Well behaved kids get a discount
So many times we hear of children running amuck in restaurants and the subsequent problems that ensue: children disrupting other customers, resulting in a loss of business; disgruntled parents being asked to leave the establishment; and in some extreme cases, lawsuits. It has become such a prevalent problem, many restaurant have instituted a policy of not allowing children to dine out with their parents at all.
What would happen if restaurants chose instead, to focus on the positive? Rather than reprimand offending patrons, what would happen if restaurants focused on non-offenders?
That is just what one restaurant in Calgary did. A parent, dining at the restaurant on Mother’s Day for brunch, posted their receipt on Reddit. It showed they received a $5.00 discount for their one-year old’s good behavior.
In rolled the positive press
This is an excellent way to gain positive exposure, as one parent is likely to tell another about their unexpected discount. While this is an innovative way for the restaurant to create positive dining experiences for its customers, it also encourages more parents to bring their children to the restaurant, which makes me wonder when we became a society that needed to be praised for doing what is right. Children should not cause distractions for other patrons to the point where management needs to intervene.
Perhaps this is the point the restaurant is trying to make: while there are many children capable of behaving themselves, a few misbehaving children give all children dining in restaurants a bad reputation.
Offering this discount has earned the Calgary restaurant quite a bit of positive publicity, and rightly so, as it was a nice thing to do. Perhaps more people will reconsider their opinion of children dining out with their parents, as not all children create problems. If more businesses focused on the positive, rather than the negative, perhaps their whole environment would become more welcoming and enjoyable.
