Yep, we go to semi-spendy restaraunts just to eat now, no lingering. We may not spend as much on liquor and apps…but we also wolf our food and get out quickly. And, we would not go if our kid couldnt go with us.

Ms Beck, I love that comment. We only go places that are clearly family friendly, which means there are restaurants that have come and gone without our being able to get there. Mine are in the “can’t hack it” category, so it’s casual places for us.

And don’t you hate it tho, Mistress, when you get the sitter and get all dolled up for the VERY RARE night out somewhere non-child-friendly . . . and end up sitting next to the wacked-out toddler (cos it’s 10pm for goddess’ sakes!)

I’ve walked out of places where I had reservations due to that. Rather eat in a bar that’s child-free than a tony, pricey place that has overtired kids running around late at night and isn’t set up for it.

Really? ok maybe I am weird but when I am out without my kids and I see poorly behaved kids my reaction is “yes!!! It is not my problem”.

We’re at the stage where “we need to go someplace where if Baby Jekyll rears his head, we can get our meal to go and scoot because we ain’t dealing with this in public little man!”…our corner family diner fits that bill well for us. Of course, they do not have a liquor license, but it is PACKED during all its open hours. They don’t advertise themselves as “kid friendly”, but when the waitress seated us the first time we had the babe with us and he was not in his carrier seat, she asked us “applesauce, sweet potatos, or zucchini? The cooks keep solo cups of purees in the freezer for babes” Could have knocked me over with a feather. He’s since grown into the “fish, sweet potato chips, and corn” meal that isn’t on the menu but is $3.50 and the waitress always asks us if he’ll have his usual. (For comparison sake, at this diner you can get AYCE fish & chip dinners on Friday for $10.95)
He did go to a fine-dining restaurant with us a couple times when he was ::tiny::. He slept in my lap the entire time the first time, he cuddled with Grandma the second. But in both cases, he was under three months old and didn’t have loudly voiced opinions.
@carefree childhood – Nah, you’re not weird. I think somewhat along the same lines.

Glad your kids are so compliant deebee. My own toddler was great at restaurants when he was small, but in his current rambunctious stage is not so docile. I’d rather chalk it up to his personality than my failings as a parent, but hey. We’ll go back to eating out when he develops the patience to sit still. In the meantime, we’re saving money and calories, I guess.

My kids are fairly well behaved, at 6 & 2.5, they understand that no matter where we are sitting down to dinner that it’s not okay to freak out. There has been a time or two when it took too long to get something served and they started to whine. That said…Maybe the restaurant wouldn’t be out so much money if they were more realistic with their kid’s menu. I’ve been to some places that have TEN items in the kid’s menu, not necessarily mini versions of adult food, either…items that would have to be prepared independantly of other items offered on the adult menu. Pare it down…offer 2-4 things. Kids are BASIC. And the portions are HUGE. FOUR chicken tenders, which is probably 6-8 ounces total. Way too huge for a kid. Cut it in half. Enough fries to equal a single potato is probably perfect, too. Bringing over an adult sized plate with “kid” foods on it is a huge waste. I always take our stuff home, and sometimes it’s able to be reheated in the toaster oven…but often it’s a lost cause. Breading gets mushy, ketchup turned the fries into soggy sticks. And we toss it. Not only was it a waste for the restaurant, but I wasted $8. Don’t worry about the fancy menus…a photocopied black & white coloring sheet would do the same thing! I DO seriously appreciate the crayons, though! Food ground into the floor? It’s actually going to happen whether you’re feeding adults or kids…but whose smart idea was it to carpet a highly traveled, heavily fooded area? I never got that. Lots of “formal” dining rooms have carpets. Never made one bit of sense to me. Maybe the carpet helps soften the noise level…but that probably doesn’t matter in a large restaurant, there’s going to be noise no matter what. My husband and I like to take the kids out once a week or so. We actually get to BE TOGETHER at dinner time. He’s deployed right now, but I still take the girls out every other week or so to keep up the “tradition” and practice our public manners. I also take a pic every week so daddy can see his girls enjoying their shirley temples.