Episode 46: Children Under 10 Not Welcome
Recently a restaurant in NJ instituted a new policy to restrict children under 10. Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls, NJ implemented this policy in March. One of my most popular episodes is Episode 3: Should children be allowed in places traditionally marketed to adults. In that episode I talked about kids at spas, breweries and bars. And the consensus of the childfree community is NO, they should not be in spaces that would be considered adults only. In this instance it’s a restaurant that previously welcomed all children but changed their policy to restrict children under 10. Needless to say, parents were not happy.
Their statement reads:
We love kids. We really, truly, do. But lately, it’s been extremely challenging to accommodate children at Nettie’s. Between noise levels, lack of space for high chairs, cleaning up crazy messes, and the liability of kids running around the restaurant, we have decided that it’s time to take control of the situation. This wasn’t a decision that was made lightly, but some recent events have pushed us to implement this new policy. As of March 8, the day we return from our winter break, we will no longer allow children under 10 to dine in the restaurant.
We know that this is going to make some of you very upset, especially those of you with very well-behaved kids, but we believe this is the right decision for our business moving forward. Thank you for understanding ♥️
The reaction was definitely mixed. The deep mommy mafia are all up on arms. What about the families with well behaved kids? I feel like every mom believes their kids are well behaved, but a lot of them learned during the height of COVID, the teacher was right - your kid is a bad apple. I especially loved the sarcasm of one mom who said “So brave of you to turn comments back on. You realize all the parents who dined with you now are expected to spend additional money for a sitter, you own a restaurant, you should expect kids to be dining there. Will you be checking birth certificates at the door? My 8 year old is the size of a 11 year old.
I don’t get why you can’t respect the new policy of the restaurant. Take your kid somewhere else, where they are welcomed. Others praised the new policy as they don’t want to dine with unruly children with oblivious parents disrupting the experience. Like the customers who splurged on a babysitter and just want a childfree pasta night out. The policy is for children under 10, not all children. Just like at the amusement park, are you upset your toddler can’t ride the upside down rollercoaster because they don’t meet the height requirement. Your toddler can barely hold a fork.
Plenty of restaurants don’t welcome young children, granted some of them are on the higher end because if you’re paying top dollar for some French cooked chicken on your wedding anniversary or Thursday, I’m positive you don’t want a toddler flinging spaghetti at the next table.
The pros of childfree spaces are exactly what Nettie’s says in their statement. There are times where you want less noise, no highchairs, no messes on the floor or kids running around. There are even times when parents want these things…. Kinda why babysitters were invented. Nettie’s providing a more relaxing and quiet atmosphere for customers over 10 is a pro in my mind.
The parental mafia is going to beat the drum that this is discrimination against children or this is a missed opportunity for the restaurant to be inclusive. Listen, there will be times in life when you are not invited or included. It’s better if you learn those lessons early so your kid doesn’t grow up to be an entitled adult who still throws tantrums when they don’t get what they want. For example, when you’re invited to a childfree wedding or other childfree occasion and you pout because your kids can’t come.
Personally, I’m rooting for this restaurant, especially because it serves spaghetti! Have you seen a young child eat pasta….. have you seen some adults eat pasta, sauce is always everywhere. Pasta sauce on clothes are what laundry detergent commercials are made of.
The backlash the restaurant is receiving is definitely due to the mommy mafia’s grip on societal attitudes towards children and “families”. By the way family is not defined by children - check out episode 4! This policy directly references the dirty part of having children, no part one glorifies. Unlike the laundry detergent commercial it’s all cute until the stain doesn’t come out of the only worn once not so cheap dinner outfit. Or you’re waiting longer for a table because the staff has to clean up the catastrophe left by the previous customer.
I definitely believe there should be childfree spaces. As someone who is vocally childfree, if I go to Dave and Busters on a Saturday afternoon, I should not expect it to be quiet, clean and adults only. And when a restaurant expressly lays out their kid policy, parents shouldn’t expect them to change nor accommodate their children, full stop. I’ve said the same thing about bars, breweries, wineries and spas.
Some ask should there be consequences for excluding children? I don’t think so. The social media backlash which will die down when the next shiny thing comes by. So, no there shouldn’t be any consequences for these types of policies. It’s not like it’s a law banning kids from all restaurants, everywhere. I’m sure this press coverage garnered them new customers (like me!) who would welcome a big bowl of spaghetti without the worrying about the slipping on the sauce from the drooling toddler on the way to the restroom.
I can’t wait to drive down to Tinton Falls and dine at Netties! Guaranteed toddler free dining! Well, what do you think of this policy? Should more restaurants adopt similar restrictions? What other spaces do you think should be childfree?
Here’s my ask, tell 3 people about this episode and leave me a comment below.