Out of control Children/Parents

A screen to hide the children??????? Good idea.

Children have to learn to behave at the table. We don't have the TV on during meal times. Neither do we accept any toys/screens on the table. We eat with knives and forks and chat (but not with our mouths full. We expect the same behaviour when we are eating out.

I can't stand children running around, screaming and shouting in restaurants.. I also hate to see them eating with their hands/picking up large pieces of food with a fork then taking bites off it. I also hate to see anyone chewing with their mouth open. There are expected behaviours that we all conform to. The children are entitled to enjoy their meal but not at the expense of other's enjoyment.

I don't think that screens belong in restaurants even if waiting for food. It is a time to interact with humans!

I do sympathise I something approach a run in with a local restaurant. I went to book for six adults a toddler and a 7mnth old baby who is very mobile, crawling and pulling himself up onto his feet. He needs firmly restraining in a high chair. I think he might over balance in a booster seat and his head still would not be above the table.

My three year old DGS has so far been very good in restaurants. He has dropped stuff and knocked things over but he enjoys sitting and talking during a meal.

Then I discovered that they did not have high chairs for babies only booster seats. I changed the booking and told the restaurant why and I posted this on trip advisor suggesting that proper highchairs would be a better option.

I was phoned by the very angry owner who ranted at me for my comments extremely unreasonable and that he was going to sue me for telling lies. He went on about how child friendly they were they had children of all ages playing and running about the restaurant. and that high chairs were a trip hazard. (Clearly young children running through his restaurant were not. )

He was a totally obnoxious man but as he had my name and phone number and I live very nearby I refrained from reporting that phone call.
(Other trip advisor posters have found him very rude to customers and his own staff who have been apologising to guests about his behaviour.)

When I was a child my family travelled all over Europe and eating in cafés and restaurants, staying and dining in hotels was an integral part of my childhood from about the age of five – lucky, lucky me. I simply did the same thing with absentdaughter, taking her to restaurants and cafés and expecting "proper" behaviour. Absentgranchildren are following the same pattern. It isn't hard.

"I had something"

Some people cannot take criticism no matter how valid.

I always review on TripAdvisor. My review of a b and b was very good until I made a critical remark regarding the the family room we'd had. It was really only big enough to be a double but they had shoved in an old set of bunk beds which didn't even have a top safety rail. I had complained to the b and b at the time.

The owner phoned me to challenge my review. He was very irate and tbh I was glad he was across the country and not nearer to where I live.

Sorry just realised I've gone right off topic.

That's ok vq
It's obvious that some businesses unlike some larger ones, don't take on board the idea that 'every complaint is an opportunity to improve'. IIRC there is an opportunity on Tripadvisor for the business owner to respond to an unfavourable review and if this is done in a positive way it could actually be good for the business as people can see that the business takes customer satisfaction seriously and has made an effort to redress things.
Nellie that sounds horrendous. How do people get your address and phone no from Tripadvisor? I thought you only had to leave your email address?

They get your details when you book with them if it's a restaurant or a hotel.

I reviewed a book on Amazon once which I didn't enjoy and which was full of inaccuracies - not grammatical errors but more about the justice system and legal processes which she had got wrong.
The author didn't know me (thank goodness) because 'someone' wrote an excoriating piece in reply and said some extremely nasty and personal things. It was the author (I could follow a link from her pseudonym and it was obvious it was her).
I sometimes put a review on Trip Advisor - of course, I suppose they can put two and two together and track who you are. I hope you complained to Trip Advisor vq - that is not on.
Nellie it is worrying if he is a local business owner. However, if a lot of people put reviews like that on he will be going out of business.
Better to have a child sitting in a high chair than running/crawling all round the restaurant with hot food about.