Looks like I found my dream job, y’all. A restaurant in Mooresville, North Carolina just moved into first place ahead of the imaginary restaurant in my head that has margaritas flowing from the tap and every shift meal is a bowl of ice cream. An Italian restaurant named Caruso’s has made the decision to ban children aged 5 and younger from coming into the restaurant and it is now officially where I want to work.
Says manager Michael Mills, “Sometimes the children become rowdy, and some of our other guests, it has made them upset because the parents don’t do the right thing of taking the child out.”
All praise Michael Mills. He speaks the truth. He is our leader. Praise him.
Understandably, some parents are not happy with the decision. Whitney Labozzetta who has popped out six children was quoted as saying, “We actually got up and left because the waitresses were very rude. When my daughter, who is one, cried, they gave us the nasty look.”
Ummm, Whitney, you are exactly why the new rule was created. Any restaurant can decide who they want to serve and who they don’t want to serve. Apparently, they do not want to serve your whining 1-year old, so if you and your brood are craving some Italian food, hop on over to the Piggly Wiggly and get yourself some Pizza Rolls. For every customer who is upset that they can’t take their toddler to the restaurant, there are about ten customers who are happy about it. The country is full of restaurants that welcome children. For those of us who might like to dine with the assurance that we won’t hear the high-pitched scream of a 2-year old who wants another Shirley Temple, can’t we have Caruso’s? Can’t you go to one of the thousands of other restaurants that that don’t care if your child is there? Just give us this one restaurant and you can cram your kids into a giant stroller and go practically anywhere else.
If you want to go show some love to Caruso’s, here is their Facebook page. Make sure they know that there are plenty of people who applaud this decision. Also, ask them if they are hiring and tell them to be on the lookout for my resume.
Julie Wozniak
PLEASE move to Mooresville! I live in Mooresville, love the Lake Norman Area, and would welcome you! Caruso’s is delicious and elegant. Please come!
guest
sounds like my kind of restaurant i suppose.
Whitney
I am very offended by the comments in regards to my children. Therefore it wasn’t the fact that they banned kids it was the fact of how we were treated. So, who ever posted this about me as a mother and saying that I popped out six kids I am glad you are so gracious about it. I don’t care what the owner does or enforces it was the fact of how we were treated!! But I love the way people over react and assume you are a bad parent for making a statement. I wish you all the best and taking and bashing other people is ridiculous.
guest
you’re such a hypocrite bitch for posting all that crap. if you think bashin’ people is ridiculous, get the hell of here.
guest
oops. i meant “hypocritical” and not “hypocrite.”
Erin
Back when I was little (pre-1990), I feel like parents were pretty careful about where they took their kids and how their kids behaved. The only place my friends and I were allowed to play around a little was Pizza Hut (back when that was a dine-in restaurant!) when no one else was there. (And by play around I mean sit under the table or sing silly songs, not throw food everywhere, run around, and scream.) It seems a lot of parents today (who are people my age) truly do not want to discipline their children.
It’s a shame because well-behaved children do exist (I say that as someone who is child-free). But, as with most things, some people are going to ruin it for the rest of us.
Kc__unreal
Couldn’t agree more! I also remember it being that way. Now parents will drag their spawn literally anywhere. And don’t get me started when you get several groups of parents with their collective spawn. The parents sit and drink and talk while their children run wild. That seems to be the norm now, and it really does ruin it for other diners. Especially if this is happening at a restaurant that wasn’t really intended for children. I do have a child, and I’m a server. And unlike most, I want to be respectful of those around me. When my daughter was younger and less predictable I would have never brought her to a resaurant I didn’t feel was kid friendly. And even then there was no way in hell she would be allowed to run around like a wild animal or cry and scream. That is so insanely rude. Yet I see it all the time. I honestly hope I see more owners do this. Parents these days don’t seem to understand or acknowledge boundaries and limits and assume they can take their kids anywhere and could care less if their screaming offspring annoy the crap out of everyone else. You’re right, ruining it for everyone. when I do actually see a well behaved kid that has manners I make sure to compliment them on it, it is that rare.
