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No ‘Loud’ Children Allowed in California Restaurant

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by ETC(SS), Jul 31, 2014.

  1. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    California: Monterey Restaurant Bans Crying Babies and High Chairs - TIME

    I've been married and single.....
    Twice.
    I've been the parent and the irritated restaurant patron trying to enjoy a quiet intimate dinner.
    (not all at once)
    Sometime back in the Bronze-Age, I used to tell the Greeter/Hostess/Host:
    "No smoking, No kids......" or just sit at the bar.

    My solution as a parent/grandparent involves a discreet trip to the parking lot to share my thinking with the child about her behavior in a more appropriate setting. :D

    My solution as a restauranteur would be more like:
    [​IMG]
    I really don't see what the Whoopdi-do is all about.....but we ARE talking about the PRC

    Thoughts?


    BTW.....the restaurant in question?
    Since the "controversy" their business has increased significantly .....
     
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    A: Titty bar.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  3. Beachnut

    Beachnut Member

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    We live about 2 hours south of Monterey near Pismo Beach and I fully understand why the owner of that restaurant has banned children. For some reason, so many "parents" these days will go into very nice restaurants with known problematic children! They plop themselves down, with their "brats" in tow, regardless of others trying to enjoy a fine - expensive meal, and proceed to order and feed their children massive amounts of sugar in soda, and food, and think absolutely NOTHING about their "run a muck" Kids disturbing everyone's "peace" in the now not so nice restaurant. I watched one such family try to- dare say no- to their child, about having milk, over soda, knowing what would happen, and they even lost that simple battle! I mean, Kids SCREAMING, Kids Running around, bouncing around off their new high from so much sugar, and if you have the nerve to say something to the parents, YOUR wrong for saying anything! The waiters just grin n bear it, knowing "there goes my tip again" from everyone nearby. It amazes my wife and i that "parents" can be so self absorbed, SELF CENTERED,, to bring UN-disciplined kids into very nice, expensive places, rather than just getting them a burger, or Denny's, or Coco's, or, on and on of other good food places, that are more tolerant for problem kids. NOoooo, they want to bring them in and force you to waist your hard earned money, suffering through a meal from hell, with their little "angels"! Some, have no clue they have Brats, others will somewhat try as they say over and over again,,, "now Johnnie, you need to sit down" and the little kid is like "Ya Right" basically flipping the parents off with zero respect, and zero discipline, and screaming when touched! I would love to see more restaurants "ban children" as I would surly seek them out to go to! Way to go Fisherman's Grotto, may many-many more follow your lead!!!(y) (By the way,, I have eaten at Fisherman's Grotto on the wharf, and it IS GOOD! -Especially the Calamari!-)
     
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  4. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I've got two young kids (they're three and six). They are, by three- and six-year-old standards, very well behaved.

    But that doesn't mean I think I have a right to take them into a restaurant where people are trying to have a romantic meal, or talk about business, or whatever. There's no shortage of good Italian or Chinese or Mexican or Korean "family-oriented" restaurants where the patrons expect kids to be kids. By taking the kids to these places, I can teach them how to behave in a restaurant, so when they're older we can go to fancier places. But we don't go to fancy places now, because it is completely inappropriate and inconsiderate. I'll go to a fancy place if I have babysitting and the kids are at home.

    What I'm saying is that there are places for grown-ups, and there are places for kids. The restaurant you mention is doing exactly the right thing. It's not just doing the right thing for the people without kids; it's doing the right thing for people with kids.

    I stayed once at Le Meridien in Khao Lak, before I had kids. It had this big V-shaped pool. One side of it - and the area surrounding it - was a "family zone", where kids were running about and jumping in the water and playing with their parents and having a lovely time. The other side of it - and this pool was so big that this was a long way from the family zone - was an "adult zone" (no, not like that, even though it was Thailand), where grown-ups were sunbathing and reading books and swimming with their sunglasses on. It was great for two reasons. First, the grown-ups weren't being disturbed by kids having fun. And second, the parents of the kids could relax, because they didn't have to worry about the kids disturbing romantic couples.

