Should New York Restaurants Ban Small Children?
Nettie's House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls, New Jersey has raised eyebrows, not only in their local community but across the country by announcing the decision to refuse to allow any child under the age of ten to eat in their restaurant.
In a post to their social media page, Nettie’s House of Spaghetti announced on February 9 that although they love kids, they’ve run into some frustrating situations thanks to children who are brought into their restaurant.
Nettie’s House of Spaghetti pointed out that children cause a lot of noise and the things they need, such as high chairs, take up a lot of space. Perhaps most frustrating, to anyone in the food service industry, is the mess that children leave behind.
For those reasons, Nettie’s House of Spaghetti is saying no to children under the age of ten in their restaurant beginning on March 8.
Interestingly, the majority of people who commented on the post by the restaurant agreed with the decision. Support for the decision was given by parents, by those who said that take out for any kids who can’t live without Nettie’s, and from someone who has worked in the restaurant business and understands what a nightmare dealing with kids (and their parents) can be.
The social media post by Nettie's House of Spaghetti has raised questions online about whether or not more restaurants, even in neighboring New York, should consider doing the same.
As a general rule, most fine-dining establishments don't see many small children. But, what about the more casual eateries? Should restaurants set an age limit on customers? Is doing so discriminatory against families with small children or are restaurants completely in the right to be able to decide what age their clientele should be?
Lindley Law says that restaurants are completely within their rights to refuse service to children however, "any restaurant implementing such a policy should be warned that the public outcry may hurt their reputation."