LET THE FLAMES BEGIN>>>adult only dining

[Nadine and Fred]

I do not expect to be popular after this but after dining at Jiko 's with my DH last week and enduring the crying and whining from the 3 year old at the next table I have to ask...why would the parents subject their child to a restaurant like this? while it did not spoil our fabulous meal, it certainly put a damper on it. If I go to Chef Mickey or Crystal Palace, I expect this but not at a venue like Jiko. (I would include CG, Flying Fish, the steakhouses) I would welcome additional comments from everyone. Please no flaming; I would like this to be a non pejorative discussion.

 

[allisonwonderland]

i hafta agree with ya honey.After hearing many a poor lil one cry the ENTIRE time at a "nice,romantic place"I wondered why they had the poor thing there to begin with.he was soooo unhappy an was crying for his I am guessing a teddy bear or something(had a nickname for it).the parents were kinda buttheads anyway,,let the kid run around kicking chairs,,knocking over bread baskets..they were also VERY RUDE to the waiter(host, other patrons)......the entire place APPLAUDED WHEN THEY LEFT!!!now this was not at WDW,,,BUT i know what ya mean..poor lil kid..they were mean to him too come to think of it.....geeshhhhhh

 

[Taratink]

I have a 3 and 5 yr old and we just got back from our WDW trip. The fanciest we got was Ohana's. My kids are pretty good in restaurants but I still avoided Artist Point. I understand that you would be frustrated. I don't like to listen to my own whinning kids. You have a right to be dissapointed. I just hate it when people are snobby towards kids at WDW. I believe that children deserve to be treated with respect and not as a bother. I know that your post is very respectful and there are no flames here.
Tara

 

[Ellester]

Well, I have small kids (6, 3, and 10 months), and I agree with you. Unless you know that your child will be exceptionally well behaved (and after a day at the parks, I think this is pretty well impossible) it is not fair to your child or the other patrons to take them to an "adult" type venue. I would love to eat at the places you mentioned. And I'm sure I will someday, once my kids are old enough to all go to the Neverland Club or stay with grandma. Until then, I'll have to stick with "family friendly" places. Just makes sense to me.

 

[Nadine and Fred]

I have a 3 and 5 yr old and we just got back from our WDW trip. The fanciest we got was Ohana's. My kids are pretty good in restaurants but I still avoided Artist Point. I understand that you would be frustrated. I don't like to listen to my own whinning kids. You have a right to be dissapointed. I just hate it when people are snobby towards kids at WDW. I believe that children deserve to be treated with respect and not as a bother. I know that your post is very respectful and there are no flames here.
Tara

Thanks for your thoughful responses( Both you and Allison) I too, get upset when people do not respect children; I also think that this extends to parents who take their children to places where they may not be comfortable. I know that WDW is a family place but maybe there needs to be a caveat to that (ie; not all places are as welcoming to young children)

 

[bubblefactory]

Have to disagree with the OP. Our kids know how to behave and enjoy eating in this type of restaurant and would be disappointed to be excluded from them, but I will admit to making our PS's earlier in the evening so they don't get tired.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

I totally agree with the OP. Sometimes I just shake my head.

 

[daubernurse]

I have 2 small boys (7 and 2) and I agree with you as well. I have been searching the restaurant board and allears since I started planning so that I can find restaunts that willbe fun for both of them. I just can't help but think how bored my boys would be at a signature restaurant. Even though they are both fairly well behaved, if they are bored they are going to find ways to entertain themselves and that is going to end up taking away from the atmosphere of a nicer restaurant. Why don't they offer any adult only dining at WDW?? The cruise line does.

 

[Ellester]

Our kids know how to behave and enjoy eating in this type of restaurant and would be disappointed to be excluded from them, but I will admit to making our PS's earlier in the evening so they don't get tired.

That is the key, they know how to behave. So many parents just seem to let their little ones run free. If one of our kids did have a meltdown, I would hope one of us would be observant enough to take them out to the lobby or even call the dinner a wash and leave.

 

[eeyore0062]

I can understand why you may want a night out that is adults only... I know we do when we go to WDW. Although we have had kids sitting around us, they were not bothersome. We have enjoyed an adult meal at the Yachtsman, Fultons, Narcoosee's, Alfredos and Le Cellier.

For pretty much exclusive adult only dining, your best bet would be Victoria and Albert's. Because they do not offer a children's menu and the prices are expensive, rarely will you see children there.

