Have I just discovered the secret to enjoying a dinner out!

[Thingcanonlygetbetter]

Just back from a fabulous family dinner out. No stress, fab food and good service. Restaurant we went to for the first time seems very popular and we could only get a table at 8pm. Which we would deem to be a bit late. We would normally be a 7pm
booking.
We have just chatted about why was this soo good and think we have hit the jackpot! No kids on bloody iPads with the volume turned up, that just kills the atmosphere and grinds me and my families gears. We went out last Sunday night at 6pm to a different restaurant, good food and good service. BUT not one, not two but three kids on the table next to us were all watching /using iPads with the volume up and it was torture and really spoiled the experience. So in future if I go out I am going to go late when the little people and their IPADS have gone to bed. They all need to put a set of headphones on their Santa list!!

Why didn't you say something like "I'm sorry but I can't hear myself think, don't you have earphones?"

Then "this is an adult space really, it's really annoying to hear Peppa pig on full volume... please either turn it off or turn off the volume"

We sat next to 3 kids in spoons on Saturday afternoon... headphones, well behaved and wanted to watch what they were watching

Where do you eat normally? I do sometimes see kids on them but not the volume up. We are also no devices at dinner family (but we have our own difficulties with other things so I try not to judge)

You were very unreasonable not to put a stop last week to 3 kids using iPads without headphones in a restaurant! Either a polite request to the parents or, if you didn’t feel able to, a request to the staff to do something about it.

We all have to do our bit to teach people that headphones are needed in public. I sweetly ask anyone who does it near me (usually on trains) ‘excuse me, have you got headphones? We don’t all want to listen to that’

Sadly it’s not just kids doing this so no 100% guarantee. I went out for a nice dinner, late time, so definitely an adults only atmosphere, and as we were finishing up, a bloke who had just come in started watching YouTube videos or sports or whatever on his phone at full blast. His female companion was opposite him, reading on her phone. I was glad we were leaving! Some people either have no self awareness or just don’t care.

It was the village pub, daughter’s friends are staff she would have killed me for saying anything. Always would be afraid of these things escalating

Not chains as we don’t have many of them near us. It’s nearly like I have a magnet to attract the most awful people near me that don’t give a flying f@@k about anyone around them.

I know I wish I did. The teens last Sunday night would have killed me as were in local village pub. If they take iPads why can’t they take head phones. Recently went out with a good friend whose child is young and they were iPad full volume. I did give her my AirPods to use but I was dying inside of the embarrassment and shocked that my really good friend thought this was ok.

Yeah, that doesn't work.

Train - conductor told me the mum was just trying to keep her child quiet (by playing incessant youtube nursery rhymes at full volume).

Coach - the child was using some sort of singing pen thing with a book. I asked the parents to please turn it down. I was told it was as quiet as it went but the Dad went over to to turn it down anyway. The kid had a tantrum. The pen quickly went back to as loud as it was. The mum started passively aggressively going on about how people should appreciate children "reading" so I didnt want to ask again. No one else asked but you could see them rolling their eyes. 3 hours of it.

Today in a restaurant - bloody terrifying family. No way was I going to ask them.

All of them ruined the experiences for everyone else bit hey, as long as they font have to interact and entertain their kids eh.

This exactly, then things escalate, and you are even more stressed. Last week was only me and the two teens and I chucked out nearly £100 for this torture restaurant experience.

They're all going to have their work cut out for them when their kids get older.

Any Mums out there going to give their reasons why they allow this?
Or is it a bit like everyone on Mumsnet earns over 100k and no way would they allow this diabolical behaviour.

Choose restaurants kids aren't likely to be at in the first place, either because of the food or cost. We went to one yesterday, no kids present and devices playing at tables would never be allowed by staff. The food is just not stuff young kids would appreciate or like, and it's just not the sort of place you'd bring young kids. No burgers or milkshakes on the menu.

I would never go for dinner before 8pm! Had years and years of meals in restaurants (mostly through work or after work) before I had children, and agree, not even worth bothering at 6:30.

They're lazy? I see them sometimes in doctor's offices. Kid on device obnoxiously playing out loud while the mother ignores them and scrolls on their phone themselves. I had to interact with my kids or read them actual books.

I have an older ND child I allow to be on a phone playing games these days because it's hard for them to wait, but no volume.

Do your kids only eat burgers and milkshakes?

I cant stand places that have great food but then the "kids menu" is burgers and frozen pizza rather than just smaller portions of the adult menu.

i’ve never seen a dc on an ipad at a restaurant with the volume up.

My kids like burgers and milkshakes just fine but that wasn't my point. As I said, yesterday we went to a restaurant that doesn't have those items on the menu. It doesn't have a kids menu at all. It has very adult food that kids would probably look at and cry because they don't know what it is. I was saying this is one way to avoid the problem of noisy kids in restaurants.

I have tried this and the answer is no - I don’t want to use them! Restaurants need to police this not customers.

Surely we all just leave them with the nanny ? 😉

🤣

I know, if I owned a restaurant I would just not allow it! I would put up sign and everything

That is strong and proper parenting!
Very passive aggressive but had nipped to the loo when son was in the opticians waiting room. When I walked back in someone was candy crush playing on the phone with all the noises and I loudly shouted to my son, (say his name is Jimmy). Jimmy turn that down, have a bit of respect. Jimmy -It’s not my phone Mum🤣
Def not my kids phone and I knew it when I said it as I have taught them better than that!

While mum might have just been scrolling on her phone I do think it’s important to remember that every single thing is on our phones now and she could have been doing something essential. I get so tired of hearing people moaning about all the terrible mums on their phones because for he most part we literally have no idea what they’re up to. For example my friend was at the bus stop one day with her baby in a pram and the bus wasn’t arriving so she checked the live bus tracker app and as she did so someone drive past, rolled down their window and shouted “Get off your phone and talk to your baby” 😂😂😂

But yes I am also massively pro headphones.

I had to comment to say...
I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!

I have young kids and there is nothing worse than hearing someone else's tinny shitty YouTube garbage or something from Roblox....and this is from someone who has young kids!!!

I have said something previously and Ive had

• "Shes got hearing problems"....Well earphone will be even better then!!

• "How dare you ask me to turn it down" and then proceeded to turn it up louder because I dared say something.

The best one was when I was so sick of hearing fecking Peppa Pig, I just said, ok kids, here is my phone. Listen to your hearts content! ...they thought their Christmases had come at once because I never allow it!! The old granny letting her little cherub listen to that crap had the audacity to give ME evils!!

Totally get that, I have two businesses and admin for one is totally on my IPhone. So I do get irritated when I park on the drive and I am on that phone and kids think I am
scrolling when I am actually working.