Buggies not allowed in Restaurants

seahorse

I remember the first time I attempted to take my son out with me to a local restaurant. He was two or three weeks old at the time and this was our first proper 'outing' together. I was told in no uncertain terms that buggies were not allowed and to please remove the buggy from the premises. There was no option of folding the buggy away, and I did ask. I was actually very shocked and hurt to be honest. This was my first child and I felt as if I'd been ostracised from society for the crime of having a child!

Anyway, I’ve experienced both sides of the coin here, because fast forward fifteen years and I can fully understand the problem, both with buggies and with babies/toddlers in restaurants. Just last week myself and two other women had to walk out of a restaurant because of the amount of hysterical screaming roaring rages going on all around us.

There were four or so babies and toddlers just running amok and their socially inept lackadaisical parents sitting back enjoying themselves, not even bothering to try to pacify the babies or discipline the three year olds who were well old enough to be told to behave themselves. We just got up and left before we’d even ordered as it was obviously fine by their parents that they were flinging their food in all directions and roaring their heads off. I made it my business to let the waitress know why we were leaving. Perhaps it’s an abundance of similar complaints that leads to individual establishments implementing the ‘no buggies’ rule? I wouldn’t be one bit surprised.

So yeah, now I understand what was going on the day I was told to take myself and my buggy elsewhere: some parents are deeply inconsiderate and some aren’t, and when restaurant staff see a buggy rolling towards them they have no way of knowing which sort of parent is pushing it.

cuckoo

I think there is a different between a business being 'anti buggy' and 'anti child'.

In the past i had a job waitressing in a small cafe. When it was busy we had to ask customers to fold up/move the buggies - it just wasn't safe to have us going around with hot food and drinks and trying to clamber over buggies.

This same place would also happily heat up bottles/toddler food and if we saw a woman breastfeeding we'd quietly ask if she'd like her food kept hot in the kitchen.

slightly off topic: i think a lot of businesses are also wary of buggies as they are sometimes used as a tool for shop lifting.

Cabaal

kmart6 wrote: »

Sorry, but that really makes it seem as only a certain 'click' are allowed contribute in here, and not outsiders/non-regular posters!

I think I've posted in this forum a hand full of times over the years, I rarely read this forum and I've posted in this thread and had a number of people agree.

So saying non-regular posts can't post here is frankly crap

I don't have kids but I've seen the impacts of restaurants rules on my family members who do have kids, on the other side of the coin I've been majorly pissed off by kids in restaurants.

Infact recently myself and my fiancee went to a nice hotel in wexford for a few days away, we went for a meal in the hotel and three sets of parents in the restaurant just didn't seem to give a monkeys about their screaming/shouting/running around children and neither did the staff. To be honest it ruined our meal.

But while this happened I make sure to step back and not tar all parents as the same, yes they're bad parents who don't look after their kids and don';t care how their kids affect other people's dinners/drinks but on the other side they are also parents who do.

Unfortunately there are a number of posters in this thread that just like to tar parents as all the same, yes its easy do this but it doesn't make it right

Nevyn

Certain establishments don't want kids in them, they won't want the look of thier lobby 'ruined' by having a buggy parked in it and as ever in this country the management can reserve the right to admission.

It does depend on the children and how they are behaved, last summer after a say of walking the legs off mine in and around the city centre the heavens opened and I was gasping for a cup of decent coffee, so I said sod it and as we were right outside it I brought them into the Westin Hotel.

Several factors went into this, they were tired but not over tired and I had puzzle books in my bag and knew they could sit for 30 mins and made them promise to be have before we went in.

Sure we got stared out of it, I didn't give a crap, we got a quiet table in the corner of the upstairs lobby, I got my coffee they had orange juice and they read and did the puzzle books and we didn't disturb anyone.

They thought it was cool to be allowed in such a nice fancy place and we have been back and they know how they have to behave in there.

There are other days they are just too hyper and boisterous and all they are fit for is terrorising the pigeon in st stephen's green.

Same things apply to babies, if a infant is cranky and out of sort's it's not really wise or fairimho to take them out.

Davidth88

Hi,

I think Cuckoo has hit the nail on the head.

Buggies/prams/strollers are bulky affairs , there is a H&S aspect. Just because a place does not allow them doesn't mean it's child ' unfriendly '.

