To let Dc play switch in a Michelin star restaurant?

[GCSquirrel]

Dc is 7yo. I was supposed to be going for a 6 course tasting tomorrow evening but due to my friend’s childcare issues (her dh was supposed to be having her dc plus my 7yo for a sleepover but he’s got Covid) she had to cancel. It was booked using a voucher and as it’s such short notice if we don’t go tomorrow the voucher will be cancelled.

The restaurant have said they’re fine with dc coming as long as he isn’t disruptive. Dc is generally pretty well behaved but I’ve eaten at this restaurant before and the whole thing takes a good 2.5 hours. I think he would actually enjoy the food and the experience but obviously it’s a long time for a 7yo to sit still and be relatively quiet. If I let him play with his switch if he starts to get a bit fidgety he is absolutely guaranteed to be quiet. He got a new Pokémon game for it for Christmas and is obsessed with it.

If you went out for a posh meal would you be irritated if there was a kid playing switch there? I don’t know if I’m being really selfish to consider it but it was a really expensive voucher and I do like food.

It’s so very apparent here how many people have never eaten Michelin and are just going off what they’ve heard.

I promise you there are children in 3 stars. Even ones that cry. Obviously if a parent has a crying baby they go outside, but in my whole time working in restaurants no one has complained.

The staff will help as well - if a child is being too loud you will be told to go outside but kindly. Honestly it’s not some fortress you enter and you’ll be shot if you talk above whispers 😂

Respectfully, with that line of thinking wouldn’t you think using a voucher was gauche as well? I mean where is the line?

6 courses can be slowwwww and even longer when you properly enjoy it and let them blather on about the preparation and such. It’s a wonderful but long experience.

I go to these restaurants a fair amount (I’m a vegetarian, so not a foodie… just circumstances for work and the like) and it’s really not a huge deal as long as the kid is quiet and the light for the device doesn’t hurt the ambiance.

If the restaurant is any good then it would be truly weird for others to be concerned about what is going on at other tables.

OP doesn’t need to worry about anything as long and the kid stays behavior and that the light isn’t a bother. People are going to judge her for even having the children along. People stay judging…

It’s fine, OP. Go and have your much deserved treat and if people find it gauche then they can bite a breadstick lol They should be more concerned about their own table.

7? I'd honestly go down the colouring/drawing route. But no, I wouldn't be bothered by him if his switch was silent and no flashing lights etc

I don’t care if it’s the local pub or the Ritz but dot let your child sit on a device … they’re either with you, and being talked to, fed, engaged with or left at home.

Imo. No electronics. A book to read?
Drawing stuff, old fashioned conversation and of course eating!

Is the switch silent? We dont have one but when ds played on hand held devices the frantic clicky buttons/joystick would drive me mad, I wouldnt want to be sitting at the table next to that in a restaurant I was paying a fortune in.

If the switch is truely silent and he plays silently then its you choice, otherwise I would try to entertain him with a mixture of the food, conversation and perhaps colouring/drawing if he gets really bored.

I wouldn't notice or care so long as he keeps quiet and enjoys himself.

It would upset me if he looked bored and a bit sad

I get kids need to behave device or not but adult conversation is boring sure I want kids interested in food but adults talking about food the whole time, or weather, what happened on reality TV, a work report they have to do or some other grown up thing would have bored me silly as a kid

Most people have said it’s fine for him to play, only 1 or 2 posters have objected, so not sure ‘It’s so very apparent here how many people have never eaten Michelin’ is appropriate here

You presumably know your kid and whether they're capable of sitting still for over 2 hours.
If they genuinely are (and you're not one of those who are like My Tarquin wouldn't dream of playing up!) and then they proceed to play up lol then crack on.
I know mine and would have been utter little shits at that age, hanging off the backs of chairs and being a general pain in the arse 😭😁
Now they're older I get chance to go out myself more and appreciate the quiet

Ask the restaurant to put you at a discreet part of the restaurant and you'll be fine. I agree with the poster who said, keep it in your bag until he actually does get bored though.

That's what I always did, colouring books, crayons, sticker books and activity pads

Wouldn’t bother me because it’s absolutely none of my business what you do with your child. The only time a child would bother me is if they’re being disruptive and the parents don’t take them out to calm down.

There’s huge diversity amoung Michelin starred restaurants. Some are really formal and others quite casual.

In any case, generally it’s noise that’s normally the problem for other diners. So if the switch is on silent and he doesn’t provide commentary or shout out when he does well or something, few people will even notice. If you’re at one of the few where a child sitting quietly at the table with a switch will matter, there will probably be a dress code that might also cause issues and I’m not sure, even with those, that it would be that out of place nowadays. If it is that sort of place they’re probably going to tuck you at the back somewhere anyway.

I would encourage you to try and engage him for the start of the meal without the switch and only pull it out if it becomes necessary. We’ve taken our kids to Michelin starred restaurants since that age and they’ve really got in to (though I can see how a 2.5 hour tasting menu might be a step too much!). They are re great company at meals now and love that sort of treat, which we find a lot of fun to share with them.

Hope you have a really great meal!

This would be more likely to lead to more commotion and disturbance for other guests than a silent, handheld video game.

Yeah, wouldn’t bother me in the slightest if it’s on mute. Tbh I wouldn’t mind seeing a 7 year old also get to enjoy and make a bit of noise during a meal too, even in an expensive restaurant. As long as there’s no running between tables and that, I’d be fine. I don’t particularly ‘love’ children either, but I think it’s good for them and they’re only kids, they aren’t born knowing how to behave perfectly in social situations, this is how they learn. Op, just do what you want and don’t worry about the judgement from others (they’re snotty if they do judge anyway!).

Depends, is it seriously a quiet game or can you hear clicky noises,?! The switch fmentioned for example makes clicky noises when using the joy stick/pad whatever you call it and it would be bloody irritating sat next to that! 😁
At least stickers don't make a noise.
Mine used to be engrossed with things like sticker books wish they still wete 😁

Right?!? Thank you!!!
🤣🤣🤣

We had a couple objections stated on this thread so I guess nobody has been to these restaurant!s!!! (As if they don’t run the gambit in cost and exclusivity…)

It’s a weird flex because it’s not even about the restaurants expectations but about the other diners… which is actually really a caring thing to worry about.

but yeah… only whispers and rumors for most of us !!! 😅😅

To hide the child? 🤨

And then people are surprised that Britain is seen as not children friendly, when this is even a topic for discussion......

Stickers and colouring books tend to make things difficult for the wait staff trying to get dishes on the table, hence commotion.

My kid’s switch doesn’t make clicky noises, they don’t play in restaurants but I can never tell if they’re playing at home unless I can see it in their hands. I agree it’s different if the console makes noises.

Don't be ridiculous. OP is worried that other people will make her feel uncomfortable. I'm saying take the child!

I wouldn't mind as he isn't my child , however I would probably form a judgement. I wouldn't throw a device at my child to keep them quiet, and if im honest find it very lazy parenting. 7 is old enough to sit still for that period of time and join in the experience. At some stage he needs to learn to adapt to circumstance and behave accordingly.

However it's totally personal choice.

I think it's fine if you're getting 4 or 5 courses deep and he's getting restless but he shouldn't have it the whole time.
He's old enough to be able to be a part of decent conversation.

I went out for lunch - just to a country pub - last weekend and there was a family of 4, kids no older than 5. Both kids on iPads, both parents on their phones. What's the point in that? It's miserable.