Minnesota Arby’s Tells Parents Not To Bring Unruly Kids, ‘Only Well-Behaved Children’ Are Welcome
A Minnesota Arby’s location caused a stir by putting up a sign saying that only well-behaved children are welcome within, Today reports. Although the sign got a generally positive reaction on social media, the company claims the sign is out of line and has ordered it removed.
Everybody has been to a restaurant or food stop where little kids were running amok, or at the very least, not living their best lives. And while the vast majority of fellow diners either shrug it off as part of life, or in rare cases say something to a parent or manager, it’s relatively rare for a fast-food joint to put the kibosh on unruly kids before they even cross the threshold.
Not so for the Arby’s location in Elk River, Minnesota. Diner Christine Hemsworth showed up there with her 2-year-old in tow and saw a sign she found rather off-putting.
“Only well behaved Children who can keep their food on their trays and their bottoms on their seats are welcome. If you can’t do this you will be asked to leave.”
Hemsworth says that she thought twice about going in, since she had her 2-year-old with her and feared that the tot would break at least one of the rules. But, go in she did.
During her meal, she said that she and her family overheard an employee using naughty language, which in her mind contradicts the sign’s admonition against bad behavior. However, she didn’t say anything.
She did, however, call a hotline number listed on her receipt to complain. However, since it was automated and she couldn’t speak to a real person, she hung up. Then, she did the next best thing; she went to the local media with her story.
When Minneapolis’ KARE-TV ran her story, she found that not everyone was on her side in thinking the sign was out of line. Many commenters suggested that they wished more places had signs like this. Others mourned the lack of good parenting that necessitated such a sign in the first place.
Arby’s headquarters, however, didn’t see things that way. In a statement, the company apologized for the sign.
“We recognize the language on this sign was insensitive. We removed it quickly, and have disciplined the manager and team working at the restaurant. It does not reflect our company values and the family-friendly environment we aim to provide in all of our restaurants,” the statement reads.
Stories of restaurants banning children, or warning parents to keep their kids in check, frequently make the news, largely due to the harsh reaction these types of things tend to generate. For example, as previously reported by The Inquisitr, back in 2017, a popular Tampa Bay pizza place banned kids, generating a rancorous debate on social media.
