Do you want to go to a restaurant with the kids during spring break? While some parents encourage their offspring’s curiosity and culinary openness, others avoid such excursions because they consider the price to be too high in terms of money and peace of mind. Tips to make it go well.
Posted at 1:00 p.m
Ariane, 9 years old, eats everything: tartare, snails, foie gras, squid. Her parents describe themselves as foodies and dining out is part of their lifestyle.
“We are curious and love to discover new restaurants, whether here or when we travel,” explains Ariane’s father, Louis-Philippe Péloquin, a resident of Varennes. Not only do we go to fancier or gourmet restaurants, we also like to go to chains. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Louis-Philippe Péloquin, his wife Catherine and their daughter Ariane
The key, according to him? The responsiveness of parents, staff and child. “We choose our hours and she has to be fit and rested,” says the 47-year-old father.
Valérie Dorion from Blainville experiences the same thing with her 7- and 8-year-old boys: she regularly takes them to restaurants without fear of disturbing them. “We bring table games and handheld games like cards or small puzzles,” she says. In general, things are going well. »
She clarifies: He had already left the restaurant to “have a discussion in the car because the limit had been reached”.
mental state
According to Sébastien Munoz, co-owner of Montreal restaurants Tapeo and Mesón, some parents can find it intimidating to take their kids on a restaurant trip for the first time. “We receive many children in our two restaurants and that makes us happy,” assures the father of two teenagers aged 12 and 15.
It’s a good idea to come when it’s open when it’s less crowded. Also, as parents, we have to remember that we are not going to have an ordinary evening.
Sébastien Munoz, co-owner of the Tapeo and Mesón restaurants in Montreal
Getting up frequently, entertaining children to make them wait, imposing a few ground rules are normal things that parents should expect.
PHOTO PROVIDED PICHARA CHHE
Samuel, 6, and Michael, 8, the two boys from Pichara Chhe
Pichara Chhe, a 36-year-old Montreal native, likes to invent quizzes or riddles to keep her 6- and 8-year-old boys occupied. “The state of mind in which you come into the restaurant is important,” she slips. They are not adults! »
Surprising strategy, she likes to eat her kids before leaving the house. “I just feed them some crackers, a piece of cheese or a piece of fruit so they don’t get hungry or impatient. »
Not always easy or desirable
Geneviève Tourigny, mother of three children aged 19 months, 5 years and 8 years, is not so much against her children’s impatience… as against that of the other customers. The 38-year-old from Montreal regrets the lack of tolerance of her fellow citizens and sometimes the lack of facilities or equipment for children (changing table, high chair) in restaurants.
We avoid the restaurant with the kids. I had the impression that we were disturbing in the morning, even though we were there for brunch! That’s a shame. I find it much easier in the United States where it seems to be the culture to hang out with your kids.
Geneviève Tourigny, mother of three children aged 19 months, 5 years and 8 years
Audrey Proulx, mother of two little girls, also avoids eating out. Noise, smells and different tastes bother her oldest. Her youngest, 5 years old, is “very active” and “doesn’t stay put”.
“She will go under the table, will try to dive to the other side of the bench,” says the 35-year-old Beloeil resident. Luckily I never received any comments or prejudice, but we don’t have too much fun… We prefer to chat at home or go to friends’. »
step by step
Nadia Gagnier, psychologist, reminds us that family dining isn’t realistic for everyone. Several variables play a role, she says. “There is of course the issue of budget and interest, as well as our personality and our tolerance of others. Also consider the child’s temperament and needs, as well as past experiences. »
A good trick when we dread a restaurant trip? Prefer the technique of small steps: choose a family restaurant, go there early and not too late, order a meal consisting of foods that the child likes, etc. “We can also go there just for dessert, offers Nadia Gagnier to see how it’s going. »
Molly Superfine-Rivera, co-owner of Marconi in Montreal and Mollies in Sutton, regrets some families are going without a restaurant. “Yes, children move and can be noisy, that’s life! says this mother of a 4-year-old boy. Children are part of society and have the right to be in restaurants. »