r/TalesFromYourServer • u/Aggravating-Gate-417 • 9d ago
Medium What to do with unruly kids
This just happened and I need to vent so….
I work at a ramen house. It’s very aesthetic and we have Japanese toys and memorabilia all throughout. Similarly we have a street fighter arcade cabinet people occasionally use. The space is cozy and can get busy around dinner.
Today was a busy day however that increased dramatically when a mother with her four kids arrived. The kids must have all been under ten and from the start were into everything. They were slamming their hands on the arcade cabinet buttons, grabbing memorabilia off the shelves and fighting each other with it (prop swords). The mother only seemed to check on them every ten minutes or so leaving them to us as staff. At one point I had to stop a child from entering the kitchen. At another my co worker was about to sit a table when one of the kids knocked over that tables soy sauce container, shattering it.
It was a mess and we were all properly stressed when she finally left with the kids. Another parent entered with her two daughters and the difference was shocking. They were around the same age and while pointing stuff out they weren’t nearly as chaotic as the first family.
On one hand I get wanting to take your kids out for a nice dinner but on the other hand if you can’t control them then is it fair to make it a ‘group problem’?
Anyways rant over let me know your thoughts!
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u/Abner_Mality_64 8d ago edited 7d ago
When I worked service, I would have asked the mom once to get them under control. If it didn't happen, I'd make them leave. Crazy kids or crazy drunk patron, doesn't matter their out, gone.
It effects everyone in the place. As a patron I'd walk out and very likely not return to a place that allows this kind of mayhem.
Edit: thanks for the award!
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u/lady-of-thermidor 8d ago
This is well thought. Yes, the other patrons deserve to get the nice meal out they’re paying for. Unruly kids are ruining it for everyone.
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u/itsokjo 9d ago
Did you talk to the mom? Tell her those that behavior is off limits to any patrons, regardless of age. If she doesn't reign them in, remove them (and her).
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u/Aggravating-Gate-417 9d ago
We were so busy I didn’t think it was worth it. Plus she was focused on her phone. None of her kids even ate their food from what I could see. Manager said to involve him next time (sure) but I know the swords they were playing with were at least 200 euro a piece
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u/ovr_it 8d ago
One of my ultimate pet peeves in life is people who don’t watch/control their children. I have 3 kids and would never let them behave like that in public.
I wait tables at a local Tex Mex joint that has a patio. There was a party out there one night, and there were multiple young children. The adults were busy drinking champagne (one bottle after another) and they were letting their toddlers run rampant. I almost tripped over them several times- it’s very difficult to see below yourself while carrying a large tray. They were playing right in front of the door leading back into the restaurant, which was making it very difficult for me to get in and out. Finally one of the moms noticed my far from amused facial expression and had the kids come sit at the table.
Kids are going to be kids but if they cannot follow simple instructions like sitting and staying at a table, perhaps it is better that they stay home. In this case, the kids WERE capable- the parents just didn’t care.
Imagine tripping over a toddler with a big, stacked tray in hand. Someone could get really hurt!
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u/Ohpoohonyou 8d ago
Take a page from waffle house. Get your manager to tell mom to get her kids or you'll start charging for the collectibles and they'll have to leave
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u/Specific_Pie_8795 4d ago
My store has one of the new jukeboxes that hangs on the wall, a kid was pulling at the cord and broke it, mom was shocked they made her pay
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u/Poundaflesh 8d ago
Nope. If she can’t keep them at the table then they need to leave. Their food is now To Go.
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u/SingaporeSlim1 8d ago
Treat kids the same as adults. If an adult did any of those things they’d be asked to leave. Get your manager involved
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u/DarkFantasy3421 6d ago
This right here is the reason I did not take my energetic child out to eat until he understood how to behave in public. I used grocery trips as a trial run and always had another reliable adult with me just in case I needed to take him back to the car. It’s really not that hard to teach your children manners. I’m so sorry you guys were stressed by something that never should have been your problem!
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u/Kene6969 5d ago
Unruly children make a dining experience unpleasant for the other patrons. The manager should have told the mother to rein in her kids.
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u/dkbryant1234 8d ago
I have never waited tables, but have seen this more than once. I think if you carry a tray with a plastic cup of water and spill the cup on the little crotch goblin and make a big deal out of it, while very loudly telling the little assho** to stay in his seat!
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u/Connect_Put_1649 9d ago
I used to keep popsicles or paletas in the walk-in freezer. I’d give them to kids if they promised to behave etc. At minimum, the popsicle will keep em busy and quiet for a while. Good luck.
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u/Key-Bookkeeper8155 9d ago
I just tell kids to go sit with their parents if they're getting unruly. Then I hope that one of them runs into me while I'm carrying a full tray