Now before you dismiss this rant quickly because you HATE eating anywhere near children – NOT SO FAST.
So do the rest of us.
Everyone knows how it feels to be enjoying a nice quiet meal and watch with horror as a couple with a few kids and a crying infant are escorted to the table next to yours. It sucks. That’s not what I am talking about.
Once children reach a certain age, and it varies by household, but usually by age 7 or 8, they are capable of eating in a restaurant properly. By the age of 9 or 10 if a child does not have appropriate table manners to dine at most any restaurant in the city, there is a problem at home. In any case, no matter what age a person is when they enter a restaurant, the staff of the restaurant should react to every patron in the same manner.
As one might imagine, if you grow up in a household with parents that worship the culinary arts in every possible sense, there is a pretty good chance that the passion for “all things food” may in fact “rub off.” This happens to be the case in our house where our 8 year old prefers Caesar Salad to Mozzarella Sticks and a good Ceviche to just about anything. So, when we dine out, our “self proclaimed food critics,” are a little sensitive to be treated like second class citizens.
Case in point: There is a newish restaurant in town and for obvious reasons we need to check it out. There is a main dining room and a small dining room off the back of the main room. It is early and there is only one table seated in the main room. Although there is ample seating and a table to accommodate us in the main room, we are ushered into the small room in the back. (There is one server on duty, so, no, this was not to seat servers evenly!)
Of course the adults understand why we have been quarantined in this, not so fine, dining establishment, but the kids are befuddled. The room is actually charming. It is small, with 4 tables and a fireplace. Unfortunately the fireplace does not work and the room is chilly. There is a small box heater next to the table, albeit odd for a new restaurant, it does warm the room briefly before burning out. The otherwise lovely windowsills are coated in dust, again odd for a restaurant open only a short time.
Needless to say, no one is quite comfortable. When our server arrives, we report the situation with the heater. She is well aware that it doesn’t really work, but does not offer to move us to the front room which is warmer. The children begin to order their beverages and appetizers. Their ability to order for themselves coupled with their authoritative command of the menu flusters her. My son orders grilled calamari, my middle daughter clams and my youngest the mussels. They debate whether to share salads or move on to entrees. She asks to no one in particular, “can they really eat all this food?” As they order their main dishes, our server, completely off balance at this point, declares she must check the availability of The Gorgonzola Gnocchi my son ordered. Her abrupt departure has us all reeling.
When she returns with the bad news that there is in fact no gnocchi tonight, a Friday, my son begrudgingly orders another dish. Once our server is out of earshot the children declare, “we are never coming back here again!” That was before she returned with their drinks in to go cups with lids, which sent them over the edge! We decided to stick it out only because it was getting late on Friday and we did not have reservations anywhere else.
The food was not great, nor was it bad. It was average. The experience on the other hand was enlightening. Not everyone embraces the concept of children, I get that. However, when you are in a service industry and you go out of your way to hide families with children when your restaurant is virtually empty, chances are good that your restaurant will remain empty. If you are clearly this misguided when it comes to customer service, there are bound to be other types of customers you are offending.
With parents, it’s pretty safe to say, treat their children poorly and they will not return, with or without them.
I must say that it is impressive to see kids eat and behave properly in a dining atmosphere and their parents deserve all the credit. On the other hand, when kids don’t behave so well, the parents deserve the blame. As for the server, it’s all about the tip so regardless of whom they are serving, they need to do whatever it takes to make their customers happy. At the end of the night, it will show in their pocket.
I must say that it is impressive to see kids eat and behave properly in a dining atmosphere and their parents deserve all the credit. On the other hand, when kids don’t behave so well, the parents deserve the blame. As for the server, it’s all about the tip so regardless of whom they are serving, they need to do whatever it takes to make their customers happy. At the end of the night, it will show in their pocket.