Parents should pick up after their kids who make mess in restaurants

[LifeofI]

Do you think so?

I was in a restaurant today with my friend and her two year old, her child always eats about 4 chips then the rest she just throws the food around. When we were leaving a lady made a comment "aren't you going to clean that up" my friend didn't hear but i did and said no and she just tutted.

When i got home me and my partner had a discussion and he thinks the parents should clean up after their child as he has work as a waiter and said it is annoying but i'm on the fence about it. We have a very young baby who hasn't started eating solids so we are not at that stage.

What do you think?

Very heartening that there is an unequivocal vote for clearing up - especially the floor detritus, which is dangerous and also looks absolutely foul.

I am a messy mare at home, but I would never tolerate leaving a restaurant/cafe to clear up my children's mess. It is discourteous. And now that my children are older, I would give a wide berth to places where parents think it is ok to allow their little darlings to cast their food on the floor and leave it there. Too inconsiderate for words.

If you wouldn't do it in your home, then you shouldn't do it where your action/inaction has an impact on others.

We eat out a fair bit, I think it's a good way to show them how to behave in a resturant. I totally agree that if you have a thrower, it's important to move the food out the way as quickly as you can to minimise the mess.

As for clearing it up, we clear all the larger messes, chips off the floor etc, drink spills, but wouldn't do a full clean and wipe down because they will be wiping down the tables before the next person anyway. I also agree that in the main, the waiting on staff tell you not to worry about cleaning up.

Stacking I don't do, because in experience, it makes the waiter/waitress' life harder when they come to clear. Especially when they don't use trays.

I always cleared up after my daughter if she dropped anything or spilt a drink on the table. It wouldn't occur to me not to. She would never, ever, ever be allowed to throw food around. Remove the plate if a child stops eating. Food isn't there to be played with or thrown about. When she was two years old and we had been taken to lunch at a very smart restaurant the waitresses commented as we left that she was the best-behaved child they had ever had in the restaurant!

My friend and I have had this debate and decided that if you leave a big enough tip you don't need to clear up !!

When we were leaving a lady made a comment "aren't you going to clean that up" my friend didn't hear but i did and said no

What a great message you are sending to your children.

This is lazy parenting. If the child has finished eating and starts throws chips, REMOVE the plate. Also give a stern "No" at thrown chips and pick it up off the floor.

If you don't tell your child that throwing food is wrong, how do you expect that they learn how to behave in the world? Maybe they'll still be throwing food when they are 10? ffs.

I always clean up after my two and they help, especially food on the floor ( which would be accidentally dropped, not thrown! ).
What a lesson for your children to leave their mess for someone else to clean up

When DD was younger, yes I would. Now DD is older, I'd make her.

You make em, you clean up after em. You wouldnt leave a puddle of piss if the child had an accident, would you?

Used to waitress. Was really shocked at some parents who thought it acceptable to leave so much mess behind because it weren't their job.
I don't expect parents to leave it sparkling, but half chewed food, food mashed into the floor, table and chair just no.
I do this if i'm on my own.
I Was always taught as a child not to leave a mess.
I would have no problem with parents putting wipes etc in a nappy bag, i preffered it. I used to hate picking up baby wipes.

I hate the attitude of 'fuck it, someone else can clear it up'. I also half make beds when I leave a hotel and wouldn't dream of leaving litter in a cinema. Shows terrible manners IMO.

Dont be so ridiculous to think that you shouldnt clean up after your baby, do you leave half chewed bits of food lying about your house?
Theres nothing worse than seeing a family get up and leave a mess behind them, it is so disrespectful.
Waiting staff are there to bring your food to you and clear away dishes/glasses and sanitise the table. Not get a broom out and sweep up the remains of what the child has thrown about.
There will always be crumbs etc but how revolting to leave food mess like that.
Tell your friend to get her shit together, and when your LO starts eating food I hope you follow the advice of all those upstream and clean up after your child!!!

Pick it Up! Disgusting not to. Collect up the pieces of food / napkins / dishes / cutlery and put them in a neat pile.
All you should leave is a few crumbs / the occasional pea rolled right under the table.