All other WDW owned and operated restaurants will welcome children, offer a children's menu and try very hard to make them feel at home. Some of these restaurants that are more skewed toward adult tastes are Flying Fish, Jiko, California Grille, Artist's Point, Citricos and possibly the Yachtsman. Others not owned by Disney, but still on the property would include Fulton's, Blue Zoo, Palio and Shulas. You may well have children around you, but Disney is a family vacation spot, so perhaps you can request a more secluded table.

 

[Kaycee]

Bubblefactory, it doesn't sound like you're disagreeing with the OP at all. In fact, what you're saying is exactly the point. Your children would not have been that 3 year old that the OP had to endure listening to because you monitor the situation and are aware that your children will behave well before you take them out to dine. Now my children, on the other hand, would have been horrendous in a nice restaurant as toddlers - they were very rowdy, active little boys. So we did not take them to nice restaurants until they got older. They're teenagers now (and very well-mannered, I might add), so it's no longer an issue for us, but when they were little we only dined at family friendly restaurants.

Luckily for you, you don't have the problem we did. The sad part is when parents have children that cannot behave in nice restaurants, and they take them there anyway.

 

[Melrosgirl]

I had a similar experience at Jiko. A couple was there with their 2 year old. They let the 2 year old run around their table over and over again. Drove me crazy. (I have 2 small kids, but I know how to keep their under control - well...I pretend I do at least.)

I think it just comes down to people being rude. I understand that kids don't always behave, but when they run around the tables at a nice restaurant or down the hallways in the hotel at 9 p.m. after the fireworks, that's a bad reflection on the parents.

 

[robinb]

I do not expect to be popular after this but after dining at Jiko 's with my DH last week and enduring the crying and whining from the 3 year old at the next table I have to ask...why would the parents subject their child to a restaurant like this?

Short answer, they were hungry. Longer answer (1) They didn't want to leave their child with a baby sitter, (2) They didn't know how s/he would react until they got there (3) it is Disney World and I expect crying and whining children at all restaurants except Victoria and Albert's.

Please no flaming; I would like this to be a non pejorative discussion.

Good luck!

I'm sure you'll have the Practically Perfect Parents Squad here soon to agree with you. My kid was the fussy one.

 

[Nadine and Fred]

That is the key, they know how to behave. So many parents just seem to let their little ones run free. If one of our kids did have a meltdown, I would hope one of us would be observant enough to take them out to the lobby or even call the dinner a wash and leave.

Did not mean to leave you out....
Bubblefactory...While I am sure that your kids would be OK, what if they were not? Would you or your husband interrupt your dinner or leave early??

 

[Nadine and Fred]

Short answer, they were hungry. Longer answer (1) They didn't want to leave their child with a baby sitter, (2) They didn't know how s/he would react until they got there (3) it is Disney World and I expect crying and whining children at all restaurants except Victoria and Albert's.

Good luck!

I'm sure you'll have the Practically Perfect Parents Squad here soon to agree with you. My kid was the fussy one.

robinb...AKL has a restaurant for families and a fast food setting. Surely those places would have been more appropriate!

 

[robinb]

robinb...AKL has a restaurant for families and a fast food setting. Surely those places would have been more appropriate!

Why? Walt Disney World is a family place and kids get cranky. Should the parents be banned to Culinary Siberia because they have a small child?

 

[AJKMOM]

Parents should not allow their whiny, tired kids to ruin everyone elses expensive dinner. If they try it and it doesn't work, then take turns with the kid in the lobby until the food comes. If food doesn't settle him down, get it to go. It isn't fair to the kid or other diners to allow that behavior at a nice, expensive sit down restaurant. Should I be forced to sit next to a crying kid while trying to eat a $50 meal? Where's the antacid and Tylenol?

 

[Kae]

My kids can do well at nice resturants. We found WDW to be very stimulating so we changed our plans alot. We founds that sit downs lunches worked better for us. (Iknow that alot of places are not open for lunch)But if we had PS at a Signature place & the kids were cranky I would change them.

By the way my DS4(at the Time) favorite thing at the world was the neverlandclub.

Kae

 

[chobie]

I think that one should expect children at any place that offers a kid's menu. WDW is about family vacations and couples with small children deserve to be able to get a nicer dinner if they want and bring their kids along. In fact its a great place to introduce your children to nice restaurants. A few restaurants V&A, Shulas, the upstairs place at France in the WS don't offer kids menus and those are the only places I would expect to not see small kids, but even if I did I would not be shocked, its WDW, how can you not expect kids everywhere?

Flame suit on.

 

[kirbsam]

non pejorative???????