Tyler
Being from Mooresville myself, I think there may be an understated concern here.
The Lake Norman Area has a culture of businesses and schools developing “rules” that are selectively enforced.
If a wealthy, white family comes in with kids, you really think they are gonna get kicked out?
My experience living in the town in general (to be fair, I don’t know how this specific restaurant enforces age restrictions) dictates that wealth is conspicuous (and often tied with other demographic factors).
If you don’t look like a big-tipper (aka if you aren’t white and arrived in a luxury vehicle), the restaurant has a No Kids policy, so you should take your obnoxious family’s presence out of there. Otherwise, I bet they’re happy to make exceptions.
Unfortunately, I’m skeptical the same problem wouldn’t arise in other establishments if the rule becomes customary (regardless of geography).
Sara K.
From the author…
“Any restaurant can decide who they want to serve and who they don’t want to serve.”
So it is OK not to serve women, people of color, or homosexuals?
RadGrrl
A business owner should be able to serve the demographic he/she chooses. Personally, I wouldn’t own any business where the Man gets to shoehorn itself into my affairs.
Cameron Rose
if those women, people of color and homosexuals were running around the restaurant screaming they would be asked to leave. It’s a false equivalency
Sara K.
Asking someone to leave because of their behavior is not the same ask denying someone entrance because of someone else’s behavior. Also, banning children is inherently sexist and racist. Statistics show that the vast majority of single parent families are headed by women and families of color have more children than white families. A child ban would limit access to women and people of color at a greater rate than white men.
Is it surprising that the restaurant is located south of the Mason-Dixon line?
Mike F
Stop with the race card BS!!! Fine dining establishments should have minimum age requirements. I’m paying for the dining experience, not just the food. I don’t want it ruined by some screaming kid, especially when parents can’t or won’t control them. Victoria & Albert’s is consistently rated one of the best restaurants in FL, their minimum age is 10. They are also located in Disney World! Are you going to accuse Disney World of being discriminatory and racist?
guest
you tell her, man!
Ash
I’m a woman. And very liberal. I also don’t like kids. If there were any restaurant around me that didn’t allow them, they would get *all* of my business. The *vast* majority of restaurants allow children of any age. To say that one restaurant choosing not to allow them means that single mothers everywhere can’t go out to eat is ludicrous. There is plenty of legitimate discrimination and outrageous things going on around us, there’s no need to go searching for a source of outrage.
guest
you’re likely my type of liberal.
guest
you’re such a friggin’ liar, you kid-lovin’ slut! all restaurants have every right ban children whenever they want. by claimin’ that bannin’ those kids from those places is sexist an’ racist, that goes to show how fucked up in the head you are.
so leave those child lovers an’ get on with your damn life!
Monica Baker
The Olive Garden allows children, they can go there for their All you Can stuff in your face food fix with their nosepickers.
BTW I have two kids. When I go out on a date with my husband, I don’t want to be subjected to anybody else’s kids, and I have the common decency to hire a sitter.
Sharkface McGee
The type of people complaining are the exact type of people who would drag a 1 year old to a fine dining restaurant for some scallopini in saffron wine sauce and marinated baby octopus.
Seriously, how daft do you have to be?
Tipsykit
In before 20 people come on here screaming about how their angelic crotchfruit shouldn’t be subjected to such awful discrimination.
Cameron Rose
In my experience, the parents who scream the loudest about their children being perfect angels are exactly the parents saying “he’s just being a kid!” when their ankle biter is running screaming through a restaurant.
Kc__unreal
Angelic crotchfruit ???? I’m dying
guest
you have shit for brains if you think that’s funny.
Ash
You can consider “angelic crotchfruit” stolen hahaha
guest
shut the hell up.