Child-Free Restaurants: Would You Go?

by Marye Audet on May 25, 2012

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We have all been there. The first date night we are able to schedule in months. The first night alone with our significant other – no work, no chores, no kids. The first time in weeks that we have had the chance to connect as a couple. Romance is in the air.

Reservations are made. Champagne is ordered. Our hearts pound in anticipation.

Once at the restaurant we are seated at a lovely window table with a beautiful view – right next to a family with a child of the cranky variety. They seem oblivious to the noise, or to the fact that their little prince is toddling over to your table and grabbing your silverware with the hand he just picked his nose with.

A similar scenario really did happen to my husband and me when we went on a cruise – the first we had been on together and the first time we had the opportunity to have one on one time in months.

We purposely chose to dine late in the hopes of avoiding small, cranky children. After all, that was the reason we were on the cruise in the first place. Two couples that were traveling together with their combined 5 children under the age of 5 were seated next to us.

And it was not pretty, folks.

I love kids. I have eight of my own but there are times when I really don’t want to be at Chuck E Cheese, if you know what I mean.

Some restaurants are choosing to have “child free” services. They have stipulated times when they will serve adults only. The idea is that those of us who go out to eat desiring a quiet, stress (and booger) free atmosphere can choose these times while parents that want family time can choose the times when children are welcome.

Generally, the child free services occur later in the evening, when many parents will want to be home putting their children to bed.

Some parents have become offended at the idea that children would not be welcomed in certain places at certain times. Others delight in the idea that they can dine in peace, quiet, and without having an errant toddler in the booth behind them sneezing over their shoulder and on to their food as the parents blithely ignore the problem (Yes, this happened, too).

Your thoughts? Would you choose a restaurant that had child free zones scheduled into their days or would you be offended?

photo credit: nvainio

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Tagged as: child free restaurants, Children, Parenting

  • Empla92

    I am expecting my first child any day and look forward to going out to eat as a family but I do think that child free times are a brilliant idea as long as they are not at popular family eating times. Child free parts of restaurants at popular meal times might be a good idea aswell for people who want a quiet meal during the day.

  • Ruby T.

    I think it’s an interesting idea. Most restaurants are certainly family-friendly, and you go in with that expectation. By 9 pm or later, you would naturally think that most sensible parents are home with their little ones.

    But in more upscale restaurants, where you are paying big bucks for ambiance, the only cranky person you want to see is the snooty waiter when you don’t order the $200 bottle of Chilian red wine. :)   I think having adult-only seatings (or for children over 10 years old, for example) after 8 pm is kind of a genius idea in those situations. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=805778568 Marye Audet-White

    Absolutely!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=805778568 Marye Audet-White

    Most of child free seating is after 8 or 9…. I do think the quiet would be awesome… 

  • Traceyky

    There is a place for children, but it is not automatically everywhere and anywhere…. I’d be fine with a business having adult only times. Other people’s children don’t bother me, but it’s also fine to enjoy some adult only conversation :-)  

  • http://sennandsons.com/ Kimberly Senn

    I love taking my son out for dinner with us, and I especially love having a grown-ups only dinner out regularly too! When out with our son, I think it’s best to find the times and places that children will be most welcomed and avoiding those that won’t be. As parents, I think we instinctually know which is which (or do we not?). I’m fine with restaurants making it clear that certain times are expected to be adults-only. It’s fair to everyone to be clear about that.

  • http://www.twobearsfarm.com/ Lisa @ Two Bears Farm

    Ha, it’s been so long since I’ve been out to dinner with just my husband I don’t know what I’d do ;-)

  • http://busykidshappymom.org/ Busy Kids = Happy Mom

    Maybe just a sign that says turn off your cell phones and your babies! :)  I rarely get out to fancy restaurants – time and place for everything!

  • Erin

    I LOVE the idea of kid-free time at a restaurant. I have a baby, but I really miss the time my husband and I used to spend leisurely eating and drinking at restaurants before she came along. If there was one near me, I’d definitely go!

  • http://restlesschipotle.com marye

    As long as the parents kept their children in the child free parts! ;) Congrats!

  • http://restlesschipotle.com marye

    Have you ever considered talking to the manager of your favorite restaurant about trying it one evening a week?

  • http://restlesschipotle.com marye

    I agree. I’d like a phone free environment sometimes, too!

  • http://restlesschipotle.com marye

    LOL! I will admit that the cruise was the first time I had been away for more than a day or two. By the end of it I am sure people thought I was stalking their children.

  • http://restlesschipotle.com marye

    Kimberely, many parents don’t seem to understand that other diners may have boundaries. I have been hit with flying vegetables, snotted on, and sneezed on – not just interrupted with wailing. I think if every parent was thoughtful there were be no need for the rules. I agree – I love family dinners out but I, like you, am careful about timing.

  • alina

    I would be really pleased if there are many childfree restaurants. I really hate when I go to lunch from work and i can not enjoy food , because all places are overcrowded with children that behave in such way that I would not let it behave so even in my own home-because I would be very ashamed of such failure in their education. It is the easisest way to reproduce like pathogenous bacteria and then do not care at all about the results…
    the worst thing is that parents of such children are taking it as normal and never do anything to put the children in socially acceptable limits of behavior.
    Especially why should I pay for lunch or dinner outside when I can not enjoy it at all, because of those daemonic creatures? and why should I “pay” for the mistake the “parents” made ? (is questionable if they are really parents when they do not educate they children and let them raise as unwatched piece of wood…)
    When I am in restaurant I want calm, quiet atmosphere to enjoy the meal and not to be in permanent stress and have headache from their screaming-that is absolutely unacceptable in any public place.

  • J. Roger

    I am fully in support of age restricted times but my preference would be 18+ rather than 10+ because that’s the time for adults to be able to have ‘adult’ conversations. I can’t tell you the number of time I have been having a conversation later in the evening (8:00pm+) and a parent got all huffy about the subject of our tables conversation. We weren’t using foul language but the parent still made a comment to the wait staff and in turn the wait staff asked us to alter our conversation to a more age appropriate conversation. This really put me off and so I launched a campaign to promote age restricted times in my local restaurants and there have been several that have adopted the policy. Those restaurants that have adopted the policy are the only restaurants that I frequent now and through my campaign I have a large group of people who follow suite.

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