We’ve all experienced the discomfort of sitting through the clamor of screaming children in public places, like restaurants. Sometimes, it’s no one’s fault, but other times, it boils down to poor parenting. While it may be awkward to address such situations, a restaurant has taken a stand.
The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in north Georgia recently added a ‘fine’ to a customer’s bill, citing an additional ‘unable to parent’ fee. The internet’s response has been divided, with some supporting the penalty and others expressing outrage.
The initial story emerged on Reddit, where the poster alleged, “The owner said he was tacking on $50 to my bill due to my kids’ behavior… left disappointed by the experience.” Seeking clarity, a news outlet reached out to the North Georgia restaurant. Owner Tim Richter offered a different perspective, stating that a pandemic-related surcharge was in place to offset costs, and there were no recent extraordinary additions to the bill.
Tim clarified that he had never invoked such a surcharge threat before, emphasizing this point before a family of 11, including 9 children, visited his restaurant. According to Tim, the children were running around inside the venue. Despite this, he asserted that there was no mention of a fine; instead, he simply cautioned the parents about the children’s behavior, stating, “We want parents to be parents.”
Nestled in the mountains beside the Toccoa River in Georgia, Toccoa Riverside typically caters to a laid-back and calm clientele, making it a popular dining spot. During meal times, the roadside is often lined with parked cars.
The news outlet, represented by Bryan Mims from Channel 2, seized the opportunity to gather feedback from patrons regarding the ‘poor parenting surcharge.’ Laura Spillman, a Floridian on vacation, found the concept incredulous, stating, “This is crazy. For real? I don’t think you should do it because kids are cute.” Federico Gambineri, dining with his toddler, expressed surprise at the policy, saying, “This is the first time I’ve heard of that, and having a 20-month-old that maybe isn’t the best behaved at a restaurant, I’m hoping that I don’t get charged. I feel that if I were charged, I would be very unhappy about it and probably never recommend the place to somebody.”
Conversely, Anne Cox, enjoying lunch with her family, believed that such fees might encourage parents to better control their children. She remarked, “Parents need to teach kids to behave. There are other people in the world, so they should have fun in the right place.” Regular patron Jack Schneider, though unaware of the surcharge previously, had mixed emotions but leaned towards attributing responsibility to parents. He noted, “I have mixed emotions on that. At the same time, we’ve all sat next to tables where you say hey, do something with that kid. So I really think it’s more on the parents.”