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Original poster

To let Dc play switch in a Michelin star restaurant?

224 replies

GCSquirrel · 06/01/2023 22:39

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.

OP posts:
FrenchandSaunders · 07/01/2023 08:49

If anyone is paying that much attention to your little lad on a device then they have completely wasted their money on the tasting menu IMO.

ForfuckssakeEXHstopbeingatwat · 07/01/2023 08:50

@Herroyal in a normal restaurant, eating out for maybe an hour or so I would absolutely agree with you, but this was never meant to be a family occasion with plastic bricks all over the table. It's a v rare 7yo who would participate in an appropriate way for that long, enjoy the food and read or whatever other activity is apparently superior to a silent screen. Again, this is a ONE OFF.

Devoutspoken · 07/01/2023 08:51

It would be more enjoyable without a kid there, can't you just get a baby sitter

lightinthemirrorstormyoutside · 07/01/2023 08:55

When I took my DC (older than yours)to Michelin star restaurant (very much a one off btw) they really enjoyed the food and experience but as I say older than yours OP. But there were a couple kids there with families on devices, all very well behaved and honestly was fine, people took very little notice of them (except me as I was looking at what the posh kids got up to 😂).

Alondra · 07/01/2023 08:55

ForfuckssakeEXHstopbeingatwat

I would cancel much as it pained me to do so. But that's me.

sashh · 07/01/2023 08:58

I think you are being totally unreasonable and you should get a baby sitter and take me instead.

Seriously I wouldn't mind a child being quiet playing a game. I'd think it was bad manners if he was doing this while actually eating.

saraclara · 07/01/2023 08:59

If I'm 100% honest, if I noticed him I'd probably think 'what a waste of money bringing a kid here who doesn't appreciate it and is just sitting with a switch'

And yes, if he was mine I'd want him to at least interact and appreciate where he was some of the time. It's hard to get kids off a switch game when the next course comes, would be the difficulty I can imagine.

isthismylifenow · 07/01/2023 08:59

Having a 7 year old there is going to change the dynamic of the evening, it was initially planned to be an adult only event I assume.

A child this age can manage 2.5 hours of not being entertained all the way throughout. As long as he can take part in the conversation, he shouldn't need a game to keep him busy.

But the conversation will need to be 7 year old suitable, hence the changing of dynamic point.

fajitaaaa · 07/01/2023 08:59

GCSquirrel · 06/01/2023 22:39

He’d be playing it on silent, obviously

Absolutely fine then

HikingforScenery · 07/01/2023 09:01

Alondra · 07/01/2023 07:37

Frankly, I wouldn't take such a young child to a Michelin star restaurant, it's not the right atmosphere for a 7 y.o. He may enjoy the food or he may hate it, he's too young to have a developed a taste for fine cousine even if he enjoys a diversity of foods.

He's also young enough to be unpredictable if the atmosphere of the restaurant intimidates him. Dinners won't care about him as long as he's quiet and silent but, if for whatever reason he becomes loud, you'll be shown to the door.

I've always included my children since early age to go to restaurants, pubs and bars (in Spain). But I even draw a line for children in Michelin star restaurants.

7 is too young to have developed a taste for fine cuisine?! How?
Surely it depends on what they’ve been exposed to.

TrevorOptions · 07/01/2023 09:03

Def go ! He might not need the switch and you’ll have a lovely time trying the food together. I took mine to M starred places at that age with strict instructions on how to behave and they really liked it.

HikingforScenery · 07/01/2023 09:05

Herroyal · 07/01/2023 08:26

Books, colouring, bits of Lego, Dobble, east card game, some little figures to play with….
all better than having a child sit with their face in a screen.

Lego? 😳

toocold54 · 07/01/2023 09:08

I’ve not been to one before so I can’t say for sure.

I would have thought that playing on it whilst on silent is fine and I would definitely do this if you couldn’t get a babysitter.

I would try and limit his time on it though, as going by previous threads you may get some people that think a child being on any sort of screen is a big no no, especially when out in public.

TenoringBehind · 07/01/2023 09:09

As long as it was on silent I wouldn’t be bothered at all.

gogohmm · 07/01/2023 09:14

I would have it in reserve but try treating him like a grown up and talking to him, engaging with him. 7 is old enough to know how to behave for a couple of hours. Prep him today for what to expect and talk it up how exciting it is to go there

Choconut · 07/01/2023 09:16

We went to a Michelin starred restaurant over Christmas, the food and service were wonderful. There were a table though of 4 who'd already had a few drinks obviously, ordered a couple of bottles of wine and were talking so loudly from the other side of the room that we learned all about their trip to Butlins and teeth work in Turkey. They also had the most grating local accents. No one complained as far as I know, we thought it was quite funny but people were looking over at them and in the end someone came and had a word with them. Then they kept going outside for a cigarette and opening and shutting the door every 2 minutes.

I really wouldn't worry too much about your child, no one will bat an eyelid at a Switch to help keep him occupied over a long lunch. Enjoy!

