Discount for non-bratty kids

I'm all for this! If i didn't behave I got put in the car so I didn't bother other people. I don't want to go out for dinner to listen to someone kid throw a tantrum. As much as I love this idea, I will still always select a lounge so there won't be any kids

if you don't like the restaurants policies, don't eat there. Nobody's forcing you to.

THIS and if you don't wanna be around kids, don't go anywhere they are. as in PUBLIC. Get over it. I have NO problem with the policy at all, but people complaining about kids basically existing. Don't you realize you were a kid? And don't give me that, oh well when I was a kid, I was perfect. BS. go hide under your rock and you won't have to worry about being around kids.

It's ridiculous imo.
I have a beautiful 9 y/o brother with ODD, adhd, along with other issues and he simply can not control his emotions many times. It's beyond his control. As he's getting older, he has gotten a better hold of himself along with the help of his special education, doctors and therapists, but when he was younger and had outbursts at the grocery store, dr office, restaurant, many ppl would be total *kitten* about him. Never ever ever race to judge a child and say he/she is simply 'bratty'...there may be alot more going on.
...end rant

What is ODD? Because I'm reading it as Older Dearest Daughter.

I think she is talking about oppositional defiance disorder.

Thanks! Too many overlapping acronyms sometimes.

Where bad behavior in children and even now adults abounds, I applaud the measure. There needs to be some motivation for good behavior and accountability for bad behavior. Who knows, a motivated parent my keep their kid out of jail in the future.

BTW - Mine are 35, 25, 22, and 9 - I have a little experience and one with ADHD.

I think they would probably take into account if a child has a medical condition that makes them be loud. Other than that I'm all for it and wish more places would do it. Maybe it would encourage more parents to actually care about how their offspring is affecting other peoples dining experience.

JFC. Pretty soon, people are just going to stop doing kind things because someone out there is going to have a problem with it. Can't reward nice behavior because then you're cheating kids who can't control their behavior due to issues unknown to the rest of us? Give me a break! I don't want to sound insensitive to families with children with conditions out of their control, but if your kid can't act appropriately in a restaurant, don't take them to a restaurant, or remove them when they start to act like an a-hole, regardless of the reason.

My 3 year old is generally a joy to be around, but if she's tired, she can be a real PITA. If we're at a restaurant and she's tired and starts acting up, I don't just sit there and subject everyone else to her antics just because she's tired and can't control herself. Nor do I expect some kind of reward for her bad behavior or expect others to miss out on a perk because "it's not fair".

Stop trying to treat kids the same. They're not the same. Kids are growing up to be entitled a-holes because instead of the winning team getting a trophy, everyone gets one for trying. I get it. I feel like my kid is a winner even if she didn't do the best at something. But treating everything she does like it's historic and amazing isn't going to make her a secure, confident adult. It'll make her an entitled, narcissist. Maybe what I'm talking about seems unrelated to you, but seriously, when you say "well, what about the kids with autism or tourrettes, etc." you're going to have other parents saying "well what about my poor Timmy who just doesn't like to sit still". If you have a kid with an underlying condition that can result in bad behavior, and you take them out, and they're well behaved for THEM (but not necessarily the rest of the world) then it's your job as a parent to praise their behavior and encourage it.

If your kid makes me look over at your table because of noise or for any other reason, you should be kicked out of said restaurant!

I sat next to two teenage girls (at least 15) yesterday at a restaurant singing Taylor Swift songs the whole time they were there. Can I kick them out too?

I know this will sound bad but teenagers misbehaving at a restaurant is WAY worst than toddlers. Little kids I can understand because they are learning how to control their emotions, but teens and preteens? When my kids (6 & 4) misbehave all we have to ask is; Do you want to go to the bathroom? Yeah, they know what happens if we have to remove them from a public place… No tv, no DS, no leapfrog, etc…

OMG! I so did that to my kid. And you're right, he totally knew what it really meant.

It is not like they are charging parents more if they have children with special needs or children who misbehave or make a noise. Get over it. People need to spend more time appreciating the things they do have and less time worrying about what someone else is getting.

I think they would probably take into account if a child has a medical condition that makes them be loud. Other than that I'm all for it and wish more places would do it. Maybe it would encourage more parents to actually care about how their offspring is affecting other peoples dining experience.

That. My sister is a waitress and she says some people don't even try to get their kids to behave. Said she's seen parents let their kids run around (dangerous), throw things and scream and not even say a word about it. Maybe this is incentive for those parents to actually parent. I like it.

If this was indeed a one-time occurrence by an employee to show gratitude to parents with well-behaved children, then that is perfectly fine. Restaurants give perks and added items all the time to reward good customers and keep them coming back.

However, if this were to be a standard practice for ALL patrons, then the restaurant would start losing money and have to increase prices to make up for the discounts. Then, those without children, or those with special needs children, etc, would then be penalized by having to pay higher prices.

