A new ‘noisy kids’ charge at Angie’s Oyster Bar & Grill in Singapore is being added to the bills of families whose children disturb other diners. Angie’s is treading a fine line, trying to please everybody…
Angie’s Oyster Bar and Grill, Singapore. Looks like a nice place…
“You can’t please everyone, so you gotta please yourself…” So sang Ricky Nelson in his 1972 hit, Garden Party. And that’s as true now as it ever was. But in ’72, it was only Nelson’s ego that was at stake. Now, it’s a feud over a famous Singaporean Oyster Bar’s ‘Noisy Kids’ surcharge.
Angie’s is as famous for its 360 degree view from the top of a hotel tower as it is for its food. But the owners got a shock when they polled their customers asking how they could improve the ‘Angie’s experience. An unexpectedly large number said they were annoyed by ‘screaming’, and ‘uncontrolled’ children, “running around unattended or disturbing other tables during the service period.”
Not a ‘child-unfriendly’ establishment
Here’s where the problem starts. Angie’s is not an explicitly child-unfriendly spot. But it definitely has an issue to address. Their solution was add a ‘noisy child’ surcharge to the bills of customers whose kids cause a disturbance.
“In these instances, our team speaks with the parents or caretakers and the situation is almost always immediately managed,” Angie’s Oyster explains in a statement. “However, we occasionally experience situations where nothing is done and the matter is ignored altogether [by the parents involved]. This is both frustrating and embarrassing because it puts the restaurant in an awkward position when explaining to other guests why nothing is being done to address the matter. Because of these experiences, we felt we had no choice but to impose a ‘penalty’ to address such unfortunate situations.”
Not a cash grab or punishment
The charge – (S)$10, or about (US)$7 – isn’t meant to be a punishment, exactly. Angie’s is characterizing it as an encouragement to parents to keep a short leash on their kids.
However, at least one patron complained bitterly that the resto doesn’t cater yo kids. A post at a critique site says, then the customer called to make a reservation, they asked for a child seat. But Angie’s doesn’t have any. Not officially child-unfriendly – but not explicitly child-friendly, either.
In the case under discussion…
Children are allowed, and the resto offered the angry patron space to roll a baby carriage or stroller up to their table. But that wasn’t sufficient to appease the self-righteous diner. Thereafter, a number of other folks posted in support of the aggrieved diner.
In its defense, Angie’s pointed out: “[T]his policy does not apply to 99 percent of our guests, but only to the ones who fail to respect the space and experience of others.”
My take
I see a number of things that feel out of whack about this ‘controversy’…
First, the resto should be commended for trying to accommodate all diners who want to enjoy its ambience and food. Though admirable, it’s ultimately an impossible goal. Just ask Ricky Nelson.
Second, the complaining diner and their supporters are spouting online venom that just exposes their totally-bogus Millennial-generation sense of entitlement.
Third, it just makes sense for parents to accept responsibility for supervising their kids in any public place – restaurants especially so – to avoid inconveniencing other patrons.
Fourth, did we mention that the policy affects only a tiny percentage of would-be Angie’s patrons? A very small group of uppity folks is making a big online stink in an effort to troll/smear the rest. This scenario doesn’t fly in the real world.
Fifth, If you’re really upset about the noisy kids surcharge, you don’t have to eat at Angie’s. In the end, it’s Angie’s resto, not yours. And if you don’t want to respect the establishment’s rules, you have legitimate options. But spitefully smearing it online isn’t one of them.
But in defense of angry patrons…
Sixth, what are kids doing in an oyster bar in the first place? I’ve never heard of a kid who liked cold, uncooked food – much less slurpy, slimy, bitter seafood, drizzled with white wine and who knows what else? Why would such parents assume that, because the resto is not explicitly child-unfriendly, that it would be child friendly? But we’re getting back to the issue of entitlement, here. And poking at the sleeping bears of classism and snobbism. Add that’s for another time and place…
~ Maggie J.