    A few years back - again, before I had kids - I was interviewed for a business travel magazine. I was asked what I would change about planes. At the time, I lived in Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific had two flights each night to London, leaving within ten minutes of each other. So did British Airways. This was because smoking had only recently been banned on flights. Until then, there'd been one smoking flight and one non-smoking flight. I suggested that it would make sense for them to use these flights to offer one child-free flight, and one flight on which children were welcome. It would work like the hotel in Khao Lak: people who really did not want to be on a plane with kids could choose that one, and parents could relax knowing that the people who really hate flying with kids were not on the same plane as them. Loads of people got really angry, saying I was some sort of child-hater or something. But, even now that I have kids - kids who I'm taking on a 22,000-mile round trip by plane next month - I'm strongly of the opinion that I was right (there's a surprise).
     
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  5. Beachnut

    Beachnut Member

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    hkmb, I bet you have well behaved children, way to go, and kudo's for seeing the need for "child free" zones. I really do believe this need is from a newer generation of "families" who just quit trying-- or never cared to discipline their children! It's sad! VERY SAD!! When I was a kid, even if we were in a McDonald's, I was EXPECTED to act appropriately. You would never say "NO" to your parents, and if you acted out, showed ANY disrespect, it was a quick trip outside for a swat on the butt, and a stern talking too, before you could return to your seat inside. Manners were taught, and followed. Courtesy and respect to others, too! Now days,, you hold a door open for someone to pass through, & they do not even say thank you! They just seemingly expect it, and keep walking. Children are treated as "little adults" and not children at all! They mirror the parents actions, and the parents are too self focused to see any of it. Of coarse, here we have massive influx of people from the Central Valley, (Bakersfield, Hanford, Fresno) on the weekends to go to the beach, and sadly, that is where so many of those "Screaming kids"& "Self focused" parents are coming from. You ought to see how they totally trash our beaches, just leaving garbage everywhere, as its too hard to walk it 100' over to the trash cans!!! I hope this is more just a California thang, because our Nation, follows the direction of its People. Look Out!:unsure:
     
  6. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    One workaround is to go out to the restaurant later in the evening, not at 6-9pm when young families with kids will be there.
     
  7. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

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    Others have to do the parenting. Same vein as cities issuing curfews. Clearly, some people don't care to be responsible for their children.

    Obviously there are exceptions, where the kids have issues - like autism. Regardless, it's nice to know parents are willing to consider others when they can no longer control their child.
     
  8. Hidyho

    Hidyho Senior Member

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    Happening all the time at theaters, its sickening. Parents bringing under 6 year olds to movies that have sex talk, romatic scenes or even sex scenes in them, totally freaking out the kids or boring the kids, leading to kids talking and screaming in a movie. I'm hoping Alamo Drafthouse theaters opens up a theater here, they don't put up with that, they'll kick you out and keep your money.
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i've been on both sides of this. one of us always took the rambunctious child outside (usually my wife and son:whistle:) i can understand and respect peoples desire to have a quiet meal, more power to them.
     
  10. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    The other side of the coin is that unless you have relatives living near by- it's virtually impossible nowadays to get a "sitter" who you'd entrust your young children to for a couple of hours.

    It's a sad fact, but teens (typical age for "sitters") can't stop texting while driving, taking classes, watching movies, etc... how much attention do you think they'd pay to your kid(s) if they had to watch them? Luckily, my kids are past the stage where they need a "sitter", but back when they did- we always had local relatives watch them. There's not chance in hell my wife would have left them with a non-relative.
    Now you see infant's/babies being left in cars while parents go on job interviews/dates, etc... because they couldn't secure a sitter.
     
  11. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Like bisco, we always took a noisy or crying child outside so as not to bother others. Usually it only took one time to teach our kids. My kids today are not as strict about this as we were but if one of the grandkids gets noisy my wife will usually jump up and take the child outside if the parents do not move fast enough.

    I fully understand and respect the right of others to enjoy a quiet meal or other entertainment that they came to enjoy and paid for. My wife and I are disturbed more times than not when we go out by unruly and loud children. More times than not the parents sit there oblivious to the the fact that it is disturbing those around them.
     
  12. Troy Heagy

    Troy Heagy Member

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  13. Silver bullit

    Silver bullit Right Lane Cruiser

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    W.C. Fields on children- "Madam, there's no such thing as a tough child— if you parboil them first for seven hours, they always come out tender."
     
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  14. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    I still think passing a written test should be required before you have children!
     
  15. Goin2drt

    Goin2drt Junior Member

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    I have also said you need a license to drive a car but nothing to be a parent. Sad day when someone has to come to this extreme to offset for bad parenting.

    But doesn't surprise me in my lovely home state of the Peoples Republic of California. Can't wait until we can move.
     
  16. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    I'm worried that those who fail will become politicians.
     
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  17. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    Too late!