Restaurant Bans Crying Kids: Grant Central Pizza Of Atlanta, Ga. Restaurant, Enacts New Rule

Kids cry, and parents take their kids to restaurants, so kids sometimes cry in restaurants. Annoying? Sure. But worthy of an official ban? The owners of Grant Central Pizza, a casual restaurant in Atlanta, Ga., seem to think so. They've recently attracted wide notice for their decision to print a notice banning crying children from their restaurant at the bottom of their menu. It reads:

Dear all present and future patrons: GCP is proud of its reputation as a family restaurant, a title that we will work to keep. Unfortunately a number of our diners have posted unpleasant experiences because of crying and unsupervised children. To ensure that all diners have an enjoyable lunch or dinner with us we respectfully ask that parents tend to their crying tots outside.

Grant Central owner Donnie Palmer emphasizes to Bites that he is still in favor of kids visiting his restaurant, but that he was forced to enact an official policy on crying after customers complained about noise.

Still, it should come as no surprise that the move has proven controversial. People have strong opinions about childrens' place (or lack thereof) in restaurants. Many were outraged when a Pennsylvania restaurant banned kids under six altogether last July.

Fox 5 conducted an investigation on the state of affairs at Grant Central Pizza; watch the video below:

Restaurant Disclaimer: No Crying Kids Allowed: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Comments

[kerao]

01:14 PM on 07/26/2012

I am a Grandma and seriously kids in restaurants just annoy me. Mostly if you have a child that is standing up in a booth behind you just staring and the parents seem to think it's cute. My husband I had gone to a deli and these women brought their brood in and they ran all over the place until the Manager asked the women to not have the children run. They just took it into consideration and continued on with their meal. Two of the kids came running up to our table and I said "get away" and the women heard me. I didn't care. I was glad they heard me. I raised my two kids to sit in their chairs. Unless we were at a park or something of that nature, not when we were in public. It's a shame too. Some parents become deaf when their child cries or throws a tantrum. I'm glad they are starting to have adult only restaurants. I will be going.

[foodle]

12:38 AM on 04/03/2012

One unmentioned thing about this policy is that in some ways it can actually help the parent with the crying child. The kids know that part of the reason that crying in a restaurant gets them what they want is because the parents are embarrassed and want the kid to stop crying as soon as possible. Taking the kids out of an environment where they can commit this kind of blackmail actually helps the parent.

[jennyhard]

10:17 AM on 03/19/2012

As a restaurant manager and a parent, I don't disagree with the disclaimer. It's just a shame that parents have to be told the obvious. I've seen kids running around my restaurant and then I go ask the parents nicely to not allow their children to run around since servers are carrying hot plates. I even had a mother tell her kids, "listen to the lady"...huh? I thought you were the parent but she was too busy talking to her friend to be bothered I guess. Or they let their kids play with the sugar packets and make a mess all over the table and floor. I know kids make a mess normally but don't allow kids to play with the sugar packets and then leave it for the staff to clean up. And if a child is fussy, take them outside, the bathroom, walk around with them. That's all. I have had tables complain about children playing around them. Bring toys, an ipad or laptop so they can watch videos - that's when I see the children behaving.

[Leebossa]

10:35 PM on 03/03/2012

i agree, it's not that kids are so bad, it's that parents today just suck. Even in a 'family friendly' pizza place, it's still not a daycare and it doesn't mean 'run wild and act like a feral brat'. Why do parents need to be told that there are other people in the restaurant? it should be obvious that people want to to be able to enjoy their dinner even in a family friendly restaurant!

[Chris Harmon]

10:47 AM on 02/28/2012

As restaurant employees ourselves, my husband and I have a strict policy about children and noise- he always removed them and walked until they were done/calm.. as foodies we ate out a lot- and with our kids even as infants as we do not believe in sitters. Once your children realize that this will happen when they fuss- they fuss a lot less!!

[MsLMPride]

03:30 PM on 02/27/2012

I thought it was a given when your child gets fussy you, as a responsible parent, tend to them--leaving the table if necessary. Why does this need to be told/explained to adults?

[David Dunk]

01:52 PM on 02/27/2012

I've seen the same situation in movie theaters, with parents bringing toddlers into adult themed movies. Kid gets bored / tired / scared and starts to wail meanwhile the parents continue to sit there eating popcorn and acting like nothing is happening. Whether it's a restaurant or a movie theater, it shows a total lack of consideration for the people around you.

[WTxIndependent]

11:35 AM on 02/25/2012

the problem isn't that kids cry... it's that some parents are so selfish and obnoxious that they don't do anything about it. We've been out at dinner and had a kid crying (or running around, screaming, etc) and the parents sit there and act like we're the jerks for being annoyed by their child's behavior.