We in Ireland ( and in Britain too ) have a long way to go until children are accepted in restaurants etc like they are in Italy or Greece . However in Italy children go to restaurants a lot more than here I think , and certainly know how to behave.
I am a father , I am pretty tolorant of other peoples' children , however I often see behaviour that I find unacceptable and it goes unmentioned. If anyone dared step in they would have the parents crying blue murder that you dare to comment on ' little johnny/jenny's ' behaviour.

As I said previously it's common sense ( on both parts ) if a cafe is small/crowded don't take a buggy in there . If your little one is asleep and you don't want to disturb them , then you have to think of other people. Anyway , would your child stay asleep in a noisy restaurant being bumped by waiters trying to push past.

Ludo

Davidth88 wrote: »

We in Ireland ( and in Britain too ) have a long way to go until children are accepted in restaurants etc like they are in Italy or Greece . However in Italy children go to restaurants a lot more than here I think , and certainly know how to behave.

Bit of a catch-22 situation isn't it as someone already said? They gotta go to restaraunts to learn and get used to them but if they are not accepted there they can't.

Nevyn

Good manners start at home, in how we behave and the standards we set at our own dinner tables.

How many children don't eat a single meal at a dining table from one end of the week to the other and have never been shown and explained why certian things are not done at a table while eating, what types of converstaion is not acceptable and then they are meant to turn all this on while eating out, won't happen in my experience.

So we end up with children who group to be not comfortable eating anywhere other then the likes of an eddie rockets which closes a lot of good life experiences to them imho.

Children not being in resturants goes back to the victorian/edwardian idea of the children being kept seperate from the adults and feed before dinner was had, where as in italy, france and other countries children were always welcome at the table and learned how to behave as they grew up.

I honestly think that it is a lack of manners which is unfortunatly part of how things are going in this country with a certain ammount of intolerance and lack of respect as well.

Ludo

While it is true that good manners etc, etc starts at home, children will always find new environments and experiences "interesting". That is all that i mean by learning how to behave in a restaraunt by going there...eating out will not be a special occasion to get worked up about. Obviously if they are not taught manners at home then they are always going to be a bother to other people when outside.

Davidth88

Ludo wrote: »

Bit of a catch-22 situation isn't it as someone already said? They gotta go to restaraunts to learn and get used to them but if they are not accepted there they can't.

Very true.

I suppose as Thaedydal says it's also about teaching basic table manners.

I have been in plenty of households where it's acceptable for a child not to sit down to eat their dinner but run around basically grazing.

NGarot

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.

Before I start, I do have to say not all parents w/ buggies are bad, but 98% of our customers with children/buggies are and that says a lot.
I am a manager in a restaurant. If I see people come in w/ buggies I wish they wouldn't.
The only problem I have with customers are with people that bring buggies and children.
And they do go hand in hand, buggies and children.
If the children are well behaved it's a blessing, but again, 98% aren't and neither are the parents.
It's always people that don't have much to say in life and therefor they want to show the little power they think they have in places like ours.
They are not being considerate at all. They put those damn buggies anywhere they see fit, (and these buggies are HUGE), oblivious to other customers or staff, walking around with hot plates of food.
Why do these people have to bring all these buggies, bring a foldable one, what is the problem, at least you show some respect to other people.
And besides the buggie problem, there is the constant screaming and crying of those babies/children. What is wrong with these parents that they can't control these children.
They just let them go on and on, ignoring other customers or staff and just look at their children as if they are the cutest on earth.....well NEWSFLASH, they are NOT cute, they are bloody annoying and give me a splitting headache. If I do say something about it, they give me an attitude, threatening to leave, yes please do, leave. Well, the only thing I have to say is, If you can't control your children, you are the problem and you have the problem, don't make it mine.....
Bless the parents who are not like the majority, you are welcome anytime!!

p.s. I have two children of my own, so don't come to me with that crap!!!

sweetie

NGarot wrote: »

