Here we will discuss if it is okay to let children run around in the restaraunt. When most people think of this, usually it is related around the atmosphere the restaurant presents (formalities) in their establishment to determine if it is okay or not. However, there is more to it than that. There are good reasons to why kids in a restaurant need to be stopped if they are running around the restaurant.
In some cases it is okay and in other cases it is not. We will look at some of these cases to answer the question. If a restaurant has a place for children to play and run around, such as an indoor playground of some sort, then obviously it would be okay. It still would only be okay if the child only does this in that area. They shouldn’t be allowed to run around in every area of the restaurant.
In one case at our restaraunt we had a cute kid just casual stroll behind the counter while the parents were ordering. It was adorable and followed by a few chuckles from the people watching, but the wide eyed curious child was swiftly picked up by the parents and held while they finished ordering.
From the perspective of the guests with children, they think that they would have to prevent their children from acting certain ways in the restaraunt because of it not being the thing that is supposed to be done in a restaraunt. Some things that children do in a restaurant, like crying can be okay, but running around the restaurant is not one of them.
For instance, an assistant manager at a restaurant that we worked at had children too that often visited the restaurant with his wife. When we first met the kids they were quiet and observing. However, once they got used to us we noticed they were pretty energetic (big surprise, right?). When the restaurant had a get together for the employees the children were running around and pretty playful. This was allowed, because the restaurant wasn’t open during its normal business hours. It was a get together that was just for employees in the restaurant.
During store hours the assistant manager would have his wife and kids visit, but the kids were always seated or in high seat chairs if she decided to stay and eat during these times. They weren’t running around. The assistant manager that we are using for an example here was a pretty by-the-book person, so it says a lot. He knew that it wasn’t okay for his kids to run around the restaurant during store hours.
So, why isn’t it okay for children to run around in the restaraunt?
The main reason that it is not okay for children to run around in the restaraunt isn’t because of formality. It is because the child running around or other people could be seriously hurt in the restaraunt if they are running around all over the place. It is for safety reasons.
The employees at a restaurant aren’t expecting to see a small child running around the corner when they are delivering their food. The child could easily run into an employee, and/or cause food or drinks to spill or go flying everywhere. The food (and some drinks) that the restaraunt is making is hot. It has to be hot to keep it food safe for their guests before it arrives to the table.
Some of the dishes that the restaurant is carrying to the table are foods like soups and such that have to be carried with care. The soups are usually really hot. A child can easily have soup spilled on them or the employee, which could end their dining experience with a trip to the emergency room. Even if it isn’t a soup, it could be the juices coming from the food on the plate. Coffee is hot and so is tea sometimes.
We have also seen countless times when children are playing in the restaurant near their own dining table, where they easily slip and fall. The parents that let this happen are usually letting their child run around. Some of them are letting their children race to pick up food items from the counter or the condiment table and this happens. The child ends up falling, hurting themselves, and crying. During this time they can also potentially run into an employee or another guest that is carrying food.
The floors at many restaurants are not the same as the floors at everyone’s homes. Many of the floors are easier for people to slip and fall on. This include the kitchen area and the dining area too sometimes. Restaurants usually have floors that are easy to mop and clean. Typically these floors are more slippery.
Property Damage
Sometimes the children running around in restaraunts also end up costing the guests and the restaurant unnecessary losses of money when they are allowed to run around. Food or drinks that are spilled have to be remade. In some cases, spilled food or drinks end up on people’s clothes. This means that they may have to leave the restaurant immediately or have to pay someone or a guest to fix it.
When a restaurant has to pay for what a running child has done to cause such losses, it could end up costing the parents more money, as the damage may be charged to their bill. The restaurant may pay for the losses and then charge the parents responsible for what happened on their bill. If the restaurant has carpets or other things that end up getting damaged in the process, they may not allow the parents to eat at the restaraunt anymore and charge them for the damage they caused.
Besides property damage, rushing a child to the emergency room, because they had a hot drink or food that fell on them while they were running around, is the worst scenario. It can be avoided by taking the advice from the aassistant manager that we used as an example and keeping the children in the high chair when the parents bring them to the restaurant during store hours.
Parents should grab food orders and any condiments in restaurants, not children. Children love to run and play to fetch these items during these times.
The restaurant doesn’t want children running around, so it isn’t okay to let them run around the restaurant. Even if the restaurant is ignoring the child running around, it isn’t okay during store hours. It is for the child’s safety and also the safety of the guests.
