A family in Bend, Oregon was refused service at a local restaurant because they brought a baby along. The servers at upscale restaurant Baltazar told Yvette Nishikawa they didn't have a high chair for her baby because they didn't 'specialize in children.' After leaving the restaurant, Ms. Nishikawa called the owner who reiterated that he didn't want to encourage patrons to bring their kids to dine.
Then, she blogged about it. And the furor took off from there. Angry posts went up encouraging families with kids to boycott Baltazar's, and pretty soon the other side started weighing in.
In my view, there are times and places for children. A fancy restaurant and a spa are two occasions when the presence of children is disruptive and inappropriate. There are plenty of kid-friendly dining experiences you can have with your kids in nearly every city. Why do you need to go to a white-table cloth establishment in order to enjoy a family night out? And truly, is anything more annoying than having a nice mommy break at a spa overrun by misbehaving kids who scream and carry-on?