Before I start, I do have to say not all parents w/ buggies are bad, but 98% of our customers with children/buggies are and that says a lot.
I am a manager in a restaurant. If I see people come in w/ buggies I wish they wouldn't.
The only problem I have with customers are with people that bring buggies and children.
And they do go hand in hand, buggies and children.
If the children are well behaved it's a blessing, but again, 98% aren't and neither are the parents.
It's always people that don't have much to say in life and therefor they want to show the little power they think they have in places like ours.
They are not being considerate at all. They put those damn buggies anywhere they see fit, (and these buggies are HUGE), oblivious to other customers or staff, walking around with hot plates of food.
Why do these people have to bring all these buggies, bring a foldable one, what is the problem, at least you show some respect to other people.
And besides the buggie problem, there is the constant screaming and crying of those babies/children. What is wrong with these parents that they can't control these children.
They just let them go on and on, ignoring other customers or staff and just look at their children as if they are the cutest on earth.....well NEWSFLASH, they are NOT cute, they are bloody annoying and give me a splitting headache. If I do say something about it, they give me an attitude, threatening to leave, yes please do, leave. Well, the only thing I have to say is, If you can't control your children, you are the problem and you have the problem, don't make it mine.....
Bless the parents who are not like the majority, you are welcome anytime!!

p.s. I have two children of my own, so don't come to me with that crap!!!

you should reply to complaints about your restaurant on tripadvisor with that attitude. Actually I think Ive already come across your posts on tripadvisor!

oh and welcome to boards

Hellrazer

NGarot wrote: »

Before I start, I do have to say not all parents w/ buggies are bad, but 98% of our customers with children/buggies are and that says a lot.

I am a manager in a restaurant. If I see people come in w/ buggies I wish they wouldn't.
The only problem I have with customers are with people that bring buggies and children.
And they do go hand in hand, buggies and children.
If the children are well behaved it's a blessing, but again, 98% aren't and neither are the parents.
It's always people that don't have much to say in life and therefor they want to show the little power they think they have in places like ours.
They are not being considerate at all. They put those damn buggies anywhere they see fit, (and these buggies are HUGE), oblivious to other customers or staff, walking around with hot plates of food.
Why do these people have to bring all these buggies, bring a foldable one, what is the problem, at least you show some respect to other people.
And besides the buggie problem, there is the constant screaming and crying of those babies/children. What is wrong with these parents that they can't control these children.
They just let them go on and on, ignoring other customers or staff and just look at their children as if they are the cutest on earth.....well NEWSFLASH, they are NOT cute, they are bloody annoying and give me a splitting headache. If I do say something about it, they give me an attitude, threatening to leave, yes please do, leave. Well, the only thing I have to say is, If you can't control your children, you are the problem and you have the problem, don't make it mine.....
Bless the parents who are not like the majority, you are welcome anytime!!

p.s. I have two children of my own, so don't come to me with that crap!!!

This whole post stinks of why the whole restaurant industry is on its knees in this country.Youre alienating a lot of customers with this attitude.

For example I spent 2 weeks in Spain a couple of weeks ago and restaurant staff and owners welcome parents with kids and buggies with open arms.They know that they are going to spend money with them and if that experience is a good one despite having half of your house in tow then they will return again.

Your attitude would put me right off visiting your establishment.

You wouldnt care to name it so that I can avoid it for future reference would you??

jaykay74

NGarot wrote: »

Before I start, I do have to say not all parents w/ buggies are bad, but 98% of our customers with children/buggies are and that says a lot.
I am a manager in a restaurant. If I see people come in w/ buggies I wish they wouldn't.
The only problem I have with customers are with people that bring buggies and children.
And they do go hand in hand, buggies and children.
If the children are well behaved it's a blessing, but again, 98% aren't and neither are the parents.
It's always people that don't have much to say in life and therefor they want to show the little power they think they have in places like ours.
They are not being considerate at all. They put those damn buggies anywhere they see fit, (and these buggies are HUGE), oblivious to other customers or staff, walking around with hot plates of food.
Why do these people have to bring all these buggies, bring a foldable one, what is the problem, at least you show some respect to other people.
And besides the buggie problem, there is the constant screaming and crying of those babies/children. What is wrong with these parents that they can't control these children.
They just let them go on and on, ignoring other customers or staff and just look at their children as if they are the cutest on earth.....well NEWSFLASH, they are NOT cute, they are bloody annoying and give me a splitting headache. If I do say something about it, they give me an attitude, threatening to leave, yes please do, leave. Well, the only thing I have to say is, If you can't control your children, you are the problem and you have the problem, don't make it mine.....
Bless the parents who are not like the majority, you are welcome anytime!!

p.s. I have two children of my own, so don't come to me with that crap!!!

Instead of ranting about it if indeed 98% of buggies/customers are a problem maybe you should have a big sign "No Buggies allowed" at the door and enforce it. It sounds like your restaurant is too small to cater for it.

Hope this helps in solving your issue.

January

You dragged up a three year old thread for that rant? Please don't in future.