Next week's Hot Topic, is 'Why do the British have a problem with children in restaurants?'

We want your opinions, stories and tips - What do you think of restaurants with no-children policies?

Do some restaurants go over the top when creating child/ family- friendly environments?

Should there always be a seperate children's menu and does this generally mean lower quality food?

Should we be more like France, Spain & Italy, where diners and restauranteurs seem more relaxed about kids in restaurants?

How do we encourage kids to enjoy the experience more?

This is like the 24hr drinking issue....its a cultural thing. Whereas is mainland Europe they encourage children in bars and restaurant, because they are well behaved, patient and have manners and an appreciation of food. In the UK kids are frowned upon 'cos they can't keep still prefering to run around and not join in in the family discussion and have a very limited appreciation of types of food....if they can't eat with their fingers (ie chicken nuggart, sausages, Mac's, fries etc) then they don't want to know.
I saw a survey when JO was doing his School dinners progs. that a high% of junior school kids didn't know how to use a knife and fork properly.
Two factors; 1) Parents don't spend enough time teaching manners and getting their kids to try new foods 2) Kids menu's - nuggarts, sausage, burgers, fries etc. Why not do smaller versions of the adult menu.
Again, just my thoughts!

i agree, it seems that in this country restaurants seem to think that all kids just want chips or shaped potato type this with some reconstituted breaded chicken/fish shape - in other word proseed rubbish.

i have a three year old niece who doesn't like chips or chicken nuggets etc so we usually end up having to ask for something not on the menu or just buy an adults meal for her so she can have something decent. the best places we find are often italian's where they are usually only to happy to whip up a plain bowl of pasta and pesto for her

i think the main problem is there seems to be this idea that kids food has to be different from adults food which i think is completely wrong

I don't have a problem with children in restaurants as long as they are well behaved but will someone please ban them from pubs that serve food. A pub is just not the right place for children.

It's obviously a good idea to bring children up to eat in restaurants and appreciate different eating cultures but for those people, like myself, who find families and noisy children can ruin the atmosphere when eating at a nice restaurant, perhaps there should be "family friendly" eating places as an alternative - which I suppose there is at present.

I am in the children well behaved camp on this. We always taught our daughter to behave when eating out in a nice restaurant, not run round, and be quiet so not to disturb other diners. I think that is good manners. There are eating places where children can be more boisterous, and that's fine. When you are paying a lot for a good meal, or it is a special occasion you don't want your meal spoilt by badly behaved children.

when i was a kid i was taught to hold my cutlery properly and to stay silent (and still) until i had something worth while to add when out for dinner. if there was something on the plate you didnt know / like you had to eat it first and then the things you did. at 4 i hated sprouts, cabbage and fried eggs. now 22 years later i love them all!!!!

kids meals too were different. mc d's was a treat and hotels etc served small adult portions - maybe without the sauces.

its all about education - JO has got the ball rolling and my generation is beginning to remember that we were given manners and nthat we used them. its only now that kids arent getting them that we are seeing how sluvenly life is without them .

I think children should be allowed in all restaurants, not just family friendly ones, these are the type of places that only have burgers and nuggets as the childrens menus. Having a niece and nephew who don't actually like these types of food (because they are not real!) it becomes quite difficult to find places to eat as a family. Restauants should provide mini versions of the adult menu for the children, or for adults that only want starter sized portions. Also we recently went to a family friendly italian chain restaurant and my daughter (who has a healthy adult sized appetite) wanted a meal from the childrens menu but couldn't order a drink (i.e. large coke) from the adult section because of the meal deal, even though we said we weren't bothered.

On the other side of things my sister was recently on holiday in north norfolk and they found a family pub that had everything on the adult menu as a smaller portion for children and were happy to do toast with sausages and beans because my nephew didn't like chips. We need more places like that.

As a father of three,one only a baby.I take my children to great restaurants and even though some places do children meals, my lads like to eat what tha adults eat.I believe if we cook various meals at home and teach them manners at home then they will behave correctly in public.
I love going out with my children i just wish there was more non smoking restaurants..

