Children running around restaurant WWYD?

[AutisticLegoLover]

Please could you tell me what you'd do in this situation:

In a hotel restaurant at breakfast there were two young children about age 4 running around and screeching. It wasn't clear where the parents/adults were that they were with. They were eating while running in front of guests who were carrying hot drinks and food from the breakfast buffet and going up to other tables and carrying on their screeching.

What would you do in this situation?

I spoke to the manager who basically said there's nothing they could do even though it was a safety hazard them running around

You were right to say something to the staff, as it is dangerous - I've worked in a lot of environments that serve food and drinks and it's a nightmare when small kids are running around (or even just playing anywhere away from their table) when you're carrying drinks and plates of food.

There is often a limit to what the staff can actually do beyond talking to the parents, though, especially if it's at a hotel breakfast buffet that's included in the room rate, because that makes it a lot less easy to just tell them to leave and never come back.

The manager should certainly not have told the parents that you were the person who complained - that was really unprofessional of them.

I assume they meant threatened by the parents, who had a go at the OP when she complained, not by the four year olds.

Ah, just clocked the update

I knew staff would probably blame you, single you out, which is why I would have left.

She went over to the children and asked if they were doing what they'd been told off for and they said they être just taking so she cane over and had a go at me telling me I shouldn't stay in a hotel if I didn't want children there.

They told their mum they were just talking?

How did she not hear the loud screaming, if she was in the same room?

I'd have said to the children, go find your mother, you cannot run in a hotel.

Sorry, I've just seen my typos
I think the mum was oblivious as she's probably used to it. She was pretty loud herself.

The mum loudly said how it's wonderful that children are happy and healthy and having fun as to have a child who is quiet is a bad thing. My own 3 have had their feral moments in the past but they'd have got told to sit down and eat not run round licking golden syrup out of packets as they run about.

I think I would have just left as I would be worried about the parents getting angry with me. It's not acceptable though. My son is autistic and struggles with waiting and staying still. I don't take him to restaurants though apart from McDonalds and buffet restaurants because it's not fair on him or the other people in the restaurant. We don't go on holiday because we can only afford haven/Butlins where everyone is in close proximity and it's not fair on other people to have to hear my 9 year old screaming or my 17 year old playing the guitar and singing (He is autistic and that is his coping strategy, he can't manage more than 12 hours or so without playing, he's not just a spoilt teenager) We live in an isolated area so people don't hear them here.

The crossed out bit of this ha ha

Id take it higher - complain to the manager of the hotel.
Any staff worth their pay should know that children running around a restaurant is selfish, rude, and dangerous. Children don't have to be statues, but they should know how to behave appropriately in such a setting.
If that woman had come up to me, I would have said that this is not an appropriate area to be running around and I'm glad my children at least know how to conduct themselves with good manners.

Stop them and ask them what they were doing. Ask them where their parents are. Then tell them to go and sit down and stop running around as they will get hurt.

I'm all honestly I would probably have shouted "Will you stop it!" In a full on rage at them and then given the mum a piece of my mind when she complained.

Then I'd probably go up and cry in my hotel room and wish I'd just left it.

Why did you applaud silently, you should all have let those parents know that they were in the wrong

I either speak directly to my children and praise them loudly enough for parents to hear. That they would not do that and that that sort of behaviour upsets other dinners.
Or talk loudly to my partner about poor parenting and non of our 6 children would be allowed to behave like that.
Look pointedly at parents.

It never works for me.

I'm a single parent and didn't feel confident in speaking up especially as the hotel staff weren't helpful and had actually made the situation worse. I think they were just one of those families. The mum had pushed past ds and me when we were trying to choose what we were having then stood in our way of seeing what was there. No excuse me or anything. Some people are just entitled I guess.

I've just seen that there are two similar threads to mine in active so it's not just me.

--This

And this :)

99% of young children will stop what they're doing if you make eye contact and shake your head. It's like a magic trick, I've never seen it fail.

Accidentally on purpose trip them over

My applause wouldn't have been silent and I bet everyone else would have joined in.

My son and niece are 4, when me and my sister take the kids out together they try this. We don't allow them to disturb people, we sit them down, distracted with toys/ books/ food etc if they get up from the table. Occasionally they'll get up and I'll have to chase them to stop them running around etc 🤣. I would be embarrassed though if someone else had to tell them off for me so I would say something in your position. However pp's saying they would drop food on/ trip the kids over? Seems like the type of people too scared to speak to the parents so pick on the kids instead 🤔

We had this few weeks ago. Kids running around. Making dance routines. Taking food themselves and cereal everywhere. Nice little game of tag. I did nothing. The staff and parents saw what was happening and they're fine with it then who am I to say anything? I just went to get tmy food. Didn't make an effort to give any space to the brats and ar emy breakfast and went to the room.

@AutisticLegoLover When you said you spoke with the manager, was that the restaurant manager or the hotel general manager?

I'd be having words with the General Manager saying that you raised an issue with the restaurant manager as there were children running around the restaurant and they were making a lot of noise. The restaurant manager pointed you out to other guests as someone who complained about the noise their kids were making, instead of saying "Guests are complaining that your children are making a lot of noise. Please remember, this is a restaurant and not a playground. It's a safety issue and a hazard if your children are running around our waiting staff who could be carrying hot food and drinks, so please tell them to stay sitting down until breakfast is over".
If they didn't sit down, room service breakfast should have been offered as an alternative for the noisy family.

That's my take on it.