Child only area in restaurant- discriminatory?

[Buyalot]

I’ve returned from a carvery lunch with DH and DD (14 months).

On arrival, despite there being a lot of seats spare in every area, we were told we had to be seated in the dedicated children’s area - an
absolute racket with soft play etc.

AIBU to find this ridiculous?

You are being ridiculous! There is a pub near me that have a carvery and a pub grub-style restaurant. There is a a specific area where they seat families with young children - it has a tv showing Disney films on repeat and a little area. We have sat there in the past but not lately (DS has recently turned 10 but is tall and is usually mistaken by strangers to be about 12) - I think that must be when they stop families sitting there.

But babies, toddlers and young children are loud and make unexpected noises. I think it is fair enough to sit them away from adults and younger children so everyone can enjoy themselves

The OP has a 14 month old and started a thread on a supposed discriminatory policy - so seemed like a fair point of reference. But agreed, I could not read your mind and determine that you had set your own thread parameters.

When you are seated, you do not know what nearby people’s children will be like, feral or otherwise - so not ‘forced’ but not a choice either.

It’s not cheap to eat out so I think the policy is a good one and likely to be making them money.

Why weren’t you at home, OP, cooking your child a home made meal from scratch? @Buyalot

Obviously I can only go by my own experience but 'soft play' isn't an accurate description. It's just a small play area.

What struck you as odd about it, OP?

Surely you can’t be suggesting that you wanted to have a quiet meal, free from the noise of other people’s children? 😂

How do you find out before the event?
Plus, find it amusing that to be with other children means punishment!

It's always a choice to go eat in a pub or not, it's not mandatory?

You would think with the declining birthrate more pubs and eateries would cater to the childfree instead of pandering to parents and letting screaming brats run riot.

I’ve got kids and I think it’s a brilliant idea.

I find it punishment having to be near other people's kids.

Bingo.

Unfortunately if you have your own, you then can't expect others to endure what you yourself dislike.

I took a very young sleeping baby in ( who is fed and settled beforehand) not a pair of shrieking 4 year olds. Tad different

On this occasion but your sleeping baby still may have woken up and started crying, we know with young babies that it can take an age to soothe them too.

You can't judge every eventuality by your own experience and handling of your child.

Sorry, but I'd avoid a place like this. It normalises the idea that kids can't sit still and eat nicely, and makes it almost impossible for us to expect decent behaviour from DD. She is perfectly capable of sitting with us, doing some drawing and colouring until her meal arrives - and then we don't hang around for ages afterwards so we don't test her patience too far. Bring forced to sit with people who won't control their children is horrendous - we have once gone to a cafe that did this and it was just painful.

I agree OP. It’s nice to have the option if needed. But I like to sit down and eat with my kids and chat with them. Not have them moaning about going on bloody soft play.

And unfortunately places like this are needed and there are parents who don't teach their children.

It is free to chose tho, you don't like and wouldn't go - kudos. But didn't complain that places like this exist.

Then id have taken him out Simple

It's not discrimination, but I think the better solution would be to have an 'adult only area' rather than making all kids sit near the play area. Some parents will be wanting to go out without their kid running off to soft play or listening to them whine because they can't join in. I also think it's important for kids to learn to be bored, and how to sit in restaurants for a little while for a sit down meal. Also some families have quiet children. And some families have children that might be overstimulated by a soft play.

Also some people on this thread really hate children, jesus. This is the website where people implode if someone calls them a boomer, but calling a child a brat or whatever is perfectly fine. Also stop saying you hate children. It's like saying you hate all old people, or you hate all men. It just makes you sound like a nob 🤷

Not sure if they still have them but Wetherspoons used to have family areas. No smoking allowed and no drunk groups. This was before the indoor smoking ban and before I had children. Always thought it was a good idea, I wouldn’t want my children sitting next to a group of adults knocking back the jugs of spirits and mixers they used to sell.

Oh bore off. You are legally entitled to breastfeed wherever you are legally allowed to be. If you feel awkward seeing breastfeeding, grow up. It's a natural and normal way to feed a baby. Breastfeeding is already difficult without anyone judging.

And if you've gone to a pub with a park...what are you expecting? You are perfectly entitled to not want children. You are not entitled to live in a world where you never encounter children.

Children are allowed to exist in public. And children will sometimes screech or cry in public, because they're children. Parents should obviously parent their children, but I find such heavy vitriol towards children unnecessary and mean tbh.

Have no issue with grouping families together, but I don’t understand the need for soft play. As pp have said children need to learn how to sit and eat properly, which is precisely why children in European countries are so welcome in restaurants. We took DS from a very young age to restaurants accepting that we’d have to dine and dash rather than do 3 courses. There are plenty of ways to quietly enjoy the wait times with colouring, Uno etc without soft play needed.

That's the issue. Children eating at a restaurant are either on iPads or running ragid.

Farmhouse Inns do this. I think it’s a good idea having a zone for families but the the soft play area is annoying as it often distracts kids from actually eating.

Yes the adult only section as you said is a much better idea.

Some kids do behave like brats so what's wrong with saying it as it is? Don't need to hate children to hate bratty behaviour

This. And if child-free flights are ever offered, I’ll be first on board.

Child free flights would be an a absolute godsend, I don't really understand why any airline hasn't offered it yet. People would gladly pay a premium for it.