LET THE FLAMES BEGIN>>>adult only dining

[chobie]

I may be wrong (and I'm SURE that someone will correct me if I am, lol) but I don't think MOST of us are saying not to bring your child to sit-down restaurants.

I, for one, have never hesitated to bring my DS7 to any place that has a kids menu.

I think MOST (notice I didn't say "all") of the contention in this thread stems from what happens when a child has a meltdown in a sit-down restaurant, not the fact that they are there.

Koom bah yah, my Lord, Koom bah yah....

Apparently some, but not all people, did get the impression from the OP and others that the kids should not be in certain places. Besides that dispute, there is the gray area concerning what is appropriate behavior and how parents should deal with what is or isn't appropriate behavior. Both of these issues are present and invoke strong feelings on either side.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

Apparently some, but not all people, did get the impression from the OP and others that the kids should not be in certain places.

Which is why I said "MOST."

I want to be clear that I am not "anti-child", but "anti-rude behavior."

I've seen a few cases in DW where it's not the child having the meltdown, but the parent. It's REALLY a shame when it's the adult that should be taken out of the restaurant because of bad behavior.

 

[antkim]

That's one way of looking at it. Or one can say that teaching a child that sometimes they have to subjugate their needs for others is a lesson that needs to be learned and a family vacation means that sometimes the kids pick the place and sometimes the adults do. I would not consider that to be selfish, in fact I would consider that to be teaching the child how to not be selfish.

Right...tell my 17 month old that!

I can get away with that with my 6 year old but how many 3 year olds (especially tired ones!) can understand that reasoning?

Kim

 

[chobie]

Right...tell my 17 month old that!

I can get away with that with my 6 year old but how many 3 year olds (especially tired ones!) can understand that reasoning?

Kim

That would be difficult, but I still would not think you were being selfish for bringing them to a family restaurant. And in my opinion I think any Disney resort restaurant with a kid's menu is a family restaurant.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Ohhh. I've been thinking about buying my 5 1/2 year old a Gameboy for that exact situation. I have seen other kids with Gameboys and they seem to be well entertained.

I have a little secret. Once my DD turned 4 and could go into the kids clubs I have not eaten an expensive meal with her. Why? Well ... she's annoying, that's why. I find I spend way too much time trying to keep her calm and under control to actually enjoy my meal. She's not a heathen by any stretch of the imagination, but it takes effort on my part to keep her from bothering other diners. An effort I would prefer not to make. The fanciest places we went to with her was Teppanyaki and Tony's and that was with a group. Jikos, California Grill, Narcoossee's, Shulas, Blue Zoo, Victoria and Albert's ... all last year and all without her.

That is so funny! Robin, I truly enjoy your posts! We don't take ours to fancy dinners at Disney. Those are our nights out, but we always bring my mom and have been staying in condos, so healthy food isn't an issue!

Now, in real life they are required on occasion to suck it up and deal with fancy restaurants when we are with the other grandparents. They do really well, but I agree...Gameboy it. They are given only small amounts of video game time, and thus it is precious. The will intently play (as they did on the plane) for a couple of hours if need be.

 

[chobie]

Which is why I said "MOST."

I want to be clear that I am not "anti-child", but "anti-rude behavior."

I've seen a few cases in DW where it's not the child having the meltdown, but the parent. It's REALLY a shame when it's the adult that should be taken out of the restaurant because of bad behavior.

Neither am I pro- out-of-control children or pro pushing your kids pass their limits. Rude behavior comes in many forms. Glarring at people while they try to correct their children's behavior is IMO rude. I can say just about every parent has had to deal with that at one time or another. How about the poster who had a man tell her the baby should be in bed even though the baby wasn't making any noise? That is rude behavior IMO also.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

Glarring at people while they try to correct their children's behavior is IMO rude

Yep. It sure is. At least we agree on something!

I'd never glare at a person who is trying to correct their child. Now those parents who AREN'T trying to correct their child...well, you know how I feel about that...why beat a dead horse.

 

[FLAsomeday]

my little ones (9,7,3) prefer the upper scale places. The little one asks "Daddy, are we going to a fancy restaurant tonite???" The love CG, JIKO, Tepanyaki, etc...

 

[FLAsomeday]

(cont...)

They love CG, JIKO, Tepanyaki, etc... but, they understand what is expected of them. They know as young as age 1 what is appropriate & not, and act accordingly.

 

[eeyore0062]

I can usually put up with a child who is bored or crying, but one thing I cannot stand to see is the child who is running in the aisles of the restaurant, climbing on the back of the booths and crawling under the tables. It is a safety hazard to the kids and the servers, not to mention other guests who may be in the line of fire. I always feel so sorry for the servers with big trays trying to dodge someone's kid who has been allowed to run around the table. If something hot were to spill on that kid that would be a disaster... and the parents would only have themselves to blame. Also, kids who climb over the booths and hang over another diner's table... no thanks! I have seen this in our neighborhood restaurants, as well as Disney, and I guess you could say it is the one pet peeve I have with parents allowing their children to rule the roost at a restaurant.... 4 star, or otherwise.

 

[tlev]

I am not really sure how this thread went from asking rude parents to have some consideration for other people in an upscale restaurant, to offended parents claiming that we expect them to feed their kids lousy, unhealthy food every day of their vacation. Just please realize when your child's behavior might be out of line and act accordingly! That's all we ask!!

