Parents peeved after U.S restaurant charges them $68 for 'bad parenting'
Fed up with misbehaving children at their establishment, a restaurant in the U.S state of Georgia imposed a dining surcharge on a pair of customers recently – for bad parenting.
The couple were left stunned when they were asked to fork out USD$50 (S$68) for an “unable-to-parent” surcharge at the end of their meal – because of their “loud” children’s bad behaviour, they were told.
The parents, Kyle and Lyndsey Landmann, criticised the Toccoa River Restaurant online after the incident, with Kyle leaving a review saying he was “disappointed by the experience”.
“The owner came out and told me he was adding $50 to my bill because of my children’s behaviour,” he wrote. “My kids watched a tablet until the food arrived, ate their food and my wife took them outside while I waited and paid the bill.”
The Florida couple were with their three young boys and four other families. Eleven children sat at the table, ranging from three to eight years old.
Lyndsey told U.S media outlets that she was appalled, and insisted her kids were well-behaved.
'The kids were sitting at one end of the table and they were being so good,” she said. 'I even commented halfway through the meal, "I can’t believe how well-behaved they are."'
After dessert, some of the parents took their children down to the water -- and that's when restaurant owner Tim Richter approached her, Lyndsey said.
Faced with the penalty charge, Lyndsey asked for an explanation. She claimed Richter told her they were being "too loud".
He was angry that the kids were "running around outside", even though they were chaperoned by adults, she said.
The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant notifies customers beforehand that those with children in tow could be charged an extra fee if necessary.
A photo of the menu recently appeared on Reddit. A line in it bluntly reads: “Adult surcharge: For adults unable to parent $$$.”
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