Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

One of our local restaurants has posted this sign on their door:



There's nowhere to leave a stroller outside, so they're basically saying they don't want kids. Plus, in the pre-sign days, Penelope and I were there once with the girls and the reception was decidedly frosty (in their defense, Penelope said she went back once after that and they were fine).

My first reaction to this sign is, "fuck you, you're not getting any more of my business" (and that's the reaction of at least one other mom in the 'hood).

This isn't the first sign like this I've seen. There's a furniture store we (used to) like at Queen and Bathurst with a sign that discourages "SUV sized strollers".

My second reaction is to consider that, well, maybe they have the right to have signs like this. But I wonder why they have them? Are children and strollers really that inconvenient? I can't rememeber the last time I was in a restaurant and was annoyed by a child. Aren't most parents pretty considerate of other diners and restaurant staff?

Personally, we only take Cakes with us for brunch or lunch. If we want to go out to dinner, we go alone. If we are out, and Cakes gets noisy, one of us takes her outside. We bring lots of toys, tip well, and pick up all the Cheerios off the floor when we leave.

The offending restaurant is not a fine-dining establishment--they're not even open for dinner.

What pisses me off is that I think they have signs like this because they think kids (and parents) aren't cool.

These too cool for school Queen Street joints don't want the babes spoiling their image.

I think this is stupid of them, as they'll lose out on a lot of business (especially in my neighbourhood where there are lots of parents, and lots of great places to eat*) but that's their choice.

Now if only they would put up a sign like this:



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* If you're looking for a kid-friendly restaurant (and excellent food) in Leslieville/South Riverdale, try: Verveine, Joy Bistro, Kubo Radio, and Bonjour Brioche.