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I don't have kids and while I can understand that kids are kids are kids, I also know that my parents NEVER let us behave in public the way that many kids are allowed to behave in public today. It's not the kids' faults, it's the parents' faults for the misbehavior.
Amen. I don't have kids myself, but have a half dozen nieces and nephews, all 10 and under, and I can very easily sympathize with the whole "kids being kids" thing. A little ouburst every now and then is normal, understandable and even predictable.
But the extent to which some parents (not all) allow their children to melt down in public is astounding. Just because the parents have developed the ability to tune it out does not mean the rest of us have.
I am not that old, but I can definitely say that my parents NEVER allowed a tantrum in public. One disturbing outburst got a stern warning. Anything after that, I'd get taken right the heck out of the room with a very stern talking-to and be lucky if I wasn't spanked.
I'm not saying we have to go back to total 19th century child-rearing customs... But I have to say there's something appealing about the old maxim that children should be "seen but not heard."
What I do is ask for a seat away from families with kids, I've never had a problem with that. Then again if it's us going out we eat late and hit pubs. Glenwood South comes to mind.
I never take my kid to overly "nice" places. I was at an upscale place in Asheville a few weeks ago, it's 8:30 and someone is in there with a *baby*. Come on, it's 8:30, that kid needs to be sleeping, not propped up in a highchair crying.
rnc2mbfl has awesome suggestions. You might also do well at smaller, non-chain places in your area. By smaller, I mean physically smaller - smaller tables, less accommodating of groups, no room to park the bulky stroller, etc.
For the record, I have 2 very active boys (almost 4 and 2). We went out to eat last weekend, the first sit down meal we've had since last Christmas Eve. We do eat at "quick casual" or take out from time to time, but want to teach our children that eating out is a real treat. People seem to think that you need to drag your kids around to places so they will learn to behave. On the contrary, our philosophy is that the kids need to learn to behave in order to experience the special occasion of eating out. My boys did really great, btw, and we got lots of compliments on their manners.
Good luck and post if you find places that fit the bill! Wild horses and the promise of bottomless beer couldn't get me into Red Robin with their $8 burgers and constant kid shrieking.
I have to say that I go out to restaurants around the triangle with my child all the time. She is now 2.5. I would say it was a lot easier when she was a baby than it is now because now she needs to be occupied now. She likes to color at the table and she frequently drops the crayons under the table - that's about the biggest mishap we encounter with her. When she was a baby it was really easy b/c she would either sleep or nurse the whole time no matter where we were.
We typically go to chain type restaurants, and there are always other kids around, but I can't say I can think of any time when I have thought that a kid was behaving badly or being too loud. I'm inclined to think that you don't really have to avoid restaurants with kids because I think that the kids are generally well-behaved. You may experience an isolated incident somewhere, but I don't think it is reflective of kids in general, so I don't see the necessity in finding kid-free restaurants just because of that.
I have kids and when I go out with just my husband I like a just a quiet meal. So, I avoid Red Robin like the plague sans kids Going out to eat late or going to an expensive restaurant usually means less kids around. But I can't always go out late and I don't have an unlimited budget. My husband and I have done well going to places with more ethnic cusinine (that means no chicken nuggets on the menu).
Where are you in the Triangle? What's your budget? What type of food do you like?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bill545
Frankly and to the point I am sick as hell of going out to eat only at some point to be treated to some screaming brat and their mindless so-called parents who are clearly unable, or worse, unwilling to teach their kids to behave (in public at least) and do little if anything about it. Also I don't consider taking newborns out to eat to be terribly brilliant either. I guess I'm one of these radicals who thinks eating out should be a relatively peaceful experience....so tell me, while I know it's probably a pipe dream, are there any good places to eat in or near Raleigh which tends to have more of an adult clientele?
I had to chuckle when reading this thread - reminded me of a time (long ago). My daughter was 15 months old and DH and I decided to go out for Asian food. We sat down, the waiter took our order and my darling daughter started really acting up. Next thing we knew - the waiter came by with our food - all neatly packaged "to go/take out"!!!. We were mortified but I did understand that patrons there without kids wanted to enjoy their dinners sans screaming kids.
Well, you phrase it pretty harshly. Why not ask: "What restaurants would you prefer to go to without your kids?" Without disparaging other people's parenting, there are definitely places where I'm not comfortable taking my kids. Someone already mentioned Bloomsbury Bistro and Vivace, which are on our list for date night (or date brunch in the case of Vivace). We also like Saffron, Vespa, Ciao Wine Bar, Fin's, Marguax's, Evoo, and Hereghty for dessert. We mourn Riviera, that was a favorite until it closed, and are looking forward to Jibarra opening back up in a new location.
When we go out with the kids, we go Village Deli, Red Robin, Jason's Deli, Bear Rock, or Panera.
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Going out to eat late or going to an expensive restaurant usually means less kids around. But I can't always go out late and I don't have an unlimited budget. My husband and I have done well going to places with more ethnic cusinine (that means no chicken nuggets on the menu).
