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- An Italian restaurant in New Jersey says it will ban kids under the age of 10 from next month.
- One commenter on Instagram said: “I didn’t think I could love Nettie’s more but here we are!”
- However, another called the policy “a complete a slap in the face to families.”
An Italian restaurant in New Jersey has courted controversy after announcing a plan to ban children. Some on social media called it a “fantastic idea,” but others have accused staff of being “child haters.”
Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, said on Thursday that it “will no longer allow children under 10 to dine in the restaurant” from March 8.
In posts on Facebook and Instagram stated: “We love kids. We really, truly, do. But lately, it’s been extremely challenging to accommodate children at Nettie’s. Between noise levels, lack of space for high chairs, cleaning up crazy messes, and the liability of kids running around the restaurant, we have decided that it’s time to take control of the situation.”
Some social media users appear to love the idea. One wrote on Instagram: “Never been to Nettie’s but knowing I won’t have to deal with children at a restaurant makes this establishment much more attractive. Will be coming soon!” Another said: “I didn’t think I could love Nettie’s more but here we are!”
However, others called it “a complete a slap in the face to families,” and a symptom of how “America hates children.”
It’s unclear how the policy will be enforced. One Instagram user wrote: “Will you be checking birth certificates at the door? My 8 year old is the size of a 11 year old.”
If the point of the exercise was to generate publicity, the policy seems to have been a success. The restaurant’s Facebook post has had more than 28,000 reactions and been shared almost 8,000 times.
In September 2021, a family-owned restaurant in California banned all patrons under the age of 18 from dining without an adult. The Red Rooster Burgers and Grill said the decision was made with “great sadness” following a series of bad behavior by teenagers that damaged property, upset staff, and drove away customers, NBC News reported.
Some diners may just want to get away from kids for a while. In January, a TikToker divided opinion by suggesting there should be a adults-only town that lacks noisy kids. Meanwhile, Insider’s reviewer was recently “blown away” by an adults-only cruise on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady.
Nettie’s House of Spaghetti did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, sent outside normal working hours.
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