Alondra · 07/01/2023 09:25

HikingforScenery · 07/01/2023 09:01

7 is too young to have developed a taste for fine cuisine?! How?
Surely it depends on what they’ve been exposed to.

Show quote history

Most Michelin star restaurants are fusion cousine. A mixture of different blends of food between Western, Asian and African.

A 7 y.o has never been exposed to that cousine because half their lives have eaten limited foods they enjoy, and new foods are usually introduced slowly, specially fish (not fish fingers) and sauces. Flavours will develop with time, not when they are kids and their favourites are pasta.

Few children this young have been exposed to things like salmon comfit, scallops with seaweed crumble, sweet pork with sugarloaf cabbage and black garlic....It's not the kind of food a 7 y.o. enjoys at home and will take time to develop as their tastes mature.

At the end of the day, it's up to the OP to make a decision. All we can do is give an opinion.

HikingforScenery · 07/01/2023 09:27

Choconut · 07/01/2023 09:16

We went to a Michelin starred restaurant over Christmas, the food and service were wonderful. There were a table though of 4 who'd already had a few drinks obviously, ordered a couple of bottles of wine and were talking so loudly from the other side of the room that we learned all about their trip to Butlins and teeth work in Turkey. They also had the most grating local accents. No one complained as far as I know, we thought it was quite funny but people were looking over at them and in the end someone came and had a word with them. Then they kept going outside for a cigarette and opening and shutting the door every 2 minutes.

I really wouldn't worry too much about your child, no one will bat an eyelid at a Switch to help keep him occupied over a long lunch. Enjoy!

“Grafting local accents”? What’s their accept got to do with it?

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr · 07/01/2023 09:33

Here’s the official guide to acceptable devices from guides michelin :

🍽️ Michelin Comfort and Quality = Android device in a big colourful shockproof case

🏆 Michelin Bib Gourmand = Apple device in normal silicone case

⭐️ Michelin = Nintendo Switch (OLED edition, white controllers)

⭐️⭐️ Michelin = Oculus Rift VR Headset

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Michelin = Ask the Game Sommelier to bring the carte des consoles and take your pick. Served with an amuse bouche of 80’s remembering classic “Simon” from MB Games

HikingforScenery · 07/01/2023 09:34

Alondra · 07/01/2023 09:25

Most Michelin star restaurants are fusion cousine. A mixture of different blends of food between Western, Asian and African.

A 7 y.o has never been exposed to that cousine because half their lives have eaten limited foods they enjoy, and new foods are usually introduced slowly, specially fish (not fish fingers) and sauces. Flavours will develop with time, not when they are kids and their favourites are pasta.

Few children this young have been exposed to things like salmon comfit, scallops with seaweed crumble, sweet pork with sugarloaf cabbage and black garlic....It's not the kind of food a 7 y.o. enjoys at home and will take time to develop as their tastes mature.

At the end of the day, it's up to the OP to make a decision. All we can do is give an opinion.

Show quote history

Ah I guessed, you’re basing it on your own limited experience.
My children were definitely exposed to food from different continents by that age because we’re a family from a background of cultures and our children have always enjoyed a variety of meals, right from BLW stage.
DH has always enjoyed experimenting with food and trying things out of cookbooks.
Yes , mine might not sound like a typical Brit DC but they’re not the only ones. As I said, it depends on what they’re exposed to.
Mine have always ordered off the adult menu if the options for children is bland.

girlmom21 · 07/01/2023 09:36

A 7 y.o has never been exposed to that cousine because half their lives have eaten limited foods they enjoy, and new foods are usually introduced slowly, specially fish (not fish fingers) and sauces. Flavours will develop with time, not when they are kids and their favourites are pasta.

Only 7 year olds who have food avoidance issues should be included here. There's no reason everyone else shouldn't have enjoyed varieties of food at this age.

Original poster
GCSquirrel · 07/01/2023 09:42

I doubt he’ll eat too much of the actual food but he’ll definitely eat some. He really likes trying new stuff and delighted in disgusting his older (incredibly fussy eating) brother on holiday by eating conch and lion fish. I also won’t plug him straight in the Switch, I’ll just give it to him if/ when he starts getting fidgety.

Obviously if I could get a babysitter I would. No one is free this short notice, his dbro is going to his mates house for a sleepover but I can’t ask them to take dc2 too and I don’t live in London or wherever it is that has babysitter on call sites.

OP posts:
Original poster
GCSquirrel · 07/01/2023 09:44

@brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr according to your guide he will be playing a suitable device although wrong addition and covered in peeling Pokémon stickers.

OP posts:
ForfuckssakeEXHstopbeingatwat · 07/01/2023 09:47

If you really want a babysitter there are absolutely "on call" babysitters everywhere..babysitters.com pretty much. They are DBs checked etc. Completely appreciate you may not choose that option but they do exist.

Maybebabyno2 · 07/01/2023 09:49

Half the adults will probably be on their phones anyway. Wouldn't bother me at all.
Raking my son to a posh restaurant I'm Feb and I'm taking his tablet to play with on silent.