Banning young children from restaurants is a contentious issue and this week, Flynn's, an award-winning restaurant in Queensland, Australia, found out just how much it can cause a ruckus.
On Sunday, the restaurant has officially issued a ban, disallowing children under seven years old inside their premises. It stemmed from an incident involving a mom with a crying two-year-old, which prompted the owners to issue this ban. Because her child wouldn't stop screaming, the other diners couldn't enjoy their meals at the restaurant, according to 9News Australia. She and her family were asked by Flynn's management to leave.
But the mother turned to the Internet to talk about the way she and her child were treated by Flynn's by posting a comment on TripAdvisor. "The owner asked us to keep the noise down quite rudely," the woman, later identified as Christine Hall, wrote. "Our little one wasn't misbehaving or wreaking havoc. On leaving without completing our meal, we complained about the manner in which we were treated. That caused a heated discussion," she said.
Later on, the management confirmed their ban on kids below seven years old on their Facebook, saying in part and addressing Christine, "Yes, we have applied the rule of not permitting children below the age of 7 in the restaurant minutes after you left because we respect our guests' wishes to dine in a calm atmosphere."
Their decision was met with mixed reactions. While many applauded the management for imposing the policy, some patrons, who are mostly mothers, thought it was rather unfair. "What you have done with banning kids under 7 is disgusting. Not all children are the same. There are some who are raised correctly," one comment on Facebook read, according to Daily Mail.
But Flynn's stands by their decision, especially since the incident with the mother and her two-year-old was not the first instance they had to contend with crying babies at the restaurant.
"If one pays money for having an enjoyable lunch during an anniversary or honeymoon, please do yourself and other patrons a favor by getting a babysitter or by removing the screaming baby from the room," Liam Flynn, the owner of the restaurant, wrote on Facebook.
The company did reiterate that a bulk of their customers were older people, between 50 to 65 years old. "At the end of the day, it's not about snobbery or exclusivity. It's a question of social etiquette," he concluded to Daily Mail.
Was Flynn's right to impose such a policy or was it too harsh? Take our poll below.
