A Canadian restaurant owner found a clever way to acknowledge something many of us feel guilty to admit – bad behaviour in restaurants is never appreciated. And when it comes to kids, good manners should be rewarded.
It’s a common scene. You’re a busy parent. It’s your first evening out in months. You settle into a table and your glass of red, while your partner gapes at you – when is the last time you had the luxury of grown up time? And then, it happens.
The corner kid’s table erupts in noise – angry, happy – it all happens at the same decibel level that brings you crashing back to reality. The parents, sitting at a table much further than you (and away from their kids), exchange stern looks with their offspring and carry on.
It’s all too much – even if you understand the challenges of getting a night out, getting the little ones to behave and even the temptation to just let them be.
We all notice the noisy kids, but do we ever appreciate the well-behaved episodes of little ones?
One restaurant owner certainly did – and he rewarded the parents in kind.
Daley and Alicia Welsh brought their 1 year old daughter to Carino Japanese Bistro in Calgary, Alberto for Mother’s Day. They were pleasantly surprised to discover a 5$ discount for their well-behaved kids on their final bill.
The parents were so impressed with the gesture, they posted the picture to Reddit and received 3,000 comments in one day alone.
Bistro owner Toshi Carino told Yahoo:
We welcome the kids and wanted to show some appreciation for kids with dining manners.
The Welsh’s described the 35-seat restaurant with no place for strollers as “not the most kid-friendly place.” Luckily, baby Evie was in a good mood that day. According to the honest parents:
Our daughter is like most babies. She has her on and off days. We avoid taking her out if she’s fussy.
And they’re not expecting any more benefits for good behaviour:
‘I won’t expect the discount the next time I dine there — even if [Evie] is being just as sweet as she was yesterday.’
Good days, bad days – sometimes it’s just out of your control. But a little reward to commemorate those holiest of quiet, well-behaved meals is never a bad thing.
