Restaurant Calls Toddler F-Word on Check

9-11-2009 @3:36PM Kara said... They are thinking about suing? Good grief! There are no damages other than the parents being insulted. People in this world are becoming more outrageous by the minute. We truly need a loser pay system.
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9-11-2009 @3:35PM KD said... Really people? Someone has the right to call a child a "little f*cker"? And really, all of you have perfectly behaved children, yet you believe that no other child should ever be let out of the house?

My husband and I have 2 children and we often take them out to family type establishments, where we know that there will likely be other families there and we know that children do not always act properly. It comes with the territory people, we are talking about a mexican place, not a 4 star eating establishment!

If you really expect to go out and be treated like you are royalty when you go out to eat for a $10.00 meal and you expect a child-free quiet eating environment, eat at home!

BTW, I cook multiple times per week, I do leave my children home when hubby and I go on dates and I do discipline my children when they are unruly. I have even been told numberous times how polite my children are. Just b/c a child isn't silent doesn't mean that they are horrible and it doesn't mean that they have horrible parents.

Have a good weekend! Hope you all go out to eat and don't encounter any wretched children!

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9-11-2009 @3:35PM Amy said... My husband and I have 2 daughters, one aged 5 the other 2.5. There are places where we do take the girls with us like McDonalds or Burger King, places where they can play in a jungle gym and not disturb the other people who are trying to eat in peace and quiet. And there are other nice restaurants where we just get a babysitter to watch them so we can have our dinner in peace and quiet. I am not saying that it was right that the waiter put that stuff on their pay ticket, but oh my god for sure keep the kids home with someone when you know that they are not gonna behave themselves. Thank you+-
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9-11-2009 @3:35PM Jan said... I'm hoping YOU don't have children! I raised 4 kids and believe me, the remarks I got from wait staff in restaurants was "It's such a pleasure to have well behaved children in our restaurant." That would indicate to me that most of the kids brought in are not behaving. My kids were taught that you only left the table (with a parent!) to use the restroom while in a restaurant, or when we left. You do not scream, yell, run around or throw ANYTHING. You behave politely or you do not get to go with the rest of us. Same at a movie theater. And we made it stick. Bad behavior was rewarded by one parent taking the child to the car where they stayed until the rest of us were through with our meal. And the next outing there was no question about that unruly child coming along. A baby sitter was required while the other 5 of us went out to eat or to a movie. It's only takes a couple of times of strict but fair behavior by the parents to get well behaved children who are a pleasure to be around. And we get the same nice compliments when we take our grand children out, so their parents must have learned the lesson well.
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9-11-2009 @3:35PM Ozzie said... I was inthe Troy, Ohio Frische's Restaurant with my son, when I look up and get ready to bite into my sandwich... and what do my eyes behold, but another patron, an adult, I might add... starts digging in their nose for all who are eating, to see! After my meal, at least what I could stomach to finish, I call the waitress over and ask for a scrap piece of paper. I explained I was going to write a note and discreetly give it to the couple upon leaving. The waitress went back to the store manager and told him what I was going to do. When I went up to pay my bill... the manager physically assaulted me by snatching the note out of my hand and demanded that I never return to that store again. I left, but not before politely approaching the booger greedy patron and nicely and discreetly letting him know that digging in ones nose she be done in the restroom... or use a tissue next time! So I ask, who was right and who was wrong?
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9-11-2009 @3:35PM Adrianna said... parents:If you cant control your kids keep them at home.We dont want to listen to them whine and scream and act like animals.
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9-11-2009 @3:38PM Janie said... Michael, your blog was very good except you "rein" in a child as you rein in a horse, meaning to pull the horse back under your control. Reign means to govern or rule or the time period a person rules. You could reign a child but not "reign in". The sad thing about working for someone else is that you must abide by their rules. I owned an Irish import shop until I retired and only once did I have occasion to swear out loud to a customer. A large boy, 10 to 12 years old was bored and tossing hats & after asking him nicely once to stop, then asking his mother abruptly to make him stop, I finally told her loudly to get the little f***er out of my shop. I also worked as a social worker for the state (better pay & great insurance) and while owning your own business may not pay well (unless you have a second income) it sure is fun.
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9-11-2009 @3:36PM James said... What? I know the server, Stan. He has three small children of his own. I do not know any more gentle and loving parents as he and his wife.

For Steve Ryan to sack him was just politics.

"Molly was a bit grumbly, a bit moany, but her behavior certainly wasn't terrible," Craig Cartin told the paper. "So this was just uncalled for." said the father. Molly must have been h___ on wheels. Stan is a very tolerant man.

Parents should not take their children out to eat if they cannot behave. I appreciate that dining out is a learning experience for a child, but there does come a time when they are best removed from a restaurant.

Craig Cartin, the father, cost a man his means of living, because he is in denial that his little Molly cannot behave in public.


