Most restaurants not into ‘screaming child’ surcharge, say they risk losing customers over ‘touchy’ matter

SINGAPORE — Unruly children causing a ruckus while out eating with their parents at restaurants can be disruptive and frustrating for other diners, but most food-and-beverage (F&B) business owners said that they will not consider penalising their customers with a surcharge.

They also told TODAY that they often let the unruly behaviour persist because they do not want to offend their customers, and that the most they are willing to do is gently request that the family keep the noise down, or move other customers away from the noise. 

These comments came on the back of a controversial move by Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill restaurant to impose a S$10 surcharge for noisy or uncontrollable children.

The Mothership website published an article earlier this month saying that the restaurant on Outram Road had informed one of its customers that it had a "screaming children surcharge" that it could impose if a table had screaming or uncontrollable children. 

When contacted by TODAY, the restaurant said that it had introduced the surcharge more as a deterrent than one that it would actively enforce.

In the meantime, this move has been drawing mixed reactions from the public.

Some people told TODAY that the policy is unreasonable and that the restaurant should either be wholly welcoming to children and families, or impose an age limit to prohibit children from entering altogether.

Others applauded the move and said that it is a parent's duty to ensure their children are not being a nuisance in public spaces. 

Most restaurants interviewed by TODAY were resigned to the fact that there are often diners with rowdy children, and that there is little to be done about it. 

Ms Leng Shi Jia, the events and catering assistant manager at Santi's Pizza & Produce, said that whenever a child misbehaves, it is not up to the restaurant to discipline or reprimand the child, but the parents. 

"We feel that it is the family members who are supposed to be taking care of the child, and not us who are responsible," she said. "It's a bit annoying, but I feel like I can't really stop a child from running around." 

She added that the restaurant, which is located in Telok Ayer, will not impose a surcharge for screaming children despite the inconveniences that may come with it, because it could reduce their customer base if it did so.

"I think (families) will just avoid going to an eatery that does that. I don't think they would want to pay a surcharge since there are so many other restaurants that do not make them pay that," she said. 

Agreeing, Mr Edward Lee, business director of PS Gourmet, which runs the PS Cafe chain, said that there is only so much a restaurant can do when there are rowdy children. 

For PS Cafe, Mr Lee said that it focuses on giving families the option to sit in the alfresco dining areas where there is more space for children to run around and less echo from the noise children may make. 

It may also move diners away from a part of the restaurant with noisy children, if there are enough seats available. 

As a last resort, the service crew may consider bringing up the issue of the rowdy children to the family, but Mr Lee said that there is no perfect solution. 

"It's a touchy subject when you talk about telling someone’s parents about their children, so when we get a complaint we will be mindful in how we try to bring it up with the parents... It’s also a case-by-case approach," he added. 

Given the persistence of such raucous behaviour, some restaurant owners agreed that Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill has the right to impose a surcharge, because it is not different from having an age limit for entering a nightclub or imposing a dress code. 

Cafe owner Colin Chen said that the issue at hand is not just about children, but how rules should be followed in general.

"It’s almost like visiting a person’s house, you have to abide by the rules a person sets, if you are a willing diner and want to eat at that place," he said.

"I find no harm in an absolute so-called ‘rule’... A restaurant is entitled to curate an experience, and as members of the public, you don’t need to feel offended, because you may not be (the restaurant's) target customers.”

Mr Chen, who owns The Refinery, a cafe in Jalan Besar, and cafe chain Hello Arigato, does not plan to impose any surcharges for rowdy children.

Such uncomfortable situations involving uncontrollable children would require someone who is deft at handling them and Mr Chen said that in the F&B sector, it would be hard to find workers with the right skills to tell paying customers to behave in a more respectful way without offending them. 

In response to queries from TODAY, Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill said that the surcharge was introduced as a form of deterrence and to discourage disrespect or unsafe behaviour and not because the restaurant wants to be unreasonable.

"We have no desire to enforce the policy — only when the experience of other patrons has been compromised," it said. 

"Our general rule of thumb is quite simple: If children are running around unsupervised, disturbing other patrons, or left unattended, we will respectfully ask the parents or caretaker to assist with the situation.

"If the matter is left unmanaged or other guests continue to complain, we will speak with the parents or caretaker before escalating the situation further." 

PARENTS DIVIDED ON PAYING SURCHARGE

Some parents said that the policy by Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill is not inclusive, whereas others agreed with it, saying that it is a parent's duty to ensure that their own child does not run amok in public.

One 39-year-old mother, who wanted to be known only as Ms Ang, believes that Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill was being "reactive to customer complaints rather than being thoughtful about their policies". 

"When we start implementing rules and fines around every issue, we are not helping ourselves," the marketing executive who has a one-year-old daughter said.

"A softer approach to create awareness by talking to them would be a good start... I think for the most part, most parents are willing to do what it takes to manage their children." 

Ms Ang added that it would have been better for the restaurant to impose an age limit to signal to families that it positioned itself as a fine-dining establishment rather than try to wear two hats. 

"I would certainly not take my child to a fine-dining establishment... there's a time and place for everything." 

Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill told TODAY that it did not consider adding an age restriction because its goal has always been to share its unique dining experience with as many people as possible, and that includes parents and families with children. 

"Most of our patrons, including our young diners, are very well-behaved and we don't think it would be fair to penalise them simply because others choose not to respect the space of others," it said.

"We hope our approach is enough to discourage selfish behaviour and prevent us from taking a more restrictive stance." 

Not all parents agreed that it is up to the restaurant to handle misbehaving children. They said that it is the parents themselves who need to know where they can or cannot take their crying, fidgety or restless toddlers. 

Agreeing with the policy, father of two Winston Tay, 45, said that if parents know that they have a screaming child, they should generally refrain from taking the child to establishments where others would be disturbed by the noise.

"I would read the establishment’s (policy) as: As long as you maintain discipline or decorum to minimise disturbance for other patrons, you’re fine," the social media manager said.

Mr Tay, whose children are aged 13 and eight, added: "I don’t see this as a 'screaming child' surcharge, I see it as an 'entitled parents who indulge their screaming child' surcharge."