A popular restaurant in New Jersey has made the controversial decision not to be a family restaurant. Instead of allowing families to dine at Nettie’s, which is located in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, the restaurant has decided to ban children under the age of ten from dining within their walls. Nettie’s controversial announcement about the ban on children at their establishment has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and has since gone viral on social media.
Nettie’s House of Spaghetti, which has more than eighty thousand followers on Facebook, made the controversial announcement about banning children on the platform on February 9, 2023, committing to the complete ban of children at their establishment beginning on March 8, 2023.
“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 highchairs, 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. This wasn’t a decision that was made lightly, but some recent events have pushed us to implement this new policy. As of March 8, the day we return from our winter break, we will no longer allow children under 10 to dine in the restaurant.
“We know that this is going to make some of you very upset, especially those of you with very well-behaved kids, but we believe this is the right decision for our business moving forward. Thank you for understanding.”
The restaurant’s new policy has sparked heated conversation among parents on social media – as well as others who like being around children while they dine out.
Many loyal diners were furious at Nettie’s House of Spaghetti for making the decision to ban children from dining at their establishment. Many people shared their heated reactions in the comments on Facebook, including the following:
“Since you forgot – we were all children once. Why not ask the non-supervising parents to leave instead of punishing an entire class of patrons?” one diner said. “A fatal business decision. As evidenced by your removal of comments on the anti-human post.”
Other customers made it clear that they would be dining elsewhere in New Jersey.
“This won’t work well for you. I liked your restaurant. I never brought my 8-year-old son. But every time I’m there, the children are well-behaved. I enjoyed seeing kids there with their parents. I won’t be going to your establishment anymore,” one social media user wrote.
“Good luck staying open with only angry know (sic) nothings who hate kids to support your business,” another critic added.
Since the announcement about their ban on children, Nettie’s has received a string of one-star reviews.
“The restaurant is starting a new policy of banning kids under ten years old in March. Very discriminating.”
Although not everyone hates the idea of a child-free restaurant.
“Fantastic idea… having worked in the industry since I was 14, I’ve never seen anything as I have in the recent past. Kids are out of control, and most parents are oblivious. The disregard for manners and common decency is unreal. I worked in F.H. and was disgusted by the behavior. Good for you for taking a stand,” one diner wrote.