Italian Restaurant Offers Discounts for Well-Behaved Kids

When kids are running wild at home, it may be easier to grin and bear it. But when they’re unruly in public, things can get uncomfortable fast. Few parents would enjoy dining at a restaurant with children who are crying, yelling, fighting, and causing chaos. An Italian restaurateur came up with a brilliant solution: offering a discount to families whose kids behave.

The UK’s 'Guardian' reported on this unique initiative: Antonio Ferrari, the owner of a restaurant in Padua, Italy, noticed that about 30% of the parents dining at his establishment couldn’t keep their children in check. As a business owner, Ferrari observed the dissatisfaction among other diners and his staff due to the noise caused by the kids. This prompted him to seek a solution.

One day, when a family with two parents and nine children visited the restaurant, Ferrari was impressed by the manners and disciplined behavior exhibited by the kids. As a gesture of appreciation, at the end of their meal, he rewarded them with a 5% discount on their bill. Since then, Ferrari has offered the same deal to two other families whose children displayed exemplary etiquette.

The restaurateur told the newspaper that he doesn’t have children of his own, but he feels “responsible” for the kids who often lock themselves in the bathroom and run between the tables at his restaurant.

The parents, for their part, were impressed by Ferrari's initiative. “If the kids are quiet, the parents can enjoy their lunch too,” one parent was quoted as saying in the article.