I have a son with severe Aspergers, (high functioning autism) He has made great progress over the years and we can now take him to any restaurant or public place without worrying, but when he was younger and could easily become overwhelmed by noises, crowds, and surrounding environments, but we did not take him to high priced sit-down restaurants. There were a couple of years when I couldn't take him to the grocery store by myself, because if he had a meltdown, or ran off, I couldn't chase him down. After a horrible experience in Walmart and a lady trying to get management to call CPS on me, I started putting off grocery trips til after hubby was home from work.
There were some really bad years in there, where we had to leave in the middle of dinner or movies, shopping, etc because our son had lost control. But we LEFT and took care of our son. The only way for him to learn how to deal with being in public, was to take him in public. But again, we wouldn't take him to high priced restaurants, because people who are paying $200 for a nice dinner should not have to deal with my son's meltdowns. And we definitely would not have had him at a table with glassware!

Before we became parents to a special needs child, we were the typical people who gave dirty looks to 'bratty' kids and their parents who apparently did not have the excellent parenting skills that we had. Now, after eating a lot of humble pie, we try to give them the benefit of a doubt and consider that they may be dealing with something deeper than just misbehavior.

That said, no parent should allow any child to run rampant thru a place, wreaking havoc and disturbing other patrons. Deal with your children, and tend to their needs. It is called parenting. And it is not always easy.

I have two sweet babies, one is 5 and the other is 2. The 2 year old will occasionally let a out a screech in public ( when he cant get his way) but I do not let that stop me from getting out of the damn house. If all parents waited until their kids were "perfect" enough to be around other people then no one with children would ever get out. I am a SAHM and I dont know anyone in my area so when I have a chance to go out and have a meal I could care less that my little one is less than "perfect". He is 2 for goodness sakes. If anyone at a restaurant or store has a problem with my child occasionally "misbehaving" they can totally suck it!! Mamas gotta live too:)

p.s. I do not let him run wild and when he does start whining I do put a stop to it. But as anyone with kids know they dont listen 100% of the time. If I can get them to listen 80% I am doing pretty good:)

Yes, Mamas gotta live too BUT there is such thing as a baby sitter. Or go on a day that is better for your child. And before you accuse me of being of the childless I have 4, yes 4, very well behaved children; inclusing a 2 y/o. Many times my husband and I have made plans for us all to go out and one of the kids is having a bad day so we sit it out and go another time. We put our children needs before our own.

On a 10 hour roadtrip recently we had to stop and eat and we chose Denny's. The 2 y/o was very cranky so we went in ordered and then I took the 2 y/o back to the car to play until it was time to eat. That way no one was bothered by her whining and fidgeting.

This is ridiculous. Rewarding kids who behave, or their parents, with MONEY? Something is going wrong here...

What should NORMALLY happen is: kids behaving in public places.
If they don't, their parents should deal with it.
If they do, their parents should tell them they're doing good.
If they have medical issues, all their efforts should be noticed, even if their behaviour is not what could be expected from other kids.

Simple as that.

If the restaurant wants to do something about it, sometimes just telling the kids they should respect other patrons (in a polite way) can change their behaviour, just because it doesn't come from their parents. And when waiters or waitresses congratulate children or their parents for their good behaviour, it's always nice to hear!

But this discount sends the wrong message: kids shouldn't behave just so their parents could get a discount! ("Will you shut up, I don't have enough money to pay for your food!" lol)

(I don't even know why I'm posting on this thread )

I was going to say I totally agree - but I've certainly done enough things that 'embarrass' friends (well, some of them) - like riding in a trolley, shouting my friends name across the supermarket to locate her or having a light sabre fight in front of a big crowd with another friend in a gadget shop (most of the people waiting in the dreary pre-christmas queues seemed amused at two circa-6' blokes reverting to 'starwars kid' ).

So; I'll say - if you let your kids do something you'd be embarrassed for your friends to do in a public place, maybe you should have better control? Sure, sometimes kids (and adults) just get in a mood - but for so many it seems to just be the way it works.
As a kid it was certainly made clear to me that if I wanted to go places, I had to behave and I wouldn't be taken if I didn't.

I do have a dog - when I got him he was very dog aggressive. I've spent a lot of time researching and training him to be better. I do make sure I keep him under control around other dogs; and more, only let him have run of the park when there aren't any other dogs around.

I suspect I'd be more liikely to choose an eatery that was lees likely to have kids running around being annoying (though, on the above, would probably find various of my female friends asking for the same discount for me if I have behaved :P).

I just had a thought for those saying it is wrong for the restaurant to reward the child's good behavior with "money." Do you tip more to a server who has done a good job (keeping your drinks refilled, fast and courteous service, etc) or ever tip less to a server who has not performed their duties to your satisfaction? Because if you don't ALWAYS tip the same percentage then you are *GASP* discriminating against "bad servers." You don't know if they are having a bad day. How dare you be so hypocritical!

What constitutes a "well-behaved kid" in the eyes of this restaurant?

The common sense answer? If your kid is screaming, running around the table, throwing things, making an excessive mess, and won't listen to you he/she is not well behaved. If you allow them to act that way at home that's bad enough but to subject other people to it because you're to lazy to parent is offensive. Also, before someone goes blathering on about how hard it is to be a parent guess what? You chose to be one! Don't apply for the job if you don't want it!