I don't know what I hate more -- people who can't stand being inconvenienced by children, or people who try to tell parents how they should or should not handle their own children. It's a tossup I think, and a group of teachers and a beer garden in New York have covered both bases.
I've never been to Greenwood Park in Brooklyn, but it sounds like an amazing, family-friendly place (their website even says it is). With more than 13,000 square feet, there are indoor and outdoor seats, food, picnic tables, and boccie ball courts. Just the kind of place you could go with your kids and some friends for a little low-key happy hour ... or it was until some teachers complained and got kids banned after 4 p.m.
Their reasoning is infuriating.
Greenwood Park owner Dianne Vasilakos told the New York Daily News that the group of teachers was fed up with kids: “They are surrounded by children all day. They don’t want to also see them here.”
Understandable, but then THEY should move elsewhere. Mommies want to drink too.
They already have a 21 and older policy after 7 p.m., which is one thing, but kicking kids out after 4 p.m. is pretty much just a big slap in the face to parents.
As for children being in bars in general, it should be up to each parent to decide if that's the right place for his or her child. Parents can order alcohol everywhere from Chipotle to Chili's, so unless you want to ban kids from a majority of eating establishments -- as I'm sure some people would like to -- then you have to let parents be in charge of their own decisions. If you don't like it, don't take your kids there; otherwise, sit back and enjoy your drink and leave the kids alone.
Of course there will always be a few out-of-control ones here and there -- parents, kids, and yes, teachers too -- and they should be dealt with on an individual basis. But just kicking kids out so teachers can throw back a few is bad business in more ways than one.
Do you think this restaurant was out of line to ban kids after 4 p.m.?
Image via vmiramontes/Flickr
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Comments 27
What isn't mentioned in this article is that Greenwood Park is a beer garden! Not a family restaurant. Their main draw is alcohol. I see no issue with limiting children from an establishment that caters to drinking. The point about banning kids from places like Chili's doesn't fit with this situation since Chili's is known for food and having a family atmosphere.
Places like Applebees are a bar and grill... should kids be banned after 4pm there? My grandparents owned a bar for 20 years, and I grew up in and around it. I also knew when I was to stay upstairs (their apartment was above the bar.) Either way, My sister and I would take meals down to the bar for the person working. all the regulars knew us.
Hmmm, i don't really know. I know most Irish pubs have a carvery, or a food menu, and i bloody love a good carvery dinner, so i can understand why you'd bring a child with you.
Kids do not belong everywhere that adults are able to go.
A beer garden being one of those places. Everything shouldn't cater to kids... And teachers, of all people, deserve a break away from your precious princess snowflake superman!
Being a parent does not entitle you to take your child *everywhere*. Good god...and we wonder WHY kids these days have such an entitlement attitude.