Restaurants - is this rude?

[Anonymous]

DH and I try to go out to dinner at least twice a week because I work from home and it's very isolating. We bring our six month old. At the first sign of trouble, we leave. We have about a 70% complete dinner success rate. Lately it's been bothering me though that we sometimes have to ask our waiter to box up our food. We tip well (25%+) but is it rude to go out to dinner knowing about a third of the time we'll have to have everything packed up? I've never been a waitress, so I really have no idea if we're being a pain to the staff.

[Anonymous]

Not rude. Explain when you sit down that you will leave if your kid is crying and may need the food boxed up. Ask to get the check when your food comes so you can have that taken care of in case you need to leave in a hurry. Tip well. Restaurant staff should be used to this kind of request.

[Anonymous]

I didn't think about asking for the check early. Usually one of us takes the baby out and the other waits for the food and check. We don't let her scream while we wait!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't think about asking for the check early. Usually one of us takes the baby out and the other waits for the food and check. We don't let her scream while we wait!

We always ask for the check when our food comes. If we need to leave early, it makes things quicker; if not, no harm done.

[Anonymous]

Not rude. They want their tables to turn over quickly anyway. And you tip well, so they don't care.

[Anonymous]

You can also ask for a box in advance as a matter of course. I do this because portions are so big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not rude. They want their tables to turn over quickly anyway. And you tip well, so they don't care.

This!

[Anonymous]

No, it's not rude, and a hearty thank you for keeping the comfort of fellow restaurant patrons in mind!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not rude. Explain when you sit down that you will leave if your kid is crying and may need the food boxed up. Ask to get the check when your food comes so you can have that taken care of in case you need to leave in a hurry. Tip well. Restaurant staff should be used to this kind of request.

As a former server-- ^^^this!

[Anonymous]

Do folks really run away when a baby cries? No wonder parenthood is so isolating and depressing nowadays...

[Anonymous]

Ditto above. Even though it can be frustrating, keep going out! We have taken 2yo DS out at least once a week for his entire life. There were times that were challenging but the consistency has helped him learn how to sit and wait politely in a restaurant so that we can enjoy a meal.

[Anonymous]

Most of the time I ask the waiter to bring the check and a box when the food comes out. That way I can make a quick exit if needed. And I always tip well.

[Anonymous]

Why "tip well"? You're leaving early giving them less trouble making less mess... I don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why "tip well"? You're leaving early giving them less trouble making less mess... I don't get it.

When I eat with my toddler, we never make "less mess."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I try to go out to dinner at least twice a week because I work from home and it's very isolating. We bring our six month old. At the first sign of trouble, we leave. We have about a 70% complete dinner success rate. Lately it's been bothering me though that we sometimes have to ask our waiter to box up our food. We tip well (25%+) but is it rude to go out to dinner knowing about a third of the time we'll have to have everything packed up? I've never been a waitress, so I really have no idea if we're being a pain to the staff.

Wait, you're upset that you have to ASK the server to box things up? I can tell you as a former server that if you had started your meal, and the restaurant was busy, it may or may not have occurred to me that you wanted your food to go. When you ask for the check, ask to have the food boxed up as well. A good server on the top of their game will have already thought of that, but it's silly to set yourself up for delays or to get annoyed by not asking. It's not rude to ask or need things boxed up, but servers aren't always mind-readers.

Also, I hope you are at least on occasion trying to bring the baby outside for a minute, settle baby, and bring him or her back in. The first sign of trouble may just mean it's time to break out the toys or pick baby up for a minute... I wouldn't bolt unless it was clear that the situation was going to take more than 1-2 minutes to get back under control.