More often than not, young children and restaurants are not a compatible mix. The idea of sitting in the same place for over an hour without the freedom to run around and play with their toys isn’t appealing to many kids.

As a result of their boredom or discomfort, they may start to misbehave, creating chaos for both their family and nearby customers.

A restaurant in New York has devised a possible solution to this common issue by rewarding parents of “well-behaved” children with a special discount.

A viral picture of the establishment’s bill lists a $6.72 discount off the total amount, thanks to the polite young customers.

A restaurant in New York has devised a plan to incentivize good behavior among their youngest customers

Image credits: Pexels/Vanessa Loring

The idea sparked debate on social media. While some argued that it’s an efficient way to incentivize good parenting, others highlighted the inherently unpredictable behavior of children.

A fan of the initiative said, “I like the idea. We’ve made sure our daughter is well-behaved, but there are some parents that let their kids run feral in restaurants, and everyone else has to put up with their screaming, throwing things, and running around people’s tables.”

“And a 10 per cent surcharge if they’re poorly behaved. We need the carrot and the stick on this one,” someone suggested. 

“It really means ‘well-behaved parents.’ I used to take my kids out of the restaurant and let the rest of the family and customers eat in peace whenever one of my kids acted up,” a mother wrote. 

“Most parents did at the time. I don’t see that happen very often nowadays.”

Another person shared, “I would absolutely 100 percent give a massive discount to well-behaved children at my job… I work at a toy store.”

The establishment provides a special discount to parents of “well-behaved” children as a gesture of appreciation for keeping a calm environment

Image credits: Pexels/ALINA MATVEYCHEVA

Other parents, however, insisted that customers should be more understanding towards young children, recognizing that it’s unrealistic to expect perfect behavior all the time.

“As someone who has what people continue to refer to as a ‘well-behaved’ baby, I think this is really stupid. Kids are people, they’re human beings, and not all of them are going to be ‘well behaved’ all the time, and that’s life,” a separate parent said.

“This is insane and dumb for a restaurant. Having someone make a judgment call on every single table with kids (unless it’s a literal guarantee to make them come back) is ridiculous,” another person complained. 

Many parents loved the idea, while others argued that people should be more understanding towards young children

Image credits: Pexels/Anna Shvets

This family received a $6.72 discount for their well-mannered children

Image credits: BlackBurnerr

Then, some people pointed to the ambiguity of the term “well-behaved,” which could turn into a constant headache for the waitstaff when parents disagree with their definition.

“Now I want to see some lady demanding the discount because she thinks her brats are well-behaved,” a social media user commented, while another agreed, writing, “I can see this causing problems.”

Another person said, “I love this, but it’s also begging to set the worst kinds of people off (having such a discount kind of is, already). No one gets paid enough to deal with that s***.”

“What is sad is parents need incentive to make sure their children behave,” a separate social media user wrote.

The controversial idea sparked varying opinions among parents

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