No children under 8

[clairemcnam]

I have just tried to book a table at a local Italian restaurant and I was surprised to be told that children under 8 years old are not allowed?

Not because every child is a nuisance or because every parent is lax but in an evening, if i have paid for a babysitter, it's nice to go somewhere where children aren't! There's plenty places where children are welcome.

you do it at home first.

Which includes teaching them to use cutlery.

There are so many threads on here about how stressful it is having young dcs.

It IS stressful! It can be a nightmare!

That's why when people are out of that particular phase they don't want to have to experience it all again through other peoples kids thank you very much!

No kids under 12 sounds great.

In fact a local Hungry Horse (of all pub chains!) has recently introduced an over 18s only area with darts and a pool table. Try getting a table in that part, it’s damned near impossible

I had the misfortune of going to a Hungry Horse once. I never want to do that again.

My 11 year old is nearly 12 and he is quite capable of sitting in a restaurant that has 'no' children's menu, he discusses politics and football with his Grandad and probably knows more about 'Brexit' then quite a few adults, he 'is' sensible in a restaurant setting. My youngest really dislikes crap food, she always wants our meals- more spice, flavours etc. My eldest does have something off the adult menu but it's often still lacking in variety!

We went to a 5 star spa retreat hotel in Spain when my children were 9 and 5, it was not a resort for families but they were very welcoming of the children, my son built up a repoirte with the chef who asked him what he was going to try that night. They had a Jazz singer at night times and I thought it would be child free but we were actively encouraged to attend in the evenings, no one batted an eyelid over the children's presence.

Rapport not repertoire

That's nice, Golden. Here, have a . I fail to see what the hell such anecdotes have to do with a private business who have decided not to allow under 8s to dine in their premises. Don't like it, find another restaurant. Plenty of people seem to like it as their business is viable.

I would also be a bit pissed off to go to a non family 5 star spa resort and have to put up with your children tbh.

The connection is that you'd think on paper such a place would not be accomodating of children but it shows you that it's very much a cultural intolerance that has accompanied the rise in kidults in this country- they can't bear to think life is not all about them!

Just because we have children we don't have to live like hermits.

LittleChristmasMouse, there were quite a few children there. We were the only British parents there, other nationalities very much kept their crying babies and toddlers at the dinner table in high chairs at 7/8 o'clock in the evening, presumably teaching them how to sit still to have an evening meal, you wouldn't have enjoyed it at all. I doubt any of them would've noticed or cared if someone was annoyed by that, including ourselves! Interestingly, people without children didn't mind at all.

Well the fact that there were lots of other families there and they provided highchairs kind of means that it was a family resort doesn't it? And no, at my time of life holidays spent accommodating children are long gone. We shall enjoy our adult only holidays now thanks.

There is no connection between one establishment welcoming children and the one in the OP not welcoming them. If we all list the places we’ve been with our well behaved children (do have a 🥇 for that, by the way) this will be a dull and pointless thread. You say this was not a resort for families then say there were lots of families there, so it was, in fact a resort that welcomed families and supplied high chairs etc. I really struggle to see the point you are trying to make.

No it absolutely wasn't a family resort, there was a business conference party staying, lots of couples, they had an adults only pool but that was because you could go topless and then have some spa treatment.

Claridges has high chairs as does the Savoy Grill, I don't think they would typically be called 'family friendly'.

It was not a 'resort' full stop.

I never said that children should conform to this unrealistic definition of 'good behaviour' that has been spouted on this thread. The world has moved on since the Victorian era, I expect my children to behave age appropriately, anything else would be unfair.

No it absolutely wasn't a family resort, there was a business conference party staying,

So what? There was a business conference in the Disney hotel that we stayed at. It was a hotel/spa whatever that had lots of children staying. It clearly was not adults only.

The U.K. Is far more child friendly now than it used to be. I grew up in the era when children sat in the car with a bottle of coke with a paper straw and a bag of crisps as a treat while parents had a quick drink in the pub on holiday. We occasionally went for Sunday lunch in a hotel restaurant where we sat and chatted with, or listened to the adults, no toys permitted. No fast food restaurants (MacDonalds arrived in Scotland when I was a student). When shopping in the city we went to waitress service restaurants for lunch, no children’s menu, just half portions of the normal menu. My parents would have been horrified by us making noise, leaving our seats or playing up in any way. There would have been dire consequences, I’m not sure what! Parents didn’t consider taking children out in the evening, they had a circle of friends who babysat for each other. I remember going out for a posh evening meal exactly once before I was about 15. So rather than drifting into a child hating society I think we have become far more child tolerant, which some parents now see as a green light to push for total inclusivity, which is not necessary. As I said before most people don’t have small children so businesses can do perfectly well without catering for children.

This wasn’t in Victorian times, by the way, and I remember my childhood as very happy, we had lots of freedom that children don’t have now. I think that now “family time” has replaced childhood.

chemenger

I was raised in exactly the same way and I am 50.

It was a 'Thai' spa retreat, you couldn't get further away from 'disneyland' resort if you tried. I never said it was 'adult only', clearly not or we wouldn't have been able to take our children. It was a mixture of people but more couples, friend groups than families. Like I said, a high chair does not a 'family restaurant' make. The people are just more tolerant of children.

I was a child of the 80's, 90's I definitely went to restaurants with my parents in the evening and just behaved like my children do. There's nothing novel about their age appropriate behaviour!

Chemenger, I have similar memories. The first restaurant I remember eating in in the UK was a Wimpy, aged about 8/9. We were expected to sit, chat quietly and eat our food, the same as we were at home. It wasn't difficult. My brothers were 6/7 at the time and managed to resist the urge to run around, shouting.

Eating out was a very rare treat whereas these days it seems to be a weekly expectation.

Goldenbear

I don't care.

Yes the UK has become very much more child friendly but at the same time (and yes this is a generalisation) parents seem to think that they have to be their childs best mate not their parent. There is also a huge element of entitlement generally. If a restaurant is adult only so what move on to somewhere else and vice versa. Why should adults who want to eat in peace have to put up with kids and why should kids who want to be kids have to put up with tutting adults. This is why we need both types of establishments

I think it’s ridiculous to assume all children are poorly behaved. There are some adults whose restaurant behaviour is very poor - loud, obnoxious, and rude. However, I would not give this restaurant my money and go elsewhere - regardless of the age of my children. There are plenty of other places to spend your money, I imagine.