Tricky one.
In my experience, most children these days are complete monsters!
If the parents take the time to teach them good behaviour, then all is well.
But just go any any plane heading for a warmer climate, and you will see just how bad they are. The parents just don't seem to care, that they run around, scream as load as they can, and just do what ever they want. I know not all children are like this, but the problem seems to be growing.
Children in restaurants? If they are tender yes!

I love children in restaurants but I couldn't eat a whole one! Keep them in Charlies fun factory and the childrens Brewsters. In VERY SEPARATE areas.

Wetherspoons was ok once when they had a no smoking area and children were not allowed in the pub at all, but now they are allowed in the pub and only in the no smoking area - oh sheer joy.

Dont get me wrong we have two sons who are now ages 24 and 29 and we ate out ocassionally when they were young, with two well mannered children, and they still are now, but most of todays younger generation are unruly, loud, selfish and spoilt.

As someone who doesn't have kids - so some of you peeps may feel I'm not qualified to comment - but I'm going to anyway.

I'm with the poster earlier when JO publicised the fact that not all kids know how to hold a knife and fork - that's dreadful!

When me and my Sis were young - we weren't taken out very often because our parents couldn't affort to eat out, however, when we did go out - it was a special treat and we behaved as we had been taught. It seems a lot of parents these days just don't have the time or can't be bothered to make the time teaching their children manners and how to behave in, eg, a restaurant, a shop, when visiting someone in hospital - whatever the situation.

I am constantly amazed at how much some kids seem able to get away with when it comes to bad behaviour - in restaurants it seems that some parents don't mind the kids "running around" as they're away from the table and so therefore not bothering them - hang the other diners and what they think.

It is an absolute pleasure to see kids in restaurants eating a smaller version of an adult meal rather than some of the processed rubbish that masquerades as "food for children" these days.

Right, had my say, so will step off my soap box now. Thank you for listening to those who have.

MrsWW

I have a child and when I go out I would like to take him with me for an evening out. Albeit he is a teenager now, but when he was small it was a treat going out altogether as a family.

If parents controlled kids when they are out, I am sure restaurants would allow it.

Therefore, if a child misbehaves they should be told to leave.
It is a shame one can't have a family day out, because children aren't allowed in restaurants!

Train your kids to behave then, maybe they will let them in.

I agree that it is definately a cultural thing! I suppose it has a lot to do with how you want to bring your kids up? I think a lot of parents make it harder for themselves by giving in too early to the tempation of fast food, chips and nuggest.
My 5 year old has a wider food range than most of my firends!!
I don't think people should be going to a restaurant and have their meal spoiled by kids. Maybe restaurants should have a child friendly "time" between 5pm-7pm!!! After that most kinds should be getting ready for bed or will be a bit older and won't spoil the atmosphere for other diners.

I have two children and have taken them to restaurants from very young, they knew how to behave at the table because they were taught it from the high chair, ...no Choo Choo's in our home! meal time is meal time not play time. they are now 12 and 16 and I can take them anywhere without fear!

We have 2 children, one of 5 years and one of 5 months and we strongly feel that children should be able to go to restaurants. We deem ourselves as responsible parents so naturally when dining out we book an early table. We encourage our oldest child to try all foods and now there isnt anything that she will not try. As a result she has a broad taste in food which is healthy I think that restaurants should encourage families in to their restaurants. I believe that doing this would broaden their client base, encourage future generations to their restaurant and contribute to the moving away from fast food. We are recent visitors to Locatelli's restaurant which I believe sets a fantastic example to this. The staff are fantastic and are totally set up for children of all ages. They make you feel comfortable and relaxed with having your children with you.

I am a complete foodie, I love all types of food and cooking it as well, this all stems from my childhood, where going out with my parents for meals was a family occasion, my sister and I always had adult meals and were encouraged to try everything, we were taught proper manners from an early age, and our parents were always being told what delightful well behaved children we were. I think all children should be allowed to experience great food, but only if well behaved!!!!!

Unfortunatley children copy their parents and if the parents cant behave properly or control their children, other dinners suffer. Perhaps we need to educate some parents first before we moan at misbehaving children. Also children will get bored if they have to wait too long with nothing to do, so praise the restaurants that are child freindly and provide things for children to do while waiting.

I think that children should be allowed into restaurants. All my nephew and nieces learnt to eat out with us from being very young. At the age of 3 my nephew was eating mussels and Linguinne. Children should experience a wide range of food and will learn social skills in different settings. Others who are now adults love good food and eating out.

