Buggies not allowed in Restaurants

Wantobe

If you really want to go to a place that doesnt allow buggies with a new born then I'd suggest a baby sling.

Speaking for myself once I had kids I no longer wanted to visit restaurants that weren't child friendly when they were with me. There is nothing worse than sitting in a cafe or restaurant with people all around you trying to enjoy their coffee or meal while your baby or child is bawling. It's not the other peoples fault, it's not ( always ) your fault and it ain't the child's fault! Children cry sometimes.

On the other hand, in a restaurant with other kids, it doesnt matter if your child cries. All the other parents are deafened from sustained exposure and are just delighted their own off spring aren't howling too. So they don't care. Therefore the pressure is off. And you can relax ( which funnily enough usually means the kids don't cry as much anyway).

I'd be more exercised about a restaurant or cafe that didn't allow breastfeeding. Something in our culture seems to mean that a fair amount of people aren't comfortable with it, are embarrassed by it and really it's such a natural thing!

BostonB

Can't imagine too many would leave a buggy outside for it to be nicked. You'd spend the whole time watching it.

nesf

MagicMarker wrote: »

Why bring a buggie, or baby for that matter, to a restaurant?

Do I even need to mention pubs? Bring your kid to the park ffs.

Why even bother posting in this forum? Seriously, any more crap and it's a ban.

Nevyn

and ntlbell is banned, permantly from the forum as we have had more then enough of his trolling.
Trolling and flaming is no tolerated here repeat offenders will be permabanned.
Issues or complaints about mod actions are to be taken to feedback/helpdesk.

Dudess

Breasts should be seen only in a sexual context, but not in the context of what they were intended for - yep, that does seem to be a widespread outlook unfortunately.

bcirl03 wrote: »

If a simple buggy can cause 'health and safety' issues then they should not be open in the first place.

Interesting logic, but...

Buggies take up space. Taking up space is a health and safety issue. It's really quite straightforward.

bcirl03 wrote: »

Ever been to the continent where they welcome families into restaurants?

Do they not welcome families into restaurants here?

Nevyn

It depends on the restruant tbh, fine dining and children for the most part do not mix but there are plenty of restruants which do welcome families and children.

Most small cáfe's are not going to have honestly the room for a buggy and if they choose not to cater to parents with kids then that is thier choice.

rainny

I work in a restaurant that welcomes families, buggies & children. The parents must fold up the buggies and put them in a small area at the front of the shop. It works very well and lots of families are return customers. However, at the weekends we can get a huge amount of families coming in and it's first come first served. I can't hold a never ending buggy pile at the front of my shop as other customers cannot get around them. So I tell some families that they will have to wait for a free space. The abuse I get because of this as I am trying to ensure 1. families are provided for and 2. other customers can move freely around the restaurant but some of the people with buggies don't care.

The parents complain the children need food / the buggy wont take up room / they need the buggy with them etc. So many times, buggies will be placed in front of my 2 emergency exit doors...When I ask them to move them, Oh, the hassle...

I have no problems with buggies in restaurant's, but it's not a 'right' to be able to bring it into the restaurant...

AckwelFoley

Irish society seems to hate children in public places, it seems more of a product of our "nouveau riche" snobby arse culture we developed.

The previous poster made some good points and i can understand their frustration, and yes trying to meander around a isle full of buggies can be less simple than not having them there, however.. its not something i lose sleep over. If i want to have a child free night, we get a babbysitter and got to a meal after 8 or 9pm.

As for the breast feeding, well.. there is nothing wrong with it, i dont take any notice of it, i think however its a cultural thing that we dont seem to be comfortable with.

Personally i find any discomfort rather immature.

BostonB

Some people obviously don't "get" why you'd need a buggy. Obviously because they've no experience of kids. Sometimes you use a buddy to restrict a childs movement, so they can't run all over the place. High chairs are often in very poor shape in many restaurants/cafes and often not an alternative. Also sometimres a child is actually asleep. Moving them out of the buggy wakes them, and perhaps you are taking advantage of them being asleep. Also sometimes a buggy is holding all the gear you need with the kids, change bag, distractions, coats etc. Not all kids need this, some do some don't. Personally I only go to certain restaurants with the kids.

Lots of restaurants/cafes are in small premises and there simply isn't room for buggies. Thats fair enough. I don't see what the fuss is. Either a place wants your custom or it doesn't. That applys to both sides of the debate. Vote with your wallet by not going there. How hard is that.

amdublin

I think this restaurant is right. I hate buggies in small spaces parked in the way of everything. Like I don't mind if there is a proper space for the buggy. But some people think that they have the right to put their buggy anywhere they like.

Imagine if I just parked myself in a spot where there is no room, like people do with their buggies. Very annoying eh?!

If there is no room for a buggy you probably should go to a different restaurant where there is room for the buggy. The restaurant is well justified saying no buggies and I for one thank him/her.

