A restaurant responds to misbehaving kids!

I AM PLEASED TO announce that I have a new hero. His name is Mike Vuick. I've never met him. He owns a restaurant in the Pittsburgh area and a recent news report told me something that I've been waiting to hear for years: Mr. Vuick, brave soul that he must be, says he has a new policy in which he he won't allow kids under age 6 in his restaurant. With so many doting parents proudly showing off their cranky kids in public venues, Vuick risks a parental backlash. But as he puts it:

"There's nothing wrong with babies, but the fact is, you can't control their volume. " He says with no special insight that it disturbs his other customers who would enjoy a peaceful night out for dinner. He says even if kids are the center of the parents universe, it's not the universe of people paying for a good meal in golden silence.

As a couple who dine out quite often, we have encountered an increasing number of moments when we have changed tables (or restaurants) or asked for ear plugs. Kids have driven past our table in Kiddie Cars, or wrestled their friends to the floor or danced on padded seats while shrieking to no one in particular while their parents submitted to the havoc with a aren't-they-the sweetest-little-devils smile. Cute, huh?

Some people are already said to be complaining to Vuick that his new policy is offensive. Hold it right there, people. Try dinner on the town sometime without the brats. You might like it. And so would I.