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9-11-2009 @3:35PM Dan said... I've been on both ends of this discussion. But that said, it all boils down to the parents doing a better job of raising thier kids. I don't believe in abusing a child, but a little judiciously applied disappline works wonders. No not while your in the restuarant, but along the way as your raising your kid. My daughter didn't run all over hell and back when we went out. If she started to stray a few stern words was all that it took to keep under control. The only public incident I had with my daughter was when she saw a woman that was really anorexic and very unattractive. Standing not ten feet away from this woman, my daughter (4 years old at the time) pipes up and says, "ewww Daddy that woman's ugly". Unbelievably the woman was very gracious, but I made my daughter apologize and explained to her about people's feelings. I never had to deal with anything like that ever again. My point. Parents take responsibility for your kids and if you can't get them to behave, then keep them at home. We should not be forced to suffer through your inability to raise your kids! As to the waitress' reaction, well perhaps she reached her braking point. If I had been the manager, she would've received a stern warning. But definitely not fired. Because somehow I don't think we're getting the full story about this couple's little darling. It was probably more like Satin's spawn!
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9-11-2009 @4:47PM rt said... Oh absolutely. Most recently, I'll never forget--By the time the waiter came over I'd decided what I wanted on the menu. So I told him I was ready to order both food and drink. He got furious! He came back with my iced tea in a cracked glass and with a fork instead of a teaspoon. He got the spare change in my pocket as a tip and I'm still chagrined I left that much. And I didn't visit the restaurant for several months after.
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9-11-2009 @3:38PM baon627 said... My family and I went out to eat at a steak restaurant a few years ago and had the worst responses from the waiter who served us. During the middle of our meal, my wife had ordered a steak to take home at the end of the meal and the waiter complied. As we were about to get our check, we had asked if they had our steak ready to go. Our waiter replied that he had forgotten and said, "Here, here's five dollars so you can go to McDonald's and get yourself a burger." Earlier we had also asked for a to go cup for our soup but he brought out a box instead. We tried to ask him again for a cup but he replied, "Well, here in America we put our soups in boxes" as he tossed the box on the table. We left in shock and as I got home I placed a call back to the restaurant and talked to the manager about the whole ordeal. The guy was fired on the spot and we got an apology from the manager.
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9-11-2009 @3:38PM Bill said... Noah,

I'm sure that Mexican food in Britain is boiled, like everything else...
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9-11-2009 @3:40PM Sue said... We're not so much blaming just the children. Its the parents too. When they ignore the children it just angers customers even more. Like Tammy said, just take them to the bathroom and have a talk with them. Take them outside until they stop.
Oh and btw michelle, its obnoxious kids with obnoxious parents who are spawns....and your a spawn who grew up to be an adult spawn.
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9-11-2009 @3:41PM medcrab said... From some of the comments, it appears that many have never had a toddler. When i say never had a toddler, i do not mean been around one, watched one, or known one; i mean had one 24/7/365. Any parent knows that between the ages of say 1 & 1/2 to 5, children at one time or another could be referred to as hellin's. My 4 year old son acted up in a restuarant recently; yesterday in fact(leaving his seat, getting under the table, yelling, back talking, etc.). My wife and I are strict about his actions in public and constantly watch his behavoir. We told him to sit down, we threanten him with punishment, we ignored him, we tried to redirect him and even tried to distract him; none of these methods worked; he was done and did not want to be there anymore. We even went to an early dinner (4:30pm EST) primarily to avoid many other people. If any of the other 6 people in the Macaroni Grill would have come over and made a comment concerning his unruly behavoir, I would have first apologized and if that di not suffice, I would have stood up, walked away out of ear shot, and cursed the person out. Only someone who has never been in the situation, would make such flip comments. Children have only been in the world for a short period of time; they are not adults. They have not matured nor learned all of the proper ways of handling themselves, which incidently comes from experience (i.e. age). For all the people out their that think that children should be kept inside until they can learn to act responsibly, you are living a daydream. Without the chance to participate in more adult activities (i.e. going out to dinner) they will never learn proper manners. I would also liek to offer another option; if you don't like the other patrons or atomisphere, you have (at least in the US) the ability to pay your tab and leave.
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9-11-2009 @3:44PM jen said... Read the article!!! The parents are not thinking of suing...the owner of the restaurant is thinking of suing the former manager for her action.
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9-11-2009 @3:43PM melissa said... one time my cousin ordered a sub from a pizza delivey shop. when his order was delivered the attached receipt listed his total amount along with what he had ordered. However who ever took his order when it was called in decided to be funny and write...
1/2 sub with semen and jizum ; 1 large fry with boogers and a soda with urine! needless to say he wasn't too happy and called the place back! it turned out that the guy who had wrote it had just been fired (for other reasons)and decided to be devious before he left!
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9-11-2009 @3:43PM sandra said... Sue..
You are so right!!!
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9-11-2009 @3:43PM Jennifer said... Interesting how the person who feels the need to call someone's child profanities can't even spell. Who's the dumbass in this situation? If you're going to call someone's kid a little f***er, at least spell it right, moron. (not "littel" as was on that receipt)
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9-15-2009 @11:18PM barbara said... I guess You people dont have children, They should be sitting with Thier parents at a restaurent, not running around the place, When My son was small I took Him to a resturant and He refused to behave so I left,. If You want to let Your child run around while You eat go to McDonnalds They have playland for Them,Or b urger king, When They are in an adult place They should sit with Thier parents and eat Their food. Letting a 2 year old run around a restuarant is not only annoying it might be dangerous to The child,
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