(PCM) The managers and wait staff at upscale Italian eatery Caruso’s in Mooresville, North Carolina have gotten completely fed up with the behavior of young children in their restaurant and after receiving numerous customer complaints reached the decision to ban any children under the age of 5 from dining in their establishment.
The managers of the restaurant agree that their decision for the ban was a bit controversial and they were certainly prepared for any amount of backlash they might receive as a result of the decision, but surprisingly business is booming. Patrons of the restaurant are praising the managers for their decision and many actually support the restaurants decision. Caruso’s owner, Pasquale Caruso said that he had several customers get up and leave claiming that the behavior from several young children was bothering them and ruined their dining experience and unfortunately the parents of the children were doing nothing to correct the behavior or rectify the situation.
We are sure most of you have had this type of experience at a restaurant before? You can admit it? The owner went on to say that instead of feeling like a fine dining establishment, Caruso’s began to feel more like a local pizza shop instead. Speaking with the Mooresville Tribune, he added “I try to please everyone, and create a nice atmosphere, keeping the restaurant elegant. I want it to be a place where couples and friends can have a nice evening out. I was starting to lose money and customers, because I had very young children coming in, throwing food, running around and screaming.”
The managers claim that the final incident that made them completely go through with the decision to ban children under 5 occurred when a child was playing with an iPad full volume. It was distracting to the other diners and despite many attempts to ask the parents to turn it down they refused. The manager commented “Finally, we had to ask them to leave. They were upset, but they didn’t seem to care about what the other guests thought. We tried to be nice about the situation, but we’re here to take care of customers and we can’t tell a parent how to control their kids.”
It definitely has to be a tough decision because certainly not all children under the age of 5 are that unruly. Heck, some kids over the age of 5 are that unruly. It just depends on the parenting and structure at home. Since the ban has been put in place, Caruso’s has seen a rise in dinner reservations from 50 to about 80, as people truly seem to be enjoying the new relaxed (and quiet dining) experience!
