Diner's Rant About 'Annoying' Kids in Expensive Restaurants Sparks Debate

A diner who "complained" about a couple with a "screaming" baby and two other kids seated at the same restaurant sparked a storm of debate on Mumsnet, the U.K.-based online forum.

In a post shared on the "Am I Being Unreasonable" (AIBU) subforum, the customer, Mumsnet user Arbesque, said their party of four were seated at an "expensive restaurant" when a couple "pushing a buggy and with two other children in tow" were seated at the table next to them.

The baby "started crying loudly and the toddler got tired and cranky and joined the wailing," according to the user, who asked: "AIBU to think expensive restaurants, charging a fortune, should have a policy for dealing with situations like this?"

A November 2019 survey of 1,005 U.K. parents with children between the ages of 0 and 14, 700 U.K. children between the ages of five and 14, and 105 restaurant managers and decision makers, conducted by employment agency Caterer.com, found that 32 percent of parents struggle to get their children to behave at restaurants.

The study found that 92 percent of restaurants see their venues as family-friendly, while more than half (63 percent) look for workers with childcare experience.

Around a fifth (19 percent) offer one-off training, while just over half (58 percent) offer regular childcare training to deal with families, the survey said.

According to the user in the latest Mumsnet post, one child "kept bashing his spoon off the table," while another kept "crawling along the wide window sill so that he was right behind my head." The baby was "kept amused by the father playing peek-a-boo while she screamed excitedly. This went on and on," the user said.

The baby later began "crying loudly and the toddler got tired and cranky and joined the wailing," according to the user, who later then asked to be moved to another table but there were none available.

"We left without dessert and complained on the way out. They knocked the price of a bottle of wine off our bill," the user said, noting: "We paid a lot of money for a meal we couldn't enjoy."

Some users on Mumsnet agreed with the original poster, while others criticized the user for expecting kids to "know how to behave in restaurants."

Whammyyammy said: "YANBU [you are not being unreasonable]. I'd have left a long time before then."

User mummyh2016 said: "I agree OP [original poster] and I have two children under the age of 6. I have no issue with taking them out for meals but not to an expensive restaurant, I'd take them out for pub meal..."

TigerRag said: "Why shouldn't people deserve an expensive meal in peace? If I go to the likes of McDonald's, then yes I'd expect what the OP described."

Others sided with the couple with kids.

Dailymash said: "You got free wine and didn't have dessert so it was cheaper than it would have been if the restaurant had have been library silence!..."

User undecided112 asked: "So parents shouldn't be entitled to a meal out? Babies cry and toddlers can make noise. You're in a public restaurant."

Username917778 said: "Why do the parents (and children) not deserve an expensive meal?...How else do you teach children how to behave and act in specific establishments."

876starlight agreed, noting: "The parents sound like they were doing their best to entertain the kids. What do you expect the restaurants do, ask them to leave?"

User roarfeckingroarr was more diplomatic, saying: "Sounds annoying but not the end of the world, just bad luck. You had a free bottle of wine. The family tried to keep their kids entertained, and I doubt they will take them out late again for a while."

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of this case.