Dining out can be stressful for parents, especially when kids act up. It can turn a fun meal into a tense situation for everyone around.
One couple had a particularly rough experience and claim they were even ‘fined’ for it. Intrigued? Keep reading to find out more.
In North Georgia, a restaurant did something surprising: charging customers a fee for ‘poor parenting.’ The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant near Blue Ridge has stirred up an online debate: is it fair to charge parents for their kids’ bad behavior?
A customer shared their story on Reddit. They wrote, “The owner came out and told me he was adding $50 to my bill because of my children’s behavior… I was disappointed by the experience.”
Curious to hear the other side, a reporter contacted the restaurant. The owner, Tim Richter, explained the situation. He admitted that while they had added a surcharge during COVID-19 to cover costs, they hadn’t recently charged anyone extra.
Richter clarified that he had never threatened anyone with the surcharge until a few weeks ago. A family with nine children visited, and the kids were running wild. He warned the parents but didn’t actually charge them the extra money.
“We want parents to be parents,” he simply said. The restaurant, nestled in the mountains along the Toccoa River, usually caters to a calm clientele. It’s a popular spot, and during meal times, cars line up along the roadside.
A customer named Laura Spillman, visiting from Florida, couldn’t believe the policy when she heard it.
“That is crazy,” she said in disbelief. “For real? I don’t think you should do it because kids are cute.”
Anne Cox, dining with her family, thought the fee might encourage better behavior.
“Parents need to teach kids etiquette,” she said. “They need to teach kids to behave. There are other people in the world, so they should have fun in the right place.”
Federico Gambineri, at the restaurant with his toddler, was surprised by the policy. “This is the first time I’ve heard of that, and having a 20-month-old that maybe isn’t the best behaved at a restaurant, I’m hoping that I don’t get charged,” he said. “If I were charged, I would be very unhappy about it and probably never recommend the place to anybody.”
Jack Schneider, a regular at the restaurant, had mixed feelings. “I have mixed emotions on that,” he said. “At the same time, we’ve all sat next to tables where you say, ‘Hey, do something with that kid.’ So I really think it’s more on the parents.”
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What do you think about this debate? Let us know in the comments. Share this piece with others so they can give their opinions too.
16 thoughts on “Couple says restaurant fined them for ‘poor parenting’ – the restaurant owner then reveals the truth”
If your kid is a brat, leave him home till he is disciplined enough to b in public restaurants. If he has excess energy, eat a picnic lunch in the park.
If a parent can’t teach their child to behave in public that’s on the parent. A child is as well behaved as a parent makes them. Stay home if you don’t like it.
these parents think it ok to allow their children to behave like that in a restaurant. I experienced it once and I asked the manage to tell those parents to control their child. Literally runner into our tables screaming while they were bull shitting with their friends and ignoring the fact that their child was out of control. Just like these parents they just kept talking and allowing their child to act like that. If you know your child will not behave in a restaurant then do not take them with you. If I owned the restaurant I would have asked them to leave and not to come back.
Train your child or stay home I have a right to eat in peace ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️
I’ve been in restaurants where parents sit and drink for hours leaving their children crying. It ruins the meals for other diners. People used to take their kids outside until they calmed down or took them home, but not anymore. If you can’t control your children keep them home. We don’t want to hear them. The restaurant owner did the right thing. Good for him.
Definitely a great idea. Other diners have a right to a peaceful meal. Too many parents don’t teach good behavior
I would love to eat there and applaud the owner. Good job. Keep it up
The question is would you allow this behavior at your parent’’s home or at a friend’s house. This doesn’t say much about the parent’s child raise skills.
All my parents had to do was look at us. Mom never spanked us in public. We got disciplined at home. We were also sent to the car to sit by ourselves. (Car was always parked in a location that they could see us. And, warned not to touch anything!)
My sister, mother of four children, when asked for a preference for seating in a restaurant, said, “No children! I left mine home!”
As a child I never would of got away with bad behavior. Seems parents think it’s ok for their kids to do whatever they want irregardless of other people feelings.
I raised a daughter and had a couple of foster children. The kids were not allowed to leave the table at restaurant – unless, of course, they needed to use the restroom. I always had coloring/art tools in my purse and my husband and I would actually interact with the kids. Young parents today sit in a restaurant with their phones glued to their faces and their kids run rampant. Parenting young children is a free-for-all these days. 😢
We went out to dinner and the booth behind us had a child that screamed for 10 minutes before I asked our server to move our seats ……… I’m not going to pay for a dinner that I can’t enjoy or at least have a conversation with the people I’m with !!! Take your child outside until they calm down .
In the past I have been pelted with food, been repeatedly run over by toy cars and have had kids run into me (I walk with a cane). I have no trouble speaking up to the parents and the manager. My middle child was a handful and (as a little one) often had trouble sitting still and behaving at a restaurant. When this happened one of us adults would take him outside until he’d “cooled down”. He figured out quickly that food was better than being outside looking in.
I can remember having a 2 month old son in the restaurant and my grandmother sent me to the car because the child was crying. I said, he is just hungry, he will settle down” and she said, “these people are dining and they do not want to listen to a crying baby. Settle him down in the car. No one has to tolerate someone else’s child.”
the restaurant was 100% right control your kids
I often buy meals for family’s that have wellbehaved kids; I also comment on the bad ones. I like to enjoy a mellow dinner, restaurants don’t have to cater to people who use restaurants as a play place.