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Wow, this is a hot topic. I just think that at a really nice place like Jiko or California Grill, it is considerate to be aware of your surroundings and the atmosphere of the restuarant. If your children are well behaved in a restuarant, I say go for it! If not, I wouldn't say they should be banned, but I'd say please think about how it will affect your ability and the ability of those around you to truly enjoy the meal...not just the food, but the experience. If you think your kids and their behavior don't mix well with the restuarant, there are so many options for family-oriented, sit-down meals with great food...that's the great thing about WDW! Have a magical day!

 

[dwkwootton]

Admitting in advance that I haven't kept all with all dozen pages of this but ...

The only nutritious food in DW is at Jiko? Cut me a break LOL!! C'mon, you can do better than that! Yup, its either Jiko or Pizza Planet. Is there big news from Disney that I missed? They did away with Olivia's, 50s Prime Time, Whispering Canyon, Tony's, Rainforest Cafe, Boatwrights ....

You ask a 3 yr old, where do you want to go for dinner honey? And they say California Grille? I'm just in the mood for sushi, goat cheese ravioli and foie gras? Y'all are cracking me up here!!!

 

[chobie]

Admitting in advance that I haven't kept all with all dozen pages of this but ...

The only nutritious food in DW is at Jiko? Cut me a break LOL!! C'mon, you can do better than that! Yup, its either Jiko or Pizza Planet. Is there big news from Disney that I missed? They did away with Olivia's, 50s Prime Time, Whispering Canyon, Tony's, Rainforest Cafe, Boatwrights ....

You ask a 3 yr old, where do you want to go for dinner honey? And they say California Grille? I'm just in the mood for sushi, goat cheese ravioli and foie gras? Y'all are cracking me up here!!!

Actually at 3 my DD would tell people when asked her favorite food was talleggio cheese. My DS at the age love salmon and rice and blue cheese in any form. Now that they are older they only eat chicken fingers no matter where we go. Thankfully, even some of the upscale places offer those.

I am not really sure how this thread went from asking rude parents to have some consideration for other people in an upscale restaurant, to offended parents claiming that we expect them to feed their kids lousy, unhealthy food every day of their vacation. Just please realize when your child's behavior might be out of line and act accordingly! That's all we ask!!

Go back and you will see that some people did state the opinion that kids should not even be in those places. That was more or less what the OP said when she asked why would anyone subject a child to a place like Jiko. That could be and was easily interpreted to mean that you are a bad parent and rude person for even bringing a small child there. To which, others countered that they thought it would be bad parenting to feed their kid nothing but fast food for an entire trip.

Edited to add: As for the California Grill, some kids just might ask for the sushi there, at least the Rice Krispy sushi that's offered on the CHILDRENS MENU.

 

[Unofficial Fan]

That's one way of looking at it. Or one can say that teaching a child that sometimes they have to subjugate their needs for others is a lesson that needs to be learned and a family vacation means that sometimes the kids pick the place and sometimes the adults do. I would not consider that to be selfish, in fact I would consider that to be teaching the child how to not be selfish.

In complete and total agreement here!!! Well said.

 

[chobie]

In complete and total agreement here!!! Well said.

Wow, I'm up to about 4 now of people that agree with me in this post. I think that is my record on the Dis.

 

[Unofficial Fan]

You ask a 3 yr old, where do you want to go for dinner honey? And they say California Grille? I'm just in the mood for sushi, goat cheese ravioli and foie gras? Y'all are cracking me up here!!!

Welll..... at 3 my dd's favorite food was the mussels in a garlic sauce at the fanciest restaurant in town. She HATED McDonald's. Unfortunately this has changed in the last year or so (she's now nine) but I was more than happy to go with her tastes at the time.

 

[TSirgey]

I read once in a parenting magazine when your child acts inappropriately somewhere or throws a fit "remove the grenade before the explosion"! I just had to post an experience that taught our daughter how to behave in a restaurant. We tried to do kid friendly sit down meals on our last DW trip. One night around 5pm, we went to Downtown Disney and ate an early dinner at Planet Hollywood. At first our dd was singing with the music, coloring, and having a good time. Then, she started getting tired and cranky. When she threw her food on the floor, my dh picked her up and escorted her out of the building. I packed up our food and we took it back to the hotel. She was so upset that we left that she NEVER behaved like that again. All we have to do is mention Planet Hollywood and she instantly behaves. Now at 4, she is a huge seafood fan. She goes to nice restaurants in our area all the time. It is the parents that tolerate the bad behavior that make me crazy. We never stood for it and now we have a very well behaved kid. I expect to see kids misbehaving in Disney. It isn't the most relaxing vacation. It is how some parents deal with it by ignoring it that drives me crazy.

 

[LauraAnn630]

Glad I have a chance to ask this question! My father-in-law always takes my boys on walks around the restaurant while we wait for our table. They call this exploring and think its perfectly ok. Id like to hear some opinions on this. Most people are nice. A lot of them even say hello to them. My boys are 2 and 8 years old. I have been uncomfortable with them doing this. No ones complained yet!

 

[chobie]

Glad I have a chance to ask this question! My father-in-law always takes my boys on walks around the restaurant while we wait for our table. They call this exploring and think its perfectly ok. Id like to hear some opinions on this. Most people are nice. A lot of them even say hello to them. My boys are 2 and 8 years old. I have been uncomfortable with them doing this. No ones complained yet!

As along as they are escorted by an adult and not being loud or annoying I don't see how that could bother people.