Kids Not Allowed Restaurant Policy-do you agree? (West, Howe: club, shop)

[Kiovo]

Originally Posted by texas7

I'd probably go with Amazon but others may have different suggestions.

Is that the same chain/owner as the one that was on Gessner near westheimer? I remember eating there years ago and they had the volcano chocolate cake with the sparklers.

[texas7]

It is the same. Similar food, but you walk up an order it versus them waiting on your table (similar to ordering at a Cafe Express or Ruggles)

[thenewtexan]

Wow gotta say I'm impressed with the reactions of people here on the Houston forum on this topic. I can't stand inept parents with screaming kids in public, either. If I brought this up in the San Antonio forum, I would have been told I was a horrible person for not wanting to listen to other people's screaming brats.

[Weatherguy]

It happened again today. Went out for lunch and sat in a booth reading my paper. The place was pretty much empty, and this lady comes in with two screaming brats and sits in the booth behind me. She could have sat at 20 other booths. Of course, she had the right to sit there, and I wouldn't ask her to move, but it would have been considerate to sit somewhere where her brats wouldn't disturb other people. I don't think it ever occurred to her.

[houston-nomad]

I've said it before, I'll say it again, and again. Most adults are worse than most kids. And when you call children "brats" you reveal yourself to be a very small, very unfeeling, rather hateful person-- children may act bratty sometimes, but to call them "brats" rather than people is dehumanizing.

[texas7]

Yes let's be politically correct so as not to hurts anyone's delicate psyche. The word brat defines a behavior and if a kid is being a brat then the parents, who may be brats themselves, need to man up or woman up and take control of their families instead of adding to over indulged and demanding kids. Kids are a gift from God but they need adult guidance to become good, kind, productive, educated people who contribute to the world one day rather than solely taking from it with no regard to others. Bratty behaving kids are children of parents are often too tired, too overworked, too selfish, too spoiled, too neglectful, too immature, don't believe in any discipline lest it damage the kids spirit, etc. who forego real parenting in lieu of letting the kids raise themselves. There is a huge difference in loving guidance and discipline and neglect and abuse. While this thread is about kids in restaurants, it could truly be about parents in restaurants. If people don't like the way your kids behave in a restaurant, isn't it really more about you?? You are the ones allowing the behavior everyone detests. You are the one saying not my kids. You are the ones saying my kids are perfect and can go wherever they want because it's my right regardless of how they behave. Maybe the parents of these misbehaving kids should be banned after certain hours.

[texas7]

Originally Posted by Kiovo

Hubby is picking me up tomorrow from my office downtown and we want to go to dinner with the kids. What's a fun, non chain restaurant we can go to downtown, midtown, galleria, upper Kirby?

So, where did you end up going and would you recommend to other families?

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by texas7

Yes let's be politically correct so as not to hurts anyone's delicate psyche. The word brat defines a behavior and if a kid is being a brat then the parents, who may be brats themselves, need to man up or woman up and take control of their families instead of adding to over indulged and demanding kids. Kids are a gift from God but they need adult guidance to become good, kind, productive, educated people who contribute to the world one day rather than solely taking from it with no regard to others. Bratty behaving kids are children of parents are often too tired, too overworked, too selfish, too spoiled, too neglectful, too immature, don't believe in any discipline lest it damage the kids spirit, etc. who forego real parenting in lieu of letting the kids raise themselves. There is a huge difference in loving guidance and discipline and neglect and abuse. While this thread is about kids in restaurants, it could truly be about parents in restaurants. If people don't like the way your kids behave in a restaurant, isn't it really more about you?? You are the ones allowing the behavior everyone detests. You are the one saying not my kids. You are the ones saying my kids are perfect and can go wherever they want because it's my right regardless of how they behave. Maybe the parents of these misbehaving kids should be banned after certain hours.

I generally agree with your post but I take exception to your invoking "politically correct." This is a stupid, meaningless term that is used to respond whenever someone points out that someone else is acting like an a-hole. The response is, Yeah, I'm sure I'm supposed to be politically correct here. There is nothing political about what is being discussed. Calling someone out on the language they use is just that: calling them out on using obnoxious, insulting language.

If everyone would stop throwing around the stupid "politically correct" term, we might actually get somewhere with our discourse.

[Nairobi]

I personally don't find it necessary to zero in on children in particular. These restaurants should simply establish rules that bar disruptive behavior from its patrons in general. After all, I've been in situations where there were groups of ADULTS being just as annoying as a group of small children would be.

If someone or their party is a disturbance, I can politely ask them to cut it out. If the problem continues, you complain to management and have them deal with it.

[texas7]

I find being offended by the term brat being overly sensitive and sounds like someone who has taken political correctness too far. It's calling it like it is (and parents are the reason a healthy child behaves this way unless the child has a mental or learning disability and can't help themselves) It's not profane or vulgar but a slang for a behavior:

brat |brat|
noun informal, derogatory or humorous
a child, typically a badly behaved one.
DERIVATIVES
brattish adjective,
brattishness noun,
bratty adjective
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.