To expect parents to keep their children relatively quiet in a pizza restaurant...?

[confuseddoiordonti]

I have just got back from a pizza (Planet Pizza in Bristol in case anyone's wondering) and me and DH were driven bonkers by the number of overexcited shrieking childen in there (we got there just before 7pm.)

I am not against children in restaurants, and I realise this is a pizza place rather than the Ivy, but I do object to them charging about and shouting where there are people there with no dc's (like myself.) I realise that some noise is to be expected and I don't have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with the same children running about, shouting and crawling around under tables. Am I being unreasonable by getting a) pissed off and b) wishing they were someplace else so I could eat my pizza in peace...?

Lastly, while I was tempted to go over and ask some of the parents to get their children to keep it down a bit, I did chicken out and hoped they'd realise the kids were too noisey themselves (they didn't.)

I loathe bad behaviour in children in restaurants (or anywhere) too but I have to ask, if you are childless, what are you doing in a pizza joint? Get thee to the Ivy woman!

Why the hell were you in a family restaurant with no children??

YANBU. I would never allow my kids to behave like this, whether we were in McDonalds or the bloody Ivy !!
I was brought up to sit at a table at mealtimes whether I was at home or in a restaurant & I bring my kids up the same way.
It is bad parenting IMO.
I have a son with Autism, and even he knows that he is not to get up and run around or shout and scream in a restaurant. If he did, DH & I would be so mortified that we would probably leave !!

completely fair enough. kids are noisy, but there is no excuse for shrieking/ bad behaviour. just lazy parents imo.

its not a 'family restaurant' its a pizza restaurant.

My worst memory of going out with DS and DD was when we went to Pizza Express in Cambridge.

I think DS and DD were 3 and 1 at the time (approximately 2007) and if anyone was disturbed I am sorry. Not sure that we went to a restaurant with them for a good while after that. DS only wanted to go round and round and DD only wanted to scream. DH and I took turns of walking round with DS and being with DD and occasionally eating.

It was not good for us. Probably not good for anyone near us either.

But wanted to let you know that people are sometimes trying to do something even when it doesn't look like it.

YABU, it is to be expected if you are going to a pizza restaurant on a weekend before 9pm imo.

You have a chance to go out for a meal with your DH unencumbered by children and you choose a family pizza restaurant? And before 7pm at that.
YABU with knobs on.

I love going to restaurants where children are running around and being obnoxious. I usually remember to take crayons or a book or something, so my children are always well behaved, and therefore I can feel even more smug

No, YANBU.

SoupDragon - Why shouldn't she be in a family restaurant with no children ?? We all have a right to eat where we want to, and should be able to expect parents to have a bit of common courtesy when it comes to allowing their children to behave this way.

YANBU.

Are only families allowed in Pizza restaurants these days soupdragon?

Don't like serious noise and disturbance from anyone in restaurants - we have only taken our ds to a restaurant twice, forced him to colour constantly during both occasions, and i have been known to leave a meal early due to excitable office parties nearby. My cultural heritage is a Stygian hotel dining room serving Brown Windsor Soup and lamb chops in ABSOLUTE silence to people over 50 30 21. So YANBU from me.

I do think it's hard to find a balance between my joyless attitude to food in public and people behaving as if they and their children are not in public at all.

YANBU.

I used to work as a waitress in a family pub with a soft play attached as a student. Kids used to run riot, making it a nightmare trying to walk anywhere with hot plates of food. Their parents didn't even try to make them sit down at the table, just let them charge around a restaurant (OK, pub - but still). I found it shocking, even at the age of 18.

ChunkyMonkeysMum Because the last place I (and most sane people) would want to be with no children is a family restaurant full of them.

As we are all well aware, childrens behaviour cannot always be predicted, but I do feel it's complete bad manners when parents allow their children to run around, shrieking and screaming in any restaurant and clearly don't seem to give a fuck batt an eyelid at what their kids are up to.
There is a big difference between parents who are trying to do something about it & those who aren't.

Running round a restaurant is just dangerous - hot food and drink being carried around. It makes me cringe seeing it - people don't look at toddler level when they are walking along with pots of tea/coffee or plates of food.

YABU to go to a place called 'Planet Pizza' at 6.45pm on a weekend and expect it to be a haven of sophisticated gentility.

admittedly I wouldn't let dd run around, crawl under other diners' tables and scream.
however I would let her run around and crawl under our table if the alternative involved screaming.

pick your battles in future.

YANBU. There is a limit to the mess/noise children are allowed to make in a restaurant.
Mind you, if the children aren't mine, I don't really mind about the noise.

SoupDragon - Why exactly is Planet Pizza a "family" restaurant ?? And where should all the "sane" people go if they want a pizza but don't want to be disturned by families ??

*oops, disturbed !!

Oh FGS [rolls eyes]

Probably better than what fellow diners usually get from ds when we eat out. No running around or screaming, instead just intense questioning from ds to people who have the misfortune to be seated at neighbouring tables - 'What are you eating?', 'What's that?', 'I go to [school name]', 'Do you know [insert random name]?'. It is endless and I really do try hard to shut him up.

It doesn't matter if there are other people in the resturant with out children or not....peopel should let thier kids run around and shout in a resturant. For me, a big part of going to a resturant is to socialise my children, so they know how to behave apropriately.

I bet a couple of families had met up, and the parents were chatting, and it was easier to let the kids run wild, than tear themselves away from their conveseation and interact with the kids.

What MrsBadger said. DD has always been happy to sit through a whole two-course service but DS is incapable of staying in a highchair that long it seems.
But he only clambers over us and under our table. If he does a runner we do chase him! And if they ever started screaming they would go outside.

I think the answer is don't go to family restaurants - we rarely do because they seem to think children are incapable of eating "proper" food and the decor is designed to make children get giddy and demand lots of ice-cream!

noise is one thing, letting kids run about under tables and the like is a different matter

a restaurant is not a playground

Goodness! I didn't expect so many instant replies! Thanks!

I would not like to think I need to select where I go for dinner on a Sunday evening on the basis of whether children will be there or not. But, I do think a bit more decorum is called for. A tantrum or a baby having a yell is unavoidable, but full on running about etc was too much!
It reminds me of the we went to pub last New Years Day - the only one nearby which was open was full of hungover / pissed parents and their children, clearly bored (as pubs are indeed very dull for anyone under 16) were running about and even playing with their scooters. We moved tables three times with that one...