TINTON FALLS, N.J. – Got kids under 10? They’re no longer welcome to dine at Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in New Jersey.
The restaurant stirred up a social media storm with a Facebook post Feb. 9 informing diners that children under 10 are no longer welcome to eat at the Italian restaurant, starting next month:
“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 high chairs, 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.”
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The post has so far been shared more than 8,000 times, and garnered emotional responses from those who support the ban on younger diners, as well as those who say they’ll never eat at the restaurant because it’s discriminating against well-behaved kids.
A woman who said she’s worked in the restaurant industry for years applauded the policy, adding that “kids are out of control and most parents are oblivious,” but the parent of a “well-behaved 9-year-old” said she was disappointed that they would not be welcome to dine at Nettie’s.
Nettie’s is not the first restaurant to ban younger children.
Several years ago, CBS News reported that a Mexican eatery in Houston had banned children under 8 after 7 p.m.. The owner said he instituted the policy following complaints from several diners who said their night out was ruined by unruly children.
Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 38 years. She’s also passionate about the Shore’s storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com.