Posted on 01/15/2014 4:05:37 AM PST by JoeProBono
CHICAGO, A couple dining at an upscale Chicago restaurant were sharply criticized online when their infant spent the evening crying at the eatery.
Chef Grant Achatz of the Alinea restaurant took to Twitter with a question about crying baby etiquette after the infant cried though the dinner service Saturday night at the three-star restaurant, where meals can cost hundreds of dollars, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.
"Tbl brings 8mo.Old. It cries. Diners mad. Tell ppl no kids? Subject diners 2crying? Ppl take infants 2 plays? Concerts? Hate saying no, but ...," Achatz tweeted.
The tweet sparked sharp criticism online for the parents, who many said should have known better than to bring an infant to an upscale restaurant.
"IT IS ABSURD TO BRING YOUR BABY TO ALINEA," tweeted Michael Nagrant, who reviews restaurants for RedEye. "You do not take a baby to Alinea. Unless the babysitter canceled last minute and Alinea would not refund your ticket. No other debate."
The restaurant takes reservations by allowing customers to purchase tickets, sometimes months in advance. The tickets are not refundable.
Achatz posted a picture to Twitter Sunday featuring two fish heads on a plate.
"Definitely not baby food," he tweeted.
The furor over the incident led to the creation of a Twitter parody account, @AlineaBaby, which bears a user bio saying, "I'm a baby who likes fine food, fine drinks, and crying."
I've read that the restaurant's facebook page has a way to forward the tickets to someone else. Otherwise, I would think call the restaurant, explain, and see if they would call someone on the waiting list. I wouldn't think this place would have a problem getting someone on short notice.
. I don't think the chef did anything that bad. He just asked what should he do, he didn't post a photo of the parents, he didn't name them, he made a semi-serious inquiry.
Hey, I’m not really an authority on fine dining, but every church I’ve gone to has a crying room to calm down children who are not interested in listening to the goings on. If a restaurant is going to charge over $100 per meal, it seems that they should invest in a crying room.
near the cash register
If that is the case, it seems as if this would not be an emergency situation in which they would lose their investment. Rather, they had planned this as an outing with their 9-month-old. Weird.
My children are grown now but I had a rule that under five went out only to breakfast, five to ten, Breakfast and LUnch and ten and over ... out to dinner.
By those ages they had a grip and of course with little ones, the earlier the better.
When did people start hating kids?
It's considerate for the children, too. Most upscale restaurants don't serve grilled cheese sandwiches.
When did conservatives start using emotional hyperbolic accusations against those who expect parents to employ a modicum of consideration and responsibility?
” after the infant cried though the dinner service Saturday night at the three-star restaurant, where meals can cost hundreds of dollars”
NO WONDER THE BABY CRIED!
For the same reason that you applaud the performers after a play. Alinea is not a $200-a-meal Denny's. Grant Achatz' particular style of gastronomy is as much performance art as is a meal.
Which is why screaming babies would be as much of a frustration for other patrons at this particular restaurant, as they would be at the theatre. They're paying not only for the food, but for the experience. You don't have to hate kids, as other posters have suggested, to recognize that there are venues that are not suitable for them.
I don’t know, I enjoy kids and think when I see them they are so cute.
Mine are grown and I don’t have grandchildren yet. But I loved being a mom.
My kids went everywhere, saw everything, traveled, skied, learned to scuba dive, went away to camp. They are fine and not in prison. No one ever cursed at them.
I just think it is a matter of people being too sensitive.
If you like going to a restaurant with only ugly adults, fine. I like kids. I like seeing kids. I hate when the adults are beastly to kids which happens more than kids being beastly to adults.
So, suit yourself Catherine of Aragon. But I do not have to agree with your characterization of things.
Oh. Not my idea of a good time, but whatever.
You don't have to hate kids, as other posters have suggested, to recognize that there are venues that are not suitable for them.
I agree.
Mine are awesome and always have been.
Other people's kids are dirty little animals.
And they smell funny.
True that.
“Once when I was on vacation at Estes Park with kids we walked up to what looked like a nice restaurant and they wouldn’t even let us in. No kids.
I come from a Catholic family. We love babies and we are not flummoxed by babies in church, babies everywhere. What is life all about?”
I so agree with you really!
I have seen more and more restaurants ban children. Some under 6 some under 10 and I agree with this ban. You know why?
It’s not the children’s fault! This is the problem of the parents. They don’t make their children behave. When I was a child if I did half the crap some of these kids do in restaurants, CPS would have been called on my parents by today’s standards.
Restaurants don’t want this. It is more than annoying other customers it is risk of a lawsuit if the kid, while running up and down the idles hurts someone.
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