelt it right. Should also maybe have avoided Greenwich today, it is crazy. If any other parents are currently in Greenwich pizza express, control your kids! Especially the girl banging her toy cars loudly on the table.

OP posts:
JassyRadlett · 04/05/2015 14:29

YANBU. Almost all kids misbehave sometimes, but parents who don't even attempt to control them in restaurants get my goat.

hobNong · 04/05/2015 14:30

When pizza express is sort of looked down on like that, I realise what a different world I live in to some people. I always thought it was quite posh.

morage · 04/05/2015 14:31

Agree with you OP. And I like the food in Pizza Express, but rarely go now for this reason.

Buxhoeveden · 04/05/2015 14:32

YANBU.

But YABU to head for a built up area on BHM Grin

Zola1980 · 04/05/2015 14:32

Yanbu, parents should keep kids under control (said as someone without kids!)

Yabu using your mobile in a restaurant though ;)

hestialou · 04/05/2015 14:44

Yanbu. If parents cant get kids to behave they shouldn't take them to restaurants. Then again maybe restaurants should have a children and non children sections, like the previous smoking/non smoking...

lambsie · 04/05/2015 14:45

Running about and standing on chairs- dangerous so should be stopped. Loud noise- annoying and so should be stopped if possible but not always possible to stop.

karinmaria · 04/05/2015 14:46

YANBU. We don't bother taking 2 year old DS out to lunch for this exact reason.

Floggingmolly · 04/05/2015 14:49

Of course. "Family restaurant" only means children are welcome; it doesn't mean they're expected to treat the place as a playbarn.

whois · 04/05/2015 14:49

I quite like pizza express :-)

Anyway totally agree. Chikdren chatting and laughing = fine. Children banging toys on table, screaming and running around = not fine.

If your little brat can't sit still for 30 mins then get take out and don't inflict them on everyone else.

Charlotte3333 · 04/05/2015 14:51

My 9 and 4 year olds are fine in restaurants. They might occasionally be a little too loud but we just ask them to keep it down and they're fine. I don't think it's reasonable for parents to not take DC's out, just teach them to behave alright.

Saying that, DS1 has Aspergers and struggled when he was younger to keep still so we had to learn techniques to teach him to keep himself steady. He still has a weighted lap blanket he'll go and fetch at dinnertime if he can feel himself bouncing on his chair, I don't even need to remind him. So I'm less sympathetic towards the couldn't-give-a-shit parents who won't even try to control their offspring.

Lavenderice · 04/05/2015 14:56

Good god hestialou Why has nobody done that before. Genius!

TheEggityOddity · 04/05/2015 14:56

Yanbu. When you go to a restaurant, you use it as a place to teach them table manners. We always have dinner at the table at home and expect them to sit with us, maybe watch a bit of tv on the iPad if it will be a bit longer than normal. We rarely have a restaurant melt down now age 3, although I will admit we plan around nap times, make sure they get fed ASAP and go at a time before they are over hungry.

SmileItsSunny · 04/05/2015 14:56

hobnong I'm with you - not sure I'd dare take the kids somewhere as posh as Pizza Express! We normally aim for a Harvester or Beefeater, if we are feeling flush enough to go out!

UncertainSmile · 04/05/2015 14:57

I'd never pay full price for Pizza Express; £6 for a pint of Peroni??!
You can always get offers on their website or App though. It makes it more affordable.

lambsie · 04/05/2015 15:00

All you can expect is for parents to try to control behaviour and then unless something dangerous is going on, I think you have accept some annoying behaviour from some children as children learn and mature at different rates.

JassyRadlett · 04/05/2015 15:04

When my kid has misbehaved and is disturbing others, we remove him from the restaurant. Good manners to fellow diners and a sign to him of what is and isn't ok.

I8toys · 04/05/2015 15:05

Avoid like the plague. Never forget when mine were little we were sat in a group of about 5 mums and babies. Dad comes in on his own and plonks baby in highchair and 3 year old and then leaves them on their own next to us. Comes back about 15 minutes later having been to the supermarket down the road!! I had cats bum face. Granted they were well behaved and 3 year old got up and wandered a bit but we kept an eye on him. If my dh did that I'd string him up by his balls.

Painfulbits · 04/05/2015 16:46

YANBU

In my experience, the parents who don't discipline their children are the first ones to complain to the teacher when he/she disciplines their child...

So, it never ends...

rookiemere · 04/05/2015 17:01

I8toys - you should have called the police, did he say anything before dumping his DCs on you?

OP YANBU, Pizza Express is emperors new clothes a family restaurant so I think it's fair to expect a certain amount of children's noise, we've had a few big meals out there with friends and the DCs will move seats amongst themselves and we let them be a little bit louder than they would be allowed to be in a more adult restaurant.

However that does not mean that they would be allowed to run around - dangerous for themselves and others or shout loudly.

When I was pregnant we were out at a family pub with my parents and there was a 3 year old there having a complete melt down. Parents totally ignored it, to the point where we had to ask to be moved to a different room because it was so piercing. I told people and they were all, oh just you wait until you have DCs, but no if DS ever started kicking off, which to be fair he never really did, or indeed started crying as a baby because he was tired/fidgety, then one of us, usually me Hmm, would take him out of the restaurant and walk him around for a while, because that's what you do.

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