There's a lot of opinion surrounding the presence of children at upscale dining establishments. Many chefs have outright banned kids under a certain age from their restaurants, and debate rages on in the twitterverse over whether babies "belong" at high-end restaurants.
I think if you feel strongly either way on this issue, then you're probably a parent who is offended at someone assuming you have poor parenting skills and can't control your child in a restaurant. Or, you are a person who cringes at the thought of a baby crying while you attempt to enjoy a meal that is costing you hundreds of dollars. I've served such a man, who literallly jumped in his chair every time a baby nearby gave a yelp; he was shortly transferred to a table outside on our terrace.
I am torn on the matter, because I have seen children at every point on the spectrum of behavior. There are those who prop up their iPads on the table and loudly blast the movie Frozen in the middle of the dining room until they get fidgety and proceed to run around the table with ketchup in their hands. These kids can be pretty bad.
And then there are those like today's memorable guest. I approached the table and saw him sitting there with his grandfather -- he was about 10 years old and looking at the adult menu instead of drawing on the child's menu with crayons. When a server walks out and sees a kid in their section, they get a little bummed. "Disappointment" is too strong a word, but we know children are probably going to make a mess and order something cheap, and they definitely won't drink any high-priced alcohol. Full disclosure: I have a kid, I love kids, this is nothing against kids. It's just less money, that's all.
I brought the grandfather a glass of wine and the boy a soda. I began to take their dinner order, and the adult got the usual -- salad, steak, one side, whatever. The boy began by ordering a dozen Oysters Rockefeller; my interest was piqued. He moved on to a 16-ounce USDA Prime cowboy ribeye, cooked medium rare, with sides. I asked him if that was everything, and he said no, he'd be having our chocolate souffle for dessert. I was floored. Not only was I impressed at how adventurous his order was, but he ordered for himself, confidently and like a boss.
Now, my feelings on this are two-fold. On the one hand, it's awesome because his meal totaled well over $100 and I was excited that my check average wasn't going to be a total loss. On the other hand -- does this kid have more money than me? I'm pretty sure this kid has more money than me.
Sarah, I could buy and sell you. Fetch me more soda and make it snappy.
When their food came out, the duo ate every last bite over deep conversation. It was genuinely a pleasure to serve them. Neither one took out their phone and there was certainly no getting down from the chair to run around the table.
I hesitate to say that children should be banned from fancy restaurants because like this guy, there are a lot of mature kids out there! They're not all going to devour shellfish and a bone-in steak, but neither are they all snot-nosed miscreants. Honestly, when I think back on the most poorly behaved people I've ever served, none of them are kids. I say this from experience: Adults are far more likely to ruin the dining experience of other adults. Perhaps we should stop judging a book by its cover and give children the benefit of the doubt, just like we do with grown-ups.
I have no doubt that the ten-year old from this week's story will mature into a 35-year old who pops bottles of wine and continues to order with swagger. I'd hate to have missed the opportunity to serve him simply because the young don't "belong" in posh restaurants. We let everyone into the doors of my establishment, and I'm ready to serve them, no matter what their age.