Restaurant Gives Family a...haved Kids

At a time where airlines are charging more for child-free seats and people are routinely enraged about out-of-control kids in public, one restaurant is rewarding parents when their pint-size diners show good manners.

When Laura King and her family got their bill at Sogno di Vino, a small Italian restaurant in Poulsbo, Washington, listed under the subtotal was something they had never seen before: A discount for "Well Behaved Kids."

"As a family of five with kids aged 2, 3 and 8, we know the restaurant staff isn't always terribly excited to have us at one of their larger tables. Having worked front of house in the restaurant industry prior to having children, I also know first hand what it can be like to serve families," King wrote on her blog. "We don't expect handouts for acting respectful of the folks who bring us our food. But it certainly makes you feel good when someone else notices your kids in a positive light."

The discount isn't restaurant policy though Sogno di Vino owner Rob Scott said that he tries to reward good behavior when he sees it. He often offers free desserts to families with well-behaved children, he told NBC's Today show, but this was the first time he had included it as a discount on the bill.

When it comes to good restaurant manners, though, the King kids have had plenty of practice. "We take our kids out to dinner at least weekly, varying the restaurants, types of cuisine and ambiance," King told Yahoo! Shine.

"We don't expect rewards for behavior," she added. "Our discipline starts at home and what follows is well behaved kids in public."

That's not to say that things are always perfect. "If we were to have a meltdown, we would remove our child from the table and go to a quiet place, most likely the restroom, and have a chat with them," King explained.

The King family's experience is a reminder that parents don't have to relegate themselves to years of "family friendly" processed food at places with drive-up windows or giant mouse mascots.

"My advice is simple: make sure your kids are well rested, have had a snack and are going to get your (the parents') attention while out at dinner," King told Yahoo! Shine. "Notice your surroundings with your kids -- the music, the people, the art, the food, the sounds of the chefs, etc. Talk with your servers, talk with the chefs if they're visible, engage with the experience as a whole."

Well shit... I am way overdue! All I ever get is a bunch of strangers coming over to hand my kids compliments.

What a rip!

paintedlady said:

Well shit... I am way overdue! All I ever get is a bunch of strangers coming over to hand my kids compliments.

What a rip!

I was thinking the SAME thing!

Oh, man - my parents didn't brook any nonsense in restaurants.

I remember one time, we were out for a Friday night fish fry. It was all-you-can-eat, and my dad would always say, "Now don't fill up on bread. Save your appetite for the fish." (Because that was the most expensive part of the meal - and what he was really paying for.) When we were finished, we asked if we could order dessert, to which my dad replied, "Dessert?! I'm not paying a dollar a scoop for ice cream. Your dessert is being here in the first place!"

Us -->

We never asked for dessert at a restaurant again.

Genesia said:

Oh, man - my parents didn't brook any nonsense in restaurants.

I remember one time, we were out for a Friday night fish fry. It was all-you-can-eat, and my dad would always say, "Now don't fill up on bread. Save your appetite for the fish." (Because that was the most expensive part of the meal - and what he was really paying for.) When we were finished, we asked if we could order dessert, to which my dad replied, "Dessert?! I'm not paying a dollar a scoop for ice cream. Your dessert is being here in the first place!"

Us -->

We never asked for dessert at a restaurant again.

what????? People actually let their kids OUT IN PUBLIC?!?!?!?

ripped OFF!!!

ZombieKitten said:

what????? People actually let their kids OUT IN PUBLIC?!?!?!?

ripped OFF!!!

Some of us even undo the leashes first.

Really smart marketing.

Lammastide said:

Really smart marketing.

Yeah it is.

Lammastide said:

Really smart marketing.

Indeed. Intended for parents who have well behaved kids, and the fellow diners who love them

some parents need more than $4 to keep their kids under control

they can bargain and say they'll make sure their kids r good 4 $6

There are just places you shouldn't bring kids who aren't ready.

1. movie theaters

2. restaurants

3. amusement parks

Seriously. It's wasting your money, and ruining for others.