Restaurant Charges Extra For Bad Parenting—Is There Anywhere We're Safe From Judgment?

A mom shares her story after the restaurant charged her family for the kids being "too loud."

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Who hasn’t been in this situation: You’re at a restaurant, trying to enjoy a pleasant meal out (that you didn’t have to cook!), when nearby, a child starts getting a bit too loud or unruly. Most of the time, the parents try to rein the behavior back in. Once in a while, sure, the parents are blissfully unaware their offspring are creating a scene. But more often than not, the parent is starting to sweat a bit that the Paw Patrol theme song being sung at the top of their kids' voices is disrupting fellow diners.

Some version of this scene has happened to us all—and sometimes, it’s my kids who are literally in the process of learning how to behave themselves in a restaurant right in the middle of your cobb salad and glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

In a stressful moment like this, I’d ask for some patience and grace from those around me. Maybe you were once in my shoes and can toss me a sympathetic glance or knowing look? Luckily in my experience, an adjacent table will laugh off my kiddo’s meltdown over the consistency of their applesauce side, and the staff also seems to understand if a French fry gets launched across the room every so often. Meanwhile, I’m usually telepathically trying to reassure our server that I’ll tip extra! I promise!

Um, good thing I have never visited the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in rural Georgia with my five children. Because the owner, Tim Richter, is clearly not a fan of kids and even considers himself to be an excellent judge of the difference between good and bad parenting.

Just ask Lyndsey and Kyle Landmann from Florida, who took their brood to the spot, along with four other families. In total, the party included 11 kids between the ages of 3 and 8. Right there on the menu, the hungry group was warned about an “Adult surcharge: For adults unable to parent $$$,” which Landmann says she thought was a joke.

Good thing that according to her, the children were on their best behavior, with the mom telling Today, “The kids were sitting at one end of the table and they were being so good. I even commented halfway through the meal, ‘I can’t believe how well-behaved they are.’”

But it seems Richter didn’t agree with her assessment of how the meal went. After dessert, while some of the parents escorted their kids down to the water where the restaurant is situated, Landmann recounts what happened when the owner came over.

“He has the menu in hand and he's showing us where it talks about the fee," she says. "At first, I thought he was gonna compliment us and be like, ‘But you won’t be charged because your kids were so well-behaved.’”

Instead, Richter charged them $50 extra per bill! According to the owner, the kids were “too loud,” and had been “running around outside,” albeit with their parents nearby, warranting the upcharges. The not-so-welcoming restaurateur even opined that the group would be better off at Burger King—which I’m guessing is where they would have preferred to spend their time and money following the shocking experience.

Over on Reddit, another parent is warning folks away from the so-not family-friendly establishment. “Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else,” the former diner urged, going on to share their own mealtime horror story from the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant.

According to Redditor, a manager once informed them that rocking their infant, who wasn’t crying, was inappropriate for a “fancy restaurant,” which they asserted “This is not.” A staff member also rudely moved the baby’s stroller, leading the parent to encourage families with kids to pick another restaurant.

Meanwhile, the establishment’s policy for those ordering off the kids’ menu didn’t sit well with, well, any commenters on Reddit, with people saying they simply wouldn’t patronize the place. Period. As one user underscored, parents whose kids act out in public are often working overtime to calm them down—and plenty are seen removing upset or overactive children from dining rooms on a regular basis, in restaurants across the country. Just ask me, since I’ve had to escape to my car on many occasions, at home and on vacation, when my little one isn’t even remotely about me finishing my meal with the rest of our group.

I’m in agreement with the Redditor who said that the owner of this eatery should be in the bar business, or look to operate a spot “that doesn’t involve children.” Because kids are people too, who have to eat—and how else will the smallest members of our society learn to act appropriately at a restaurant if they aren’t ever allowed to fail, even for a moment? In this same vein, how else can parents figure out how to control kids out in public if we are in constant fear of being judged?

One more thing: Why is this restaurant owner discriminating against kids anyway? I’ve seen tons of poorly behaved adults out in public, especially after having a few too many alcoholic beverages. Is there a fine for them, too?

To be fair, a restaurant owner is at liberty to run a business the way they see fit, and the (albeit very subjective) fee was advertised upfront. So, I appreciate Landmann sharing her story, so that I can be on the lookout for eye-rolling fees like these in the future. You better believe I’ll spin on my heel and march my munchkins right out the door to another eatery where they’ll be welcome—or at least tolerated—even if we end up at Burger King.

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Read the original article on Parents.