Restaurant adds $50 “bad parenting” surcharge for unruly kids

Georgia’s Toccoa Riverside Restaurant believes there’s no room in its establishment for rowdy kids, and the proprietors have even gone as far as charging a fee for those who ignore the policy, according to WANF.

At the bottom of the menu is an adult surcharge for customers “unable to parent,” followed by three dollar signs.

“Adult surcharge: For adults unable to parent $$$,” the menu reads.

The exact amount is apparently at the restaurant’s discretion, and some parents claim they were charged as much as $50.

The fee isn’t sitting well with some patrons, who have expressed their displeasure on Google Reviews.

One read: “If you have children, absolutely avoid this place at all costs. Holy moly – the most disrespectful owner made a huge scene in front of the entire restaurant because our children were ‘running through the restaurant’ – they were down by the river.. we were told we need to “go to Burger King and Walmart” and that we were bad parents. They have a $50 surcharge for “bad children.”

Another reviewer claims he was charged $50, even though his children were well behaved.

The restaurant owner told WANF he’s had the parent surcharge on the menu since the pandemic, but he’s never had to enforce it on any of his customers. He wants to emphasize the charge is not for kids but for adults who “don’t know how to parent.”

The owner also said a group would have to be “really bad” for the fee to be brought up at all.

A representative for the restaurant went on to say there’s nothing wrong with kids and families coming to the restaurant. However, kids running wild through the dining room “isn’t parenting.”