New York restaurants have 'no kids' policy; Noise, annoying kids menus drive owners to ban

Kathryn Kattalia New York Daily News 07/14/2011 18:44

No shoes, no shirt... no kids? Many NYC restaurants say nay to children.

Parents, find a babysitter. That's the message one restaurant owner sent out in Monroeville, Pa., when he decided to ban children under the age of 6 from dining at his eatery.

Ed Vuick, owner of casual dining spot McDain's Restaurant, sent an email to customers earlier this week informing them that as of July 16, noisy kids would no longer be welcomed in his restaurant, local television station WTAE reported.

Here in New York, many restaurants, from four star eateries to wallet-friendly pizzerias, have also had it with serving kids.

At Jean-Georges, a four star hot spot serving up sauteed lobster and fluke sashimi on Manhattan's Upper West Side, children under 10 can eat in the restaurant's more casual bistro area but aren't allowed in the formal dining room.

At The Place, an upscale restaurant tucked away on the corner of Bank Street and West 12th Street in Manhattan's West Village, manager Alexander Nicholas said he asks customers to call in advance if they're planning to bring kids.

"If you bring a baby in that's screaming its head off, it's not fair to other people who have come to have a nice, romantic night," he said.

For some restaurants, kids aren't the problem, it's finding a place to put them.

A manager at Grimaldi's Pizzeria on Old Fulton Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn said children are welcome--but their strollers aren't.