Also LOATHE the mess left in cinemas these days - food, drinks, wrappers.

It is important to teach your children how to behave in public and how to behave towards other people.

They way people behave towards 'waiting staff' is VERY revealing of their characters, imo.

My goodness me! Yes, of course you clear up after your child! When DD was weaning she might drop bits of food (never thrown - she knew that was a no no!) and the floor would look a state. I would clear up the worst of it, and if there were crumby bits left I would apologise to the waiting staff as we left. Once, I started clearing up and a waiter came over with a dustpan and brush and pretty much shooed me away, but I would never think of leaving a trail of devastation on the floor!

And as for 'it's ok if you leave a big tip', in some places the waiting staff don't get to keep their tips. They may be collected in and divvied up or they may just be given a percentage of them by the management.

When mine starts throwing (usually beaker or toy rather than food) it's a sign that he has had enough of the place and it is time to leave.

I'd definitely clear up any chunks. I do have OCD and struggle with mess, but when I was a waitress that was all I'd expect - just any big bits of food or wet smears to be cleaned up the best you can. Often you're under pressure from the management to turn the tables as quickly as you can and you get grief if this takes too long (even if you're cleaning).

Also I never stack plates. I had my own system and I could carry more when I did it my way than if the plates were just piled up (especially if they left cutlery and smushed food in between them all ).

I have worked in a café and have picked up mashed food from the floor, cleared up chocolate crumbs, cleared away baby wipes and in the worst case picked up a used nappy. If the table is very messy it takes time to clear it all up, leaving less time to help other customers and clear other tables. Staffing levels are kept low in cafes so they can keep prices affordable. I'd say clear up - if you don't want your name to be mud in the kitchen out the back - and if someone hurries along and offers to do it for you, accept gracefully.

I have a really messy DGC.

On the (rare!) occasions we go to a cafe I always ask for a dustpan and brush. Mostly I am refused, so I always leave a 'thank-you' tip.

On the (rarer) occasions we go to a restaurant I just apologise and leave a 'thank-you' tip.

I would never stack plates or tidy the table (apart from leaving cutlery and food as it should be on the plates and the napkin at the side) in a restaurant.

Sounds very po faced but I would have been horrified if my DC had made a real mess in the first place.They were taught very young that it is not ok to throw or deliberately drop food.I cant bear wasted food either ... Obviously accidents happen and I would always mop up a spilled drink etc I waitressed a lot through school and Uni and it's disgusting the mess some people leave.

How entitled earthmummaI'll pay enough so the poor underpaid person clearing up after me won't care ...

You couldn't pay me a big enough tip Earth to clean up after two entitled slovenly mothers.

However I love cleaning and would be happy to help anyone with manners with zero tip at all.

Are you Op's 'friend'

I have always tidied up after my kids in cafes and restaurants. Throwing food was never allowed. I used to bring a plastic dish with me and served little amounts into it so they didn't have a plateful to chuck about. Yes, I've crawled under tables to clean up and asked for a dust pan and brush or a cloth when a water glass got knocked over.

I do think you should. You should sim to leave an environment (no matter if that is a corner shop, 5* restaurant, or a bench st the seaside) in the same condition as you found it.
I don't think any establishment would have you scrubbing the floor but at least pick up chips, napkins, Cheerios from the floor)
It is basic good manners and social awareness.

Sounds very po faced but I would have been horrified if my DC had made a real mess in the first place.They were taught very young that it is not ok to throw or deliberately drop food.I cant bear wasted food either

Yep, it does sound very po-faced.

If you can get my completely-uninterested in food DGC to eat nicely at the age of 2, and not chuck it everywhere then hats off to you.

I was a stickler for manners with my DC and am as far as possible with DGC. But this one is a law unto themselves.

I think it's polite to pick up food off the floor and off the highchair with a napkin. Not a full scale clean but an attempt at least. Otherwise people walking by might get food stuck in their shoes before staff have chance to clean it up.