As a father of two lovely children aged 4 and 2, I feel qualified to comment. I do not allow or attempt to take my children into any sort of public house, I do however love taking them to restuarants but get dismayed when all the childrens menu has is processed food. I also agree with Jeniffer264 comments.

It's definitely a culture thing, a throw back to children should be seen and not heard. we have a two year old boy and love to eat out, he's well behaved and likes to eat what we eat. however, we usually find we have to go to the same tried and tested restaurants to feel comfortable and these tend to be italian/turkish where they seem to love having kids in and make a huge fuss of them. I agree that children's menus are dreadful. why can't they just do smaller portions? As for children spoiling people's dining experience, there are plenty of adults doing that job perfectly.

We always enjoyed taking our children out to restaurants. They have always been confident and experimental with food (would never touch chicken nuggets etc, thankfully!).. However, more & more you see parents taking their children to food factories that encourage children to eat rubbish and playing at the table, coloring in etc. Until this mentality changes the UK never will. I say YES to children in restaurants, with strong guidelines for behavior, loud and unruly children should not be tolerated!

I have a 12 year old daughter who was born in france where we both still live.She has always accompanied us to restaurants from being a babe in arms who fell asleep in her pram to the young 'lady' that now will go to a restaurant on her own with her friends for a pizza!
The French have always made children welcome and that is reflected in their eating habits.My daughter at age three was eating raw oysters and listed sushi as her favourite food!
What a shock it was for us to return to UK and to find that we were relegated to the back room of so many places because we had a child! No wonder you choose the more welcoming option of the child friendly fast food outlets!

I don't have kids either, but one thing I will say, if kids don't know how to sit at a table and behave properly, then this is the fault of the parents and not the children.
I also feel really strongly that the children's menu, should for all purposes just contain smaller portions of the adult meals (with obvious exceptions like sauces with wine etc) and not junk food.
I don't believe they should be in separate areas, they are just little people and not outcasts. I get more irritated by loud, rude adults being disrespectful to the waitors in restuarants or talking on their mobiles than I ever do children.
Agree that encouraging proper food at a proper table is the way forward as without it we are storing up a heap of trouble for the future and a generation that things dinner is to be eaten on your lap in front of the TV and convesation round the table is allien to them. Family meals were a major part of my growing up and I think it's an important social function of society.

hi everyone this is my first time chatting on here but "Kids In Restaurants" is something I've always felt strongly about since I began waitressing at age 16 and saw the rubbish they were offered and the way they behaved in the restaurant... Probably an echo of what everyone else has said but here goes.... I think kids SHOULD be allowed to eat out wherever their parents want to go BUT there should NOT be a kids's menu (is it any wonder they act like monsters if they're eating all that processed rubbish full of additives and sugar) they should have a half portion of whatever they want from the main menu. If they missbehave and start screaming or running around, they should be REMOVED from the restaurant - if an adult got drunk and started being noisy and disturbing the peace then there would be no hesitation as to whether to throw them out - why should we tolerate disturbance from children just because they are children? If they're too tiny to know better they should be taken outside til they quieten down but if they ARE old enough then they should be made to behave - sadly as you see from a lot of these Supernanny type shows on TV there are a lot of parents who have zero parenting skills and have no control of their kids. If they haven't been taught obedience and table manners in the home they aren't going to suddenly behave if they go to a restaurant, it's very sad and frustrating that people cannot be bothered to discipline their kids any more. I think the people on this board are different, they are taking parenting responsibly and realise they need to bring their kids up with the social skills they need for successful adulthood and this includes experiencing going to a proper restaurant, trying new food and behaving like a small adult whilst they're there! Oh, one final thing, rather than having a "child free" restaurant how about having a curfew, eg after 7:30pm no children under to (besides, if young children are allowed to stay out late in a restaurant no wonder they cause a disturbance when it is getting past their bedtime)
PS - sauces with wine are actually fine for children to try - alcohol evaoprates at 57 degrees celcius so you are only left with the flavour but not the alcohol content. You can't get drunk on coq au vin it has been cooked for a long time at a higher temperature than 57 degrees.