A Texan restaurant is under fire after its owners introduced rule cards to young families.
The cards, handed out by Texan owners Charlie McDaniel and Ana Beaven of Restaurant Cuchara, read:
“Children at Cuchara don’t run or wander around the restaurant. They stay seated and ask their parents to take them to the restroom. They don’t scream, throw tantrums or touch the walls, murals, windows or anything of the other patrons. They are respectful!”
Speaking about their controversial decision, McDaniel explained to Yahoo parenting:
“Families would come in, and they would leave their children unattended, letting them run around and crawl under the tables of other patrons.
“We’re a Mexican city bistro. Children are in a gown-up environment. It’s not a playground atmosphere. Other people come in for a nice dinner. We also have beautiful artwork in the restaurant, and children damaged some of it.”
Describing an incident that was the catalyst in his choice to introduce the cards, McDaniel told how a child took a quarter and caused $1,500 to the walls while his parents watched.
But some parents aren’t impressed with the new restaurant parenting policy.
“We’ve had some backlash”, McDaniel admits.
“Some parents read the card, throw it on the ground, and let their kids play unsupervised.”
However McDaniel has surprisingly revealed the overwhelming response to the cards has been positive.
And he wants to make clear that kids are more than welcome in his restaurant.
“We love to have to children in the restaurant. Just children who behave as you should in public.”
Let us know how you would react to receiving a rule card in restaurant and read one writer’s opinion piece: "Planes, trains and holidays: Why we should create child-free zones".