While bringing your kids to a fancy restaurant is often a big no-no that most parents don’t even attempt, most families bring their kids to restaurants, especially if they want to have an evening off of cooking and mainly having to do the dishes afterwards. Most of the time, parents will check if a restaurant is kid-friendly, information which can usually be found online.
Nettie’s Interior
But in one case, a restaurant that had always been family friendly made the choice of banning all children under the age of 10, and it has sparked quite a fierce discussion. Nettie’s House of Spaghetti made the announcement on their Facebook page, with a caption that explained that the “noise levels and cleaning up crazy messes” drove them to this decision.
They continued: “We love kids. We really, truly, do. But lately, it’s been extremely challenging to accommodate children at Nettie’s. Between noise levels, lack of space for highchairs, cleaning up crazy messes, and the liability of kids running around the restaurant, we have decided that it’s time to take control of the situation.”
They closed by saying: “This wasn’t a decision that was made lightly, but some recent events have pushed us to implement this new policy. As of March 8, the day we return from our winter break, we will no longer allow children under 10 to dine in the restaurant. We know that this is going to make some of you very upset, especially those of you with very well-behaved kids, but we believe this is the right decision for our business moving forward. Thank you for understanding.”
Nettie’s House Of Spaghetti
After posting the news, the restaurant expected some backlash from parents who had gotten used to bringing their kids to Nettie’s. As expected, many were not pleased about this. One mother shared: “That is really sad to hear. I was looking forward to trying out your place but with a well behaved 9 year old I’m not welcome, sad.” Another said: “Good luck staying open with only angry nothings who hate kids to support your business.” A third pointed out that: “You [realize] all the parents who dined with you now are expected to spend additional money for a sitter?”
That means that likely these parents will turn to other restaurants and skip Nettie’s altogether, even after their children are above the age of 10.
On the other side of things, one commenter was actually thrilled about the news, saying: “Fantastic idea… having worked in the industry since I was 14, i’ve never seen anything like I have in the recent past. Kids are out of control and most parents are oblivious. The disregard for manners and common decency is unreal. I worked in FH and was disgusted by the behavior. Good for you for taking a stand.”
Another fan of the new rule shared: “You just gave me a reason to go check out your restaurant! I’m tired of going out for a quiet meal with my husband only to have kids running around all over the place while their parents ignore them as they continue to enjoy their meal! YOUR kids, YOUR responsibility! The rest of us shouldn’t be inconvenience because of them!!! I SUPPORT THIS RULE 10000%”
In response, the restaurant said: “Thank you for the support! [Its] become a liability to us — kids running around the restaurant in circles when we’re trying to carry trays of food and drinks has made doing our jobs extremely difficult.”
The New Rule
