Many parents have been researching and reading rules for eating in restaurants with young children, but an Italian restauranteur, Antonio Ferrari, has been inspired to implement an effective rule to reining in rowdy children in public restaurants: reward diners with well-behaved children with 5% discounts.
Offering restaurant diners 5 percent discount on their purchases may not seem like much to some people, but it is an incentive that many parents would like to consider as a factor to managing rambunctious kids. For instance, some researchers have carried out several studies on the value of rewarding children with treats to encourage them to put on their best behaviors in public and when visitors are around.
Ferrari was inspired by a family of 11 with well-behaved children
Ferrari does not have kids of his own at the moment. But, he is ever aware of the noise and disturbances kids put up when their parents are dining in restaurants or using any other public facilities, SFGATE reported. In fact, Ferrari had often observed that his waiting staff had to be extra careful with playful kids whose parents are dining in diner so that they don't upset tables or confuse waiters.
Ferrari owns a wine bar located in the northern city of Padua in Italy, and he was inspired to start offering well-behaved families a 5 percent discount on their spending when one Sunday he observed that a party of six adults and five children were dining in his restaurant without disturbing others in any way. He said the children handled themselves "with much composure" by practicing their school lessons while their parents held adult conversations. Ferrari went over to the group and rewarded them 5 percent discount on their purchases - explaining that he was encouraged to do so because of the matured composition of their kids. He has been rewarding other family customers with well-behaved children the same way ever since.
Parenting is much more difficult today than ever
Ferrari said he's aware that parenting is much difficult today than ever, but that does not stop parents from properly training their children on how to behave in public places or in the presence of visitors, The Guardian wrote. He could imagine children in public places splashing water on others or upsetting the tables of seated strangers. In fact a number of parents that came to his restaurant have reminded him that children are wont to play around because his restaurant is a public place, but he's been quick to remind them that he's also responsible for what happens in his restaurant and to other users.