2SWEET

For the few that don't get buggies in restaurants as beening a health and safety issue here is a prime example, customer parks a buggy in a walkway for both staff and customers, a member of staff ask customer to move to a larger area more suited to parking buggy and the customer declined. A while later another customer or indeed a member of staff tries to walk passed the buggy with hot drinks on a tray, loses there footing and contents of the tray ends up on top of the child in the buggy.
Who do you think is going to be blamed.. you can be sure it won't be the parent!
Some parents need to cop on and realise restaurants are not only thinking of themselves in these situations, but more so the safety of the child and indeed the other customers.
If there is an area provided for buggy then use it, if there is not then just go elsewhere!

WindSock

One of the silliest things I have seen while out was a couple trying to get into a small restaurant with one of those giant SUV type buggies. They actually got angry at the fact the buggy simply wouldn't fit in the aisles and they had to leave. Wtf did these people expect? Go to a spacious restaurant that caters for children. There is also nothing more annoying for other diners than having to put up with a squeeling baby throughout the meal.

bcirl03

WindSock wrote: »

One of the silliest things I have seen while out was a couple trying to get into a small restaurant with one of those giant SUV type buggies. They actually got angry at the fact the buggy simply wouldn't fit in the aisles and they had to leave. Wtf did these people expect? Go to a spacious restaurant that caters for children. There is also nothing more annoying for other diners than having to put up with a squeeling baby throughout the meal.

Can we set the record straight here - not all babies scream when they are out!

A lot of the replies here seem to assume that once a baby is out, in a restaurant it will scream. However, they are prone to screaming I will admit.

amdublin

On the subject of screaming babies. (And those kids who run around like a crazed lunatics in restaurants)

I always wonder just why do their parents bring them to restaurants anyway??? It is surely not nice for the parents, it doesn't seem enjoyable for the babies/kids and it is definitely not nice for the rest of the patrons.

bcirl03

amdublin wrote: »

On the subject of screaming babies. (And those kids who run around like a crazed lunatics in restaurants)

I always wonder just why do their parents bring them to restaurants anyway??? It is surely not nice for the parents, it doesn't seem enjoyable for the babies/kids and it is definitely not nice for the rest of the patrons.

Speaking from experience it can be difficult to get babysitters and families are entitled to go out and enjoy themselves as a unit just like people who don’t have children. Our kids love to go out for dinner from time to time.

As for the mad kids running around I don’t allow mine to behave in that way and would let them know if they even started to run around.

Enii

bcirl03 wrote: »

Speaking from experience it can be difficult to get babysitters and families are entitled to go out and enjoy themselves as a unit just like people who don’t have children. Our kids love to go out for dinner from time to time.
.

That's all fair enough, but I guess problems arise if the children are noisy and disturbing others around them. Couples on their own don't tend to be noisy and cause interference to others around them.

In relation to the OP's post..... if restaurants are truly banning buggies on health and safety issues - well you can't really have a prob with that. If they were banning babies, it would certainly be discrimination against families and a case could surely be made. Check out the equality tribunal websites for info.

In essence, bring the child in to the restaurant but leave the buggy outside. Not difficult!

amdublin

Enii wrote: »

In essence, bring the child in to the restaurant but leave the buggy outside. Not difficult!

But if the baby is a screaming/crying baby please don't bring it to a restaurant. Imo it is not fair on the rest of the patrons trying to enjoy their meal in peace.

taram

amdublin wrote: »

But if the baby is a screaming/crying baby please don't bring it to a restaurant. Imo it is not fair on the rest of the patrons trying to enjoy their meal in peace.

Babies I will forgive because babies cry over all sorts of things. Recently out for a meal and a child who was at least 8 or 9 came up to our table, took the present I had at the side of the table (waiting for birthday girl to arrive) and ran off with it, ripping it open as he went! It's behaviour like that from children who are old enough to understand it's quiet time, and who have parents who allow this behaviour that should be discouraged from public places :P

Where I work we have an aisle to a back part of the shop that is easily 6-7 meters across, two double buggy Xtreme :P types both trying to get past today, was hysterical, neither woman would reverse her buggy, my manager had to intervene in the end

Cabaal

MagicMarker wrote: »

That's right, and I don't particularly want to have to climb over your buggies. If you're going out specifically to a restaurant, then just don't bring a buggie.

Very single minded view and for that matter selfish, while I don't have any kids myself I can fully understand why parents need buggys.

While pubs are not the places parents are fully entitled to go out for food, the very fact your saying they should go out without buggys suggests you've never even looked after a kid in your life.

