Children at specialty restaurants

[SuperPlanner]

I know my 4 year old is free if we go to Chops or 150 Central Park. They look like they charge for my daughter (age eight) a reduced price but she truly will not eat anything there even off kids menu (super picky eater). We'd like to bring both kids with us to eat (they won't do AO) but we plan to feed them before. Is there a way to reserve the table for 4 but only pay for my husband and I since they won't eat?

Edited March 31, 2023 by SuperPlanner

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, SuperPlanner said:

I know my 4 year old is free if we go to Chops or 150 Central Park. They look like they charge for my daughter (age eight) a reduced price but she truly will not eat anything there even off kids menu (super picky eater). We'd like to bring both kids with us to eat (they won't do AO) but we plan to feed them before. Is there a way to reserve the table for 4 but only pay for my husband and I since they won't eat?

Pay and get the kids fares refunded on board. 

[Fa-Li]

So, will your kids be happy to sit there and behave nicely for a couple hours, while not eating? 

[SuperPlanner]

17 minutes ago, Fa-Li said:

So, will your kids be happy to sit there and behave nicely for a couple hours, while not eating? 

Yes, we will dine early and we are very quick because of the kids. Plus, for fancier environments, we allow them to play on iPads to ensure other customers are not disturbed. 

[Fa-Li]

7 minutes ago, SuperPlanner said:

Yes, we will dine early and we are very quick because of the kids. Plus, for fancier environments, we allow them to play on iPads to ensure other customers are not disturbed. 

I wish everyone was that considerate 💕

[4Nathan]

Chops quality is not like it used to be.  I would definitely not eat there again. 150 Central Park is a better option. 

[SuperPlanner]

45 minutes ago, Fa-Li said:

I wish everyone was that considerate 💕

Oh that’s a huge thing for us! We NEVER allow our kids to act up or be too loud in an environment that is not intended to be a kids establishment. Now at El Loco Fresh (a place I would consider kid-friendly), they won’t be the kids running around, but I can’t promise my 4 year old won’t yell out “tequila!” or “it’s taco Tuesday!” (regardless of the day) several times while we are there. He does the same on the Mexico ride at Disney 😂 

[Mum2Mercury]

13 hours ago, SuperPlanner said:

I know my 4 year old is free if we go to Chops or 150 Central Park. They look like they charge for my daughter (age eight) a reduced price but she truly will not eat anything there even off kids menu (super picky eater). We'd like to bring both kids with us to eat (they won't do AO) but we plan to feed them before. Is there a way to reserve the table for 4 but only pay for my husband and I since they won't eat?

I'd try Adventure Ocean again.  My kids ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT when they were small.  

 

I wouldn't want to have the kids sit there without eating.  I'd either pony up the cost for the eight year old or come up with another plan.  

[Kiki and The Noush]

Another thing that might be worth noting.  Restaurants have various size tables.  2 tops, 4 tops, 6 tops, etc.  So.. under your theory, you want to occupy a 4 top, but only pay for 2 people.  If you were planning on holding the 2 children on your laps, ignore my comment. But, if you are planning on them occupying 2 chairs, you should pay for them.

[Jussabitconfused]

6 minutes ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

Another thing that might be worth noting.  Restaurants have various size tables.  2 tops, 4 tops, 6 tops, etc.  So.. under your theory, you want to occupy a 4 top, but only pay for 2 people.  If you were planning on holding the 2 children on your laps, ignore my comment. But, if you are planning on them occupying 2 chairs, you should pay for them.

This is ridiculous. You are paying for food served not space taken.

[cannotfathom]

2 minutes ago, Jussabitconfused said:

This is ridiculous. You are paying for food served not space taken.

That's not true.  Restaurant have just so many covers.  We've had cruises where they sold out on the dining pkg.  Ships are now being fill to the brim.  

[Jussabitconfused]

3 minutes ago, cannotfathom said:

That's not true.  Restaurant have just so many covers.  We've had cruises where they sold out on the dining pkg.  Ships are now being fill to the brim.  

Kids sail free, very young children eat free. Please don't try to make people feel guilty for their children taking up precious space for "important adults". What is this world coming to that children are thought so little of?

Edited March 31, 2023 by Jussabitconfused

[cannotfathom]

Just now, Jussabitconfused said:

Kids sail free, very young children eat free. Please don't try to make people feel guilty for their children taking up precious space for "important adults".

You are correct if you assume I am anti KSF.  I feel everyone should pay for their fare.  Don't assume I hate kids.  I'm not anti kid just discounts that don't benefit everyone.  And the occupied seat could be taken by a paying kid for all I care.   

[reallyitsmema]

3 minutes ago, Jussabitconfused said:

Kids sail free, very young children eat free. Please don't try to make people feel guilty for their children taking up precious space for "important adults". What is this world coming to that children are thought so little of?

 

Chops has many tables for two, if they reserve for two, they will likely be seated at a table for two.  With the dining packages, the specialty restaurants can be very busy, Chops needs to know that there are going to be four.  If she is booking this now, she should reserve for four and pay for the three that have a fee, otherwise there could be issues accommodating her family.