If you asked them to take the kids outside until they settle down or to control their kids, you're being a jerk.

Ban the idiot parents that ruin it for everybody else.

[chearn73]

08:01 AM on 02/25/2012

This is why I like the Middle East, where I am living now. In North America and Europe, kids are just seen as an annoyance. They aren't seen that way here. When a restaurant is a FAMILY restaurant, it means it's actually a family restaurant, not a family restaurant where kids aren't allowed to cry.

[Jenny-Ann]

03:20 PM on 02/24/2012

As a mom of four I find this just beyond obvious. If they cry for more than a minute or two take them outside. If you can't calm them down, get your food bagged/boxed up and finish it at home.

[Paros]

12:49 AM on 02/25/2012

I'm so with you. Just picking them up and taking them out often helps generate a shift and sometimes calms them down. I certainly helped me if not my baby.

[mm1970]

11:28 AM on 02/24/2012

There's crying and there's crying. People have different tolerances. I have a kid who is pretty well behaved and one on the way. Babies cry. And when my baby cried at a restaurant, I nursed him. Shut him up fast (so...pick one...crying in public or nursing in public). But man, if your baby is screaming bloody murder or your kid is running around like crazy - you do not belong there. Get your food to go. I'd give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe 10 mins. You can't settle the kid down in 10 minutes, then please leave. It's no fun for anyone, least of all the parents.

When my kid was 18 months, he was easy. Sit him in a high chair, put food in front of him. From 2 to 3 he never sat still. We ate out maybe 5 times, and one of us would eat while the other was outside walking with thim, then we'd switch. How is that fun? It's not.

[raerae444]

04:51 PM on 02/24/2012

Thank you for being one of the only people here that seems to understand this!!

[DMiller1234]

08:37 PM on 02/24/2012

If it wasn't fun to have to take turns eating/walking with him...why eat out? Seems a waste of money to me.

I may be reading into your statement, but...are you expecting others to be sympathetic because you chose to engage in an activity that isn't fun for you?

[coachnelly]

06:45 PM on 02/27/2012

I think you're reading into her statement too much. She said they only ate out maybe five times because of the fact that one would have to be outside with the child while the other one was inside and then vice versa. She is commenting that the situation WASN'T fun and that's why it only happened a handful (five) of times.

[Aurora Jade Bree Dubnyk]

11:12 AM on 02/24/2012

That does bother me but if it is a 'family restaurant' then well that is what it is and kids will be there, what i hate is paying alot of money for a nice fancy meal and there are misbehaving kids or young babies in the restaurant; the meal was roughly 120 bucks for two, we have been there many of times before but this one time there was a family that had a baby with them and it was okay whatever, then it started crying and crying and the parents did nothing, then it must have pooped in its diaper cuz we could smell it from across the place but of course being a high class restaurant there was no 'table' in the bathroom to change its diaper, so we were forced to sit there smelling this baby's poop for most of our evening... that was disgusting, i prefer to cook everything at home usually now

[2crudedudes]

10:37 AM on 02/24/2012

They didn't ban crying children, they're just asking you to show some manners. Your brat can come back in when it's done throwing its tantrum.

[Ashley Charron]

01:22 AM on 02/26/2012

Exactly! Thank you! So glad someone gets this.

[Steve Reaves]

08:34 AM on 02/24/2012

If I can teach a service dog to behave in a restaurant, you should be able to teach your kids to behave in one as well.

[Lori Masucci]

08:08 AM on 02/27/2012

Is your service dog a puppy? If not, I fail to see the similarity.

[Steve Reaves]

08:23 AM on 02/27/2012

Many of them are puppies. Puppies, like children, must be taught boundaries in respect to their behavior. When I was a kid, I had 3 sisters and a brother. We all knew how to behave in public and what the consequences would be if we didn't.

[catmagnet]

05:56 AM on 02/24/2012

This is also posted on Eatocracy, where I saw a post that I really liked:

If you can afford to go out to eat, you can afford a babysitter.

[Lori Masucci]

08:15 AM on 02/27/2012

This is a restaurant that calls itself a family restaurant. I went out to eat as a child, and that is how I learned appropriate restaurant behavior. If you want a quiet adult meal, go to a quiet adult restaurant. I had children because I enjoy spending time with them, not so I could pay others to raise them. Certainly, a restaurant has a right to have this policy, just as I have a right to let them know why I will no longer be patronizing their establishment. But your comment just makes me think of people who see Disney movies in matinee and then complain about noisy kids. Children exist. While I do have a responsibility to teach them manners, I do not have a responsibility to create for you a world where you can pretend children don't exist.

[catmagnet]

11:18 AM on 02/27/2012

Yep...just keep going with your breeder bingo, sweetie...maybe this time I'll win the jackpot!