A Georgia restaurant is standing strong on a policy for customers dining with children. Toccoa Riverside Restaurant features an “adult surcharge for adults unable to parent $$$.”
The steakhouse recently enforced its fee when several families dined together at the waterside location earlier this month. According to TODAY.com, the owner of Toccoa added a $50 kids fee to each bill at their table.
When the patrons asked for an explanation, the owner, Tim Richter, said their kids were being “too loud.” One of the customers, Lyndsey Landmann, told the outlet the group was made up of four families. There were reportedly 11 children from ages 3 to 8 years old.
Woman Claims Restaurant Owner Snapped At Them Over Fee
Richter approached their table after dessert. By that point, Lyndsey says, some of the children had joined their parents closer to the waterfront area of the restaurant.
“[Richter] had the menu in hand, and he’s showing us where it talks about the fee. At first, I thought he was gonna compliment us and be like, ‘But you won’t be charged because your kids were so well-behaved.'” Lyndsey told TODAY.com.
Instead, the owner informed them of the added fees per bill. In addition to being “too loud,” Richter was allegedly “angry” about the kids “running around outside.”
Meanwhile, Lyndsey says the children were “sitting at one end of the table” and “being so good.” She added that their well-mannered behavior was even a shock to her that day.
Lyndsey says she challenged the owner’s claim but that he reacted by questioning their presence at the restaurant.
“He got in our faces and told us that we belonged at Burger King and not at his restaurant. We asked to speak to the owner, and he said he was the owner,” she said.
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As for the other patrons, Lyndsey alleges “everyone was frozen watching” while Richter yelled at them about the policy.
After going viral for the charge, TODAY.com reports that it was unable to reach the restaurant owner. However, the outlet revealed that an employee refused to comment further on the phone.
“We’re not going to comment on a policy we’ve had for years. We just want to live in the woods and cook,” the employee reportedly said.
As of Friday, the restaurant has a 4.1 rating on Google and features over 2,000 mixed reviews.
