Have you ever been dining in a restaurant and witnessed rowdy children, running around while their parents are nowhere to be seen? (If you’ve ever spent any time working in the service industry, the answer is most definitely ‘yes’.)
To help curb the number of dangerous and disruptive incidents involving children, a restaurant in Italy has come up with their solution: a 5% discount for “polite” children.

Antonio Ferrari, who owns the eponymous wine bar in the city of Padua, introduced the offer after spotting a family of 11 people sitting at one of his tables.

The group included five children who, as their parents conversed amiably with a glass of wine, sat with “much composure” playing with markers, drawing pens and colouring books.

“I imagine how difficult parenting is today…I acted instinctively, it was amazing to see how they interacted with each other in that table, with such composure.”

Taken aback by what he calls a ‘rare’ situation, he offered the discount to the party, much to the surprise of the patrons. Ferrari confessed he got inspiration for the discount from a restaurant in Miami who offered a similar perk to its diners.

The response to the idea has been met with mostly praise on social media, however some parents said the offer was controversial. One Twitter user remarked “Don’t ruin kids freedom” while others argued it’s a vague rule:

 

There have been similar ‘polite’ discounts rolled out in other places around the world too. One cafe in France prices their coffee depending on whether you say “hello” and “please” when ordering your drink while a restaurant in LA has a 5% discount if you don’t check your phone.

Filed under: Children, Discount, kids, Restaurant