People and their stupid kids

[rat]

As the original poster I am suprised the thread is still going, not every restaurant is for kids, mine is an example of this. I do not think it good for business when a guest can order a 3,000 to 15,000 dollar wine and have kids next to them eating chicken fingers. If you can go out and spend 36 to 60 dollars on an entree and have a 120 dollar+ pp check average you can afford a babysiter. Thats that. Not everyone thinks your kids are as adorable as you think you do.

My sideline thought was that besides not having these assumingly staple items on a menu they are nutritionally deficient and not a healthy choice for children. Especially when we do serve things a kid can eat that are NOT fried and contain local sustainable produce and ingredients.

Yes we do serve whatever the guest desires and we do charge accordingly (and then some, and some more) so we are not turning down people, I just wondered when these two items became staples on every menu in every restaurant in the world. Parents come in and order these without even looking at the menu or asking what can be done for their children who I can only assume have been raised on buttered noodles and chicken fingers their whole lives.
It is depressing. It is often said hunger is the best sauce so I recon if the kids won't eat anything but, then they are not really hungry.

Yes, I do have kids and they will eat most things as they have been exposed to many kinds of foods, our favorite thing to do is go shopping in Chinatown and find something weird we dare each other to eat.
My little girl likes fried bugs-we had those in Thailand, my son loves chicken livers on a toasted baguette.

As far as I am concerned the yellow box mac and cheese IS the only way to go. My .02

[rat]

Originally Posted by Mannlicher

Rat

In the restaurants I have owned and managed, I find it easier to just have buttered pasta and chicken fingers on hand. All the time. Peanut butter and Grape jam too.

Makes life so much easier that way.

Sysco makes life much easier as well. Just open that 10 can...

[oldschool1982]

I happen to agree with Rat on many of the key points here, especially in his follow-up post. It's a surprise that so much has been said but even more so is the level of personalization that has been exhibited.

In another topic along this line I said that "We are chefs, we cook food....." and I really do believe that to a high degree. I also believe it's commendable to have a Constitution that follows a course of "Staving on a principle rather than feasting on compromise". More need to exercise this on so many other things. Yet it doesn't appear that Rat's operation is starving.

There is definitely more to this situation than what lies on the surface as it is deeply rooted in many of the issues we now face country and world wide. Our society or culture has blurred so many of the lines that once distinguished things. I will refrain from posting any since there are so many things I could list that I'm afraid the point would be lost as well as create other issues that are not needed.

The one point I will mention is the perception of entitlement or over inflated consumer ego that has been created. People have come to expect that because they are spending money at any given establishment, it gives them privileges and rights that really are not there. They "demand" everything and that really does nothing productive for either side. IMHPO once reason is no longer part of the equation, there is no difference between a 2 year old throwing a temper tantrum and an adult demanding something.

I honestly believe it's important for any operation to set parameters for it's own operation. It has to create it's own identity and operate with-in it to succeed, especially if it's not a cookie-cutter style operation. Once you start operating outside your limitations or identity, how the whole of your niche perceives you can be irreversibly damaged and failure can and will follow. Yet there are circumstances that can force issues and create reason but not compromise. But it's a fine tight-rope to walk between reason and compromise.

[kuan]

Originally Posted by rat

I do not think it good for business when a guest can order a 3,000 to 15,000 dollar wine and have kids next to them eating chicken fingers.

Jeezuz! PM me where you work I'll recommend it to my fried who travels to PA all the time.

[GrlcbrkmyGinsu]

Originally Posted by kuan

Jeezuz! PM me where you work I'll recommend it to my fried who travels to PA all the time.

Yes, where please?

[SparklinBurgndy]

What really strikes me a lot of the time is that people are insistent that children can't have the same things adults. Again, my days serving instead of cooking are what really showcase a lot of these.

Last Saturday a woman wanted to know what 'children's drinks' we had. After a moment of confusion, I suggested pink lemonade. She asked if we carried Sprite, which I assured her that we did and her answer was: 'That's a children's drink!'

No, lady, Sprite is soda-pop. It is not marketed directly at the little ones.

Again, people telling me they can't bring their kids because thier children only eat chicken. We carry chicken. It's not deep fried, but we have it. Why can't they eat that?

This being said, I don't have children. The closest I have is my four year old nephew, Jackson, who eats what he's told and all in all, is amazingly well-behaved.

When I have kids I'm going to be calling my brother and sister in law every five minutes to see what they did! XD