After a trying week, getting everyone together for a meal away from their homes might be a lot of fun since it gives them an opportunity to connect with one another. However, it could be difficult for some parents, particularly if they bring their young children along. This is especially true if they are traveling with more than one child.
Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, located in Blue Ridge, Georgia, was the establishment that created a discussion across the internet due to the fact that their menu said that there would be an additional price for adults who were “unable to parent.”
One person expressed their dissatisfaction with the encounter on Reddit, as reported by WSB-TV. The user commented, “The owner came out and told me he was adding $50 to my bill because of my children’s behavior… disappointed by the experience.”
After the menu was uploaded to Reddit, the tale quickly gained widespread attention. The following sentence was included in the post: “This restaurant charges you extra for bad parenting.”
After she and her husband Kyle, along with four other families, went to eat at the restaurant, one of the customers, Lyndsey Landmann, talked with TODAY and claimed that she originally assumed it was a prank. This was after she and her husband had gone to the restaurant with four other families. There were a total of 11 youngsters ranging in age from 3 to 8.
Tim Richter, the proprietor, came over to talk to them after they finished their dessert. They were taken aback when they found out that the restaurant would charge them $50 for each bill at their table. Landmann had first believed that he was going to compliment them on how well-behaved the children were, but instead they were informed of the price.
Richter went on to add that they had been “too loud” and that some of the children had been “running outside” despite the fact that there were adults there to watch over them.
Another patron by the name of Laura Spillman, who was interviewed by WSB-TV in October 2023, expressed similar disbelief over the policy.
Not everyone was against the idea; for example, Anne Cox pointed out that the price would encourage parents to be better guardians of their children. This demonstrates that there was some support for the concept.
“They need to educate the children how to act properly. She advised them, “There are other people in the world; therefore, they should have fun in the appropriate setting.”
TODAY made a phone call to the restaurant in an effort to get a response from them; however, the person who answered the phone simply said that “We’re not going to comment on a policy we’ve had for years.”
However, WSB-TV was able to visit to the site, and the owner disclosed the reality behind their policy to the news crew there.
He informed the source that the premium was implemented in response to the COVID-19 epidemic; nevertheless, he never seriously threatened anybody to pay the amount until a few weeks before the interview, when a family with nine children arrived and the youngsters were “running all over the restaurant.”
Later on, Richter said that he never filed charges against the family and that all he did was issue a warning to them.
“We want parents to be parents,” he stated. “We want parents to be parents.”
The comments on the article on Reddit were split down the middle due to the fact that some individuals didn’t agree with the policy.
One customer said, “If I read this at a restaurant, I would probably leave,” while another customer added, “The number of red flags on this menu, I’d just go ahead and say no thanks.”
Another person commented that they believed the menu to be a caution for parents and said something along the lines of, “I mean, just means that parents need to teach their kids how to act in public.”
Another person pointed out that parents should be expected to pay a fee if they are unable to rein in their children, saying, “If parents can’t rein in their wild children, they should expect a s**** parent surcharge.” No, you do not have the right to act like a brat in front of other customers at the restaurant.