Anyway as suggested before the best way for parents to deal with this is vote with their feet

Cabaal

taram wrote: »

Where I work we have an aisle to a back part of the shop that is easily 6-7 meters across, two double buggy Xtreme :P types both trying to get past today, was hysterical, neither woman would reverse her buggy, my manager had to intervene in the end

Sadly many parents act like alot of people when they use shopping trolleys,
- they think they have right of way no matter what
- they think they can fit through small spaces
- they think its indestructible

The unfortunately thingis there's a kid in a buggy so they can endanger someone elses life by acting the muppet

MagicMarker

Cabaal wrote: »

Very single minded view and for that matter selfish, while I don't have any kids myself I can fully understand why parents need buggys.

While pubs are not the places parents are fully entitled to go out for food, the very fact your saying they should go out without buggys suggests you've never even looked after a kid in your life.

Anyway as suggested before the best way for parents to deal with this is vote with their feet

So it's completely selfish of me to expect a parent to leave a buggie in a car instead of bring it into a restaurant? They can't carry a child from their car to a restuarant or better yet let them walk?

Enii

taram wrote: »

Babies I will forgive because babies cry over all sorts of things. Recently out for a meal and a child who was at least 8 or 9 came up to our table, took the present I had at the side of the table (waiting for birthday girl to arrive) and ran off with it, ripping it open as he went!

Whoa! What did the parents say/do?!!!!!

Ludo

MagicMarker wrote: »

So it's completely selfish of me to expect a parent to leave a buggie in a car instead of bring it into a restaurant? They can't carry a child from their car to a restuarant or better yet let them walk?

And what about kids who are not able to walk yet? Are they to be automatically excluded from all restaurants?

I have twins who are only walking a few months now. We regularly took them to pubs and restaraunts during the day when they were younger in their LARGE buggy or in their car seats. If we hadn't gotten out like this we would have gone insane ourrselves. We'd walk around a bit, get them to sleep and then go for a bite to eat. Never had a problem anywhere with the buggy. Everywhere we went was very helpful and the vast majority of customers were also. I remember a few occasions people came over to us from their table and offered to swap as the one they were at had more room...MOST people are very decent and accommodating....not that you would realise that from reading this thread.

Cabaal

MagicMarker wrote: »

So it's completely selfish of me to expect a parent to leave a buggie in a car instead of bring it into a restaurant? They can't carry a child from their car to a restuarant or better yet let them walk?

So say its 1mile worth of walking from car to restaurant and the parent has two twins aged two, how exactly do you expect them to get to a restaurant...carry both of them along with baby bag?

Again you've clearly never looked after even one kid by the sounds of it,

MagicMarker

Cabaal wrote: »

So say its 1mile worth of walking from car to restaurant and the parent has two twins aged two, how exactly do you expect them to get to a restaurant...carry both of them along with baby bag?

Again you've clearly never looked after even one kid by the sounds of it,

No need to repeat yourself.

Do you normally park half a mile from a restuarant? Somehow I doubt it. If there's two parents then you can carry a child each. My god, can't believed I solved that impossible equation.

Zulu

Cabaal wrote: »

So say its 1mile worth of walking from car to...

one parent drops off kids and other parent at resturant door, then parks car.

People can be collected just outside also.



It's a grrrrrreat system!

Try it sometime.

Ludo

Try one parent controlling two or more kids who are just walking. All they want to do is run as far and as fast as they can and don't yet understand the concept of not running off.

And what if they are not walking yet? All great obvious solutions provided here for slightly older kids but not very useful under 2's.

MagicMarker

Ludo wrote: »

Try one parent controlling two or more kids who are just walking. All they want to do is run as far and as fast as they can and don't yet understand the concept of not running off.

And what if they are not walking yet? All great obvious solutions provided here for slightly older kids but not very useful under 2's.

Why would one parent bring more than one baby to a restaurant, on their own? What if one needs to be changed? Will you leave the rest alone? Or just move everyone into the toilet?

Ludo

I was replying to the drop one parent and kids at door suggestion while other goes and parks car.

Anyway, you could always be going to meet someone. My wife regularly goes for coffee with her friends and their kids so she has to get two into coffee shops on her own.

I go to the park and then for coffee for myself and a snacks for the boys on my own with the kids some saturday to give the wife a break. This involves getting two of them into the coffee shop and into high chairs. Would you prefer I leave one of them in the car for 5 mins while I get one settled in and then leave him alone to go get the other one?
You will understand if you have kids.

littlebug

Have to say I've never brought my two into restaurants by choice in the evenings when they were small enough to be in a buggy. I just wouldn't have enjoyed my own meal if I was trying to keep small children controlled and quiet. It's different by day if you're out shopping.... yes you do have to sit/ eat somewhere. I learnt fairly early with my first that the nice little cafes I used to go to were now a no no... and quickly figured out which ones were child friendly and spacious enough to have the buggy beside me if the child was asleep. I keep the pleasure of the non child friendly places for the rare occasions that I'm out by myself or just with the oh.