Dining out can be a stressful experience
for parents. A lot of times, parents cannot control their kids in public, which
makes dining out an unpleasant experience for everyone present.
This couple struggled similarly, and they
claim to have been ‘fined’ for it. Keep reading to know more.
A
restaurant in North Georgia did something no one ever expected: charging
patrons a fine for ‘poor parenting.’ The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant outside of
Blue Ridge has sparked a debate online: is it fair to charge parents for badly
behaved children?
A
customer on Reddit revealed their experience at the restaurant.
They wrote, “The owner came out and told me he was adding $50 to my bill
because of my children’s behavior… disappointed by the experience.”
A
reporter contacted the restaurant and got their side of the story. The owner,
Tim Richter, decided to tell the truth. He said while the restaurant added a
surcharge during COVID-19 to cover costs, they did not charge anyone more than
their bill recently.
He
said he had never threatened anyone with the surcharge until a few weeks ago
when a family had visited his restaurant with their nine children. He
shared that the children were running around all over the place.
He
said while he did give the parents a warning, he had never actually
charged them the money!
“We
want parents to be parents,” he simply said. The restaurant, tucked away in the
mountains along the Toccoa River, is used to a calm clientele. The joint is
quite popular and during meal times, cars stretch across the roadside.
A
customer named Laura Spillman, who was visiting the town from Florida said she
could not believe the policy when she heard it.
“That
is crazy,” she said incredulously. “For real? I don’t think you should do it
because kids are cute.”
Anne
Cox, who was having lunch with her family, said the fee could potentially
encourage parents to control their children so they behaved better.
She
said, “Parents need to teach kids etiquette,” adding, “They need to teach kids
to behave. There are other people in the world, so they should have fun in the
right place.”
Federico
Gambineri, who was at the restaurant with his toddler said this was the first
time he had heard such a policy. He said, “This is the first time I’ve heard of
that, and having a 20-month-old that maybe isn’t the best behaved at a
restaurant, I’m hoping that I don’t get charged,” he added. “I feel that if I
were charged, I would be very unhappy about it and probably never recommend the
place to somebody.”
Jack
Schneider, who is a regular at the restaurant, said he had never heard about
this surcharge. “I have mixed emotions on that,” Schneider said. “At the same
time, we’ve all sat next to tables where you say hey, do something with that
kid. So I really think it’s more on the parents.”
If
you found this piece interesting, check out the one below about a mother’s
spectacular lesson.
What do you think about this debate? Let
us know in the comments so we can know what you think. Share this piece with
others so they can also give you their two cents about the situation.
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