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?

Unfortunately not everyone will adore little Sadie and Hugo the way mummy does. Some people will want to eat in an area without children running around everywhere like it’s a playground.

I guess it’s because there are so many children now that ‘can’t be controlled’. It nothing to do with how they are parented, they’re just ‘uncontrollable’.
So of course diners don’t want to pay to eat with them, unless there’s no choice.

The number of entitled people/parents and those who throw around the word discriminatory without understanding it never fails to amaze me.

This!

If i went for a family meal with my kids id think it was perfect, and if i went without them and just DH, also perfect because i dont have to be around other peoples irritating children

Not discrimination but helpful. If you don't want to sit near to other families with DC don't go there again.

How would it be discriminatory?

There is a children's area specifically because people do not want to be eating next to other people's young noisy children. But you think they should make an exception for you?

So, you don't like having to seat with noisy children because it is disruptive but you think other people who came to have a pleasant and peaceful lunch should have to put up with yours?

I have had so many lunches and coffee breaks disrupted by screaming/badly behaved children while their useless parents do nothing that I think what this venue is doing is a great idea....

If you go somewhere with a soft play it makes sense to seat all families with children in that area (so they are not repeatedly to-ing and fro-ing from the area, running through the restaurant and back to the table etc). It keeps the adult only areas quieter and keeps mess/spillages more contained as well. It’s presumably a compromise to cater for different clientele who want different things.

I do get it though. I wouldn’t like it either. I guess if you don’t want to be seated near the softplay and would like your children to have a calmer/more adult experience, I would avoid places which obviously set their stall out to cater to lots of families with kids by installing a soft play.

Seems a great idea to me.

Sadly many parents can't see a problem with their children roaming around, playing with toys in the middle of the floor or yelling at the top of their voices in pubs/cafes/restaurants so they have now spoilt it for everyone else. Just like those whose dogs can't sit quietly under the table in food establishments due to poor training from their owners which had now resulted in dogs either being banned or confined to certain dog friendly areas in such establishments (not great if your dog is reactive to other dogs).
In continental Europe, children are welcomed with open arms into bars and restaurants until late at night but I have yet to see a native child behaving in the way some British children do.
I'm sure you can still find places to eat that don't have a segregation policy so you'll choose more carefully in future.

Discrimination on what grounds?
discrimination is based on protected characteristics, so what is your concern? You didn’t want to hear other people’s kids but others can hear yours. Deeeee-luded.

I would hate it. It would mean a child would moan to sit quitely instead of being allowed to go to the soft play.

We ate out with DD since she was born, she learnt to eat nicely, interact with us, we always had plenty with us to keep her occupied but quitely.
If there really was an issue (once on a car journey which took longer than anticipated and she was overtired and once a looooong family meal) one of us took her out for a walk and let her play or just run around if there was a safe area.

A noisy area would have mean we wouldn't enjoy our meal and most likely I wouldn't even have sat down.

Makes sense to me. Why wouldn’t you want to sit in an area specifically devoted to supporting diners with children, while at the same time the pub can separate adult space where people can chat without worrying about noise, kids running around, or having to moderate their language or topics of conversation?

The waiting staff got fed up of children running around and having near misses because some parents are too lazy to teach their children how to behave in such an environment.

A children’s area is a brilliant idea.

It's only 'discriminatory' if you think sitting with children is unpleasant which would make you a hypocrite. You want to inflict your kids on other child free folks but other people's kids are deemed unworthy of your presence and intollerably annoying.

That kind of proves the point as to why there is a children's section.

@ohtowinthelottery

''In continental Europe, children are welcomed with open arms into bars and restaurants until late at night but I have yet to see a native child behaving in the way some British children do.''

So true. Kids are indeed more welcome in restaurants and coffee shops in Europe because they are taught early on how to behave in public and because parents know that they will be judged if they don't teach basic table manners and how to properly socialise to their kids.

I lived in France for many years and the difference in behaviour is staggering.

The UK has too many entitled parents who think they can do whatever they want and unfortunately that attitude is passed on to their kids.

Great idea!!!

I think you should eat somewhere else if you don't like it. Not meaning to sound harsh but not everyone likes babies, and they want to eat in a childfree area.
This restaurant has made a compromise. When you where told, if you still ate there it was your choice.

A licensed premises doesn’t have to admit children at all; if it does, it can stipulate which areas of the venue that children are allowed to be in. There’s no discrimination. If you don’t want to sit next to the soft play area just leave and find another restaurant in the same way you would if you didn’t want to be seated next to the toilets or the doors.

They’ve obviously had complaints previously about children’s behaviour and have tried to come up with a way of accommodating families without excluding them entirely, which is sensible.

I love these posts.

OP asks a question, majority of people disagree so she never returns.

Sounds like a great carvery. Keep children happy and those that want a quieter lunch are away from the noise.

I'm with the 92% who have voted YABU.

Also, it seems, don't understand what discrimination is.

I think it’s win win. I don’t want kids about when I’m relaxing and when I have kids I worry about them bothering others so being with similar families is great

They have made a business decision to hopefully keep as many people happy as possible. When DS was little we would have avoided places like that because it was mine and his idea of hell but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea for many.