[DukeASUGirl]

41 minutes ago, Jussabitconfused said:

This is ridiculous. You are paying for food served not space taken.

Actually you're paying for both. When they seat a party of 4 at a 4-top, it means they can't sit a different party of 4 there. If the party seated only is charged for 2, it means that they're making less than they would for the party of 4 who would otherwise actually pay for 4. They only have a set number of tables.

[mjkacmom]

38 minutes ago, Mapleleafforever said:

OP, you're doing great and the speciality restaurants will accommodate your family as needed. Based on our experiences with our toddler and infant cruising they will even go out of their way to prepare off menu items for the kids to snack on while you dine. There's only one way our kids will learn how to dine in restaurants and that's by taking them with us. We never send our kids to AO as we actually enjoy their company and they enjoy ours. 

 

These threads tend to churn up the worst of CC so just ignore the curmudgeons. 

 

 

Some kids do have a hard time making new friends in new places.

[xxHadleyxx]

3 hours ago, SuperPlanner said:

You obviously missed my previous message. If we only ate where my daughter would eat something, we would have to eat room service for every single meal except breakfast based on the offerings at each location. We feed her before we go if she will not eat what we are eating or bring something with us, etc. It is the way we have learned to cope with her feeding issues so there is not an argument at every meal. I have no problem paying for her IF she would even be willing to try something....she simply won't/can't. I don't make my kids sit with us and watch us eat like we are depriving them! I would order and pay happily for a lobster for her if she would even just taste it. But I also cannot force them to eat and choose to make the best of a problem my daughter is dealing with.
And by the way, I didn't ask for opinions on bringing them there....just how does it work if you bring a child to a restaurant they wouldn't eat at. And they aren't kids who won't play with other kids or don't like other kids, but they are shy at first and have told us they prefer to stay with us. I'm not going to force them to go to AO if they don't want to and prefer to stay together as a family.

My youngest, now 24, was super picky as a child.  One trans atlantic he ate only pasta with butter, pears and grilled cheese the entire two week cruise.

He was never willing to eat typical kid foods like chicken nuggets, hot dobs, burgers, or even fries.

(I am happy to report he is much less picky now).

 

We paid for him at Chops and similar places several times (back when there was no lower price for children).  He was taking up a space at the table, meaning we needed a larger table and someone else could not sit there.  AND, he did take some attention from the waitstaff who refilled his drink, chatted with him, still had to set a place and napkin for him, etc.  If we did not want to pay the listed price for him, we would have eitehr skipped dining there, had him go to Adventure Ocean, or allowed him to hang out in the stateroom watching movies.  

 

FWIW: your child might be different, but mine would sometimes at least nibble on a roll or some bread and eventually, most of what he did try new in his younger years he tried on ships: when he was relaxed and in a good mood and not stressed about being pressured to eat or not having food available then he was more likely to want to try something new; but we never went in pressuring him to eat OR assuming he would not.  In fact, the fisr time he would eat salad was at Chop's. 

[teddie]

My take:  two seats occupied by non-eaters/non payers means one less reservation available for a party of two paying adults. In my opinion, your ask is too much.

[TwoMisfits]

OP, I would just plan on paying the child fee for the older child.  It's $10, and it makes everything easy.  If your children eat nothing, and the waiter/manager decides to pixie dust you after eating, all the better.  But this way, you don't have to worry about...anything...related to dining there, separate than your kids' needs.

 

And I do get kid sensory issues.  The Easter holiday of vomit at the Outback b/c my spouse didn't stop the waitstaff from putting apples with peel in front of my son fast enough will forever live in my memory.  The kids don't mean to be difficult eaters - they just are:).

Edited March 31, 2023 by TwoMisfits

[SuperPlanner]

1 minute ago, TwoMisfits said:

OP, I would just plan on paying the child fee for the older child.  It's $10, and it makes everything easy.  If your children eat nothing, and the waiter/manager decides to pixie dust you after eating, all the better.  But this way, you don't have to worry about...anything...related to dining there, separate than your kids' needs.

 

And I do get kid sensory issues.  The Easter holiday of vomit at the Outback b/c my spouse didn't stop the waitstaff from putting apples with peel in front of my son will forever live in my memory.  The kids don't mean to be difficult eaters - they just are:).

THank you for the very simple and straightforward response without the snippiness everyone else seems to have. I am happy to pay if that is the expectation/policy! 

[TwoMisfits]

2 minutes ago, SuperPlanner said:

THank you for the very simple and straightforward response without the snippiness everyone else seems to have. I am happy to pay if that is the expectation/policy! 

 

And to give you hope, they do normally grow out of it.  Peels weren't vomited instantly around age 7...and now peels are happily eaten as a teen (although I still peel almost everything out of habit).  

 

But I had 2 picky eaters out of 4 (although only one insta-vomiter) - by age 10, most of the worst of it passed, and now they eat almost everything (although textures are still one reason they don't like things, which comes from my spouse, who won't eat raw bananas and tomatoes just for that reason)...