Anyone who loves to dine at restaurants knows what it’s like to be interrupted by unruly children. But a restaurant in Italy is giving parents an incentive to rein in their children, as it’s giving out discounts for well-behaved families.
According to The Guardian, restaurateur Antonio Ferrari, who owns a wine bar in the northern city of Padua that caters to families on Sundays, came up with the incentive when he spotted a party of 11 at one of his tables, including five children who were sitting “with much composure.” He then decided to reward the family with a 5 percent discount and has since given the same reward to two other families with well-behaved children.
Ferrari told the media outlet that he estimated that about 30 percent of parents do not know how to manage their children at lunchtime, and children would often make a racket as they ran around the restaurant. Apart from bothering customers, Ferrari’s waiters would also have to adjust to the tiny tots, forcing them to swerve to avoid colliding with the children.
The restaurateur, who does not have children, said that his intention is not to judge parents. Ferrari told Corriere della Serra, “I imagine how difficult parenting is today.”
While Ferrari has been criticized by parents, telling him that they and their children can do whatever they want, the entrepreneur said that ultimately, he is responsible for his business, hence, the incentive.
Ferrari isn’t the first restaurateur who came up with an idea to deal with unruly children at his establishment. Last year, Business Insider reported that a Queensland restaurant has banned children under the age of 7 following an altercation between restaurant owner Liam Flynn and a family with a “temperamental” 2-year-old who was screaming.
Flynn and restaurant manager Sonia Tymecka took to the establishment’s Facebook page to post a note about the ban, saying that the policy is “purely out of respect for diners, regardless whether they are two or twenty of them in the restaurant.”
“Those are basic social skills and we do not feel that we should be teaching parents how to handle their children,” they continued.
For more, check out Jobs & Hire’s report on the 7-year-old girl who wrote Google asking for a job.
