Bring outside food to restaurant for child

[Anonymous]

Hi Op, haven’t read the whole thread, but wanted to chime in. My 6 year old is an extremely picky eater, but will eat pepperoni pizza like nobody’s business. When the rest of the family wants to go out to eat to a non pizza serving place, we bring a small pepperoni pizza for him to eat. We do this almost weekly and have not had any comments from any establishment. We are a 4 person family, but usually order a lot of food and drinks. We make up for the 6 year old not eating. Now admittedly, we aren’t doing this at Komi or Pineapple & Pearls and we tip well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi Op, haven’t read the whole thread, but wanted to chime in. My 6 year old is an extremely picky eater, but will eat pepperoni pizza like nobody’s business. When the rest of the family wants to go out to eat to a non pizza serving place, we bring a small pepperoni pizza for him to eat. We do this almost weekly and have not had any comments from any establishment. We are a 4 person family, but usually order a lot of food and drinks. We make up for the 6 year old not eating. Now admittedly, we aren’t doing this at Komi or Pineapple & Pearls and we tip well.

Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

To everyone who is saying the restaurant wants to make $, you realize at this age, 1) restaurants don't make $ off a kids meal, they make it off you ordering booze 2) some kids this age still just eat off the parents meal and don't order separately anyways, 3) the kid could probably still have a desert if you felt you needed to order something still, 4) most restaurants understand kids are finicky or have eating issues, particularly in today's day and age of severe allergies which tend to be worse in the early childhood years, 5) if the restaurant must have a family with kids they'd rather the kids are quiet and we'll behaved than having a meltdown. And don't tell me your perfect angel 5+year old wouldn't have a hangry meltdown even if it didn't kill them to starve for a meal, while you teach them a lesson, I call BS. As a patron of restaurants, I'd much rather a family did what they need to do to keep a 5-year old quiet so I can enjoy my meal in peace.

Aso, context, the OP didn't bring a kid with a five course Happy Meal to Alinea, it was a BBQ ordering counter outdoors or something. Who cares? Not me! Put down the dang pitchforks!

[Anonymous]

Sure no problem. I’m the assistant manager for the Olive Garden in McLean— do you mind if I visit your home to watch the nationals lose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure no problem. I’m the assistant manager for the Olive Garden in McLean— do you mind if I visit your home to watch the nationals lose?

Come on over. BYOB.

[Anonymous]

My husband tried to do this a few times for our then 2/3 year old because he was, understandably, annoyed that she wouldn’t eat most of her kids meal. So he brought pasta from
home for her. I hated it, because I thought it was rude and defeated the purpose of going out.

Our daughter THOUGHT she was ordering from the menu when she pointed to it and said pasta very softly (we pretty much have a budding Eloise w/ much less attitude).

She was PISSED when our food came and her dad broke out the Tupperware for her. PISSED. And refused to eat. I thought the whole thing was hysterically funny.

Anyway, I’d only do it if the kid was under 2/3 and the food was baby food or snack-like, and then tip generously for the extra mess.

If there wasn’t anything my kid would like on the menu, we’d manage and/or go elsewhere.

If there is a legit medical need, I’d probably clear it with the restaurant first.

[Anonymous]

This sensory stuff for non-sn kids is getting absurd. Feed your kid before you go out to eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To everyone who is saying the restaurant wants to make $, you realize at this age, 1) restaurants don't make $ off a kids meal, they make it off you ordering booze 2) some kids this age still just eat off the parents meal and don't order separately anyways, 3) the kid could probably still have a desert if you felt you needed to order something still, 4) most restaurants understand kids are finicky or have eating issues, particularly in today's day and age of severe allergies which tend to be worse in the early childhood years, 5) if the restaurant must have a family with kids they'd rather the kids are quiet and we'll behaved than having a meltdown. And don't tell me your perfect angel 5+year old wouldn't have a hangry meltdown even if it didn't kill them to starve for a meal, while you teach them a lesson, I call BS. As a patron of restaurants, I'd much rather a family did what they need to do to keep a 5-year old quiet so I can enjoy my meal in peace.

Aso, context, the OP didn't bring a kid with a five course Happy Meal to Alinea, it was a BBQ ordering counter outdoors or something. Who cares? Not me! Put down the dang pitchforks!

It's not about the money - it's about respect. Respect the business. You're not entitled to eat whatever you want in a restaurant or on their premises. How is this a hard concept? Unless it is a true medical need - and also includes the NEED to eat at a restaurant - give business owners the courtesy of respecting what they work so hard to achieve without having to cater to 5 and 6 year old "picky eaters". Go be picky AT HOME. And meet family at a place THAT DOESN'T SERVE FOOD if there are food issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sensory stuff for non-sn kids is getting absurd. Feed your kid before you go out to eat.

+1000 As if going out to eat is a right - it's a privilege people! Same boat needs to be sailed with all the emotional needs animal owners. You suck. Everywhere I go now I gotta deal with your pets and associated animal droppings and hair because you can't keep your feelings under control under you're touching Gizmo the Wonder Dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi Op, haven’t read the whole thread, but wanted to chime in. My 6 year old is an extremely picky eater, but will eat pepperoni pizza like nobody’s business. When the rest of the family wants to go out to eat to a non pizza serving place, we bring a small pepperoni pizza for him to eat. We do this almost weekly and have not had any comments from any establishment. We are a 4 person family, but usually order a lot of food and drinks. We make up for the 6 year old not eating. Now admittedly, we aren’t doing this at Komi or Pineapple & Pearls and we tip well.

Ridiculous.

Maybe, but I have the best 6 year old in the world, so we’re good.

Op. Just ask the establishment upon entering, if it appears to be an issue, move on. It has never happened to us, but we are always prepared to go somewhere else should we need to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi Op, haven’t read the whole thread, but wanted to chime in. My 6 year old is an extremely picky eater, but will eat pepperoni pizza like nobody’s business. When the rest of the family wants to go out to eat to a non pizza serving place, we bring a small pepperoni pizza for him to eat. We do this almost weekly and have not had any comments from any establishment. We are a 4 person family, but usually order a lot of food and drinks. We make up for the 6 year old not eating. Now admittedly, we aren’t doing this at Komi or Pineapple & Pearls and we tip well.

Ridiculous.

Maybe, but I have the best 6 year old in the world, so we’re good.

Op. Just ask the establishment upon entering, if it appears to be an issue, move on. It has never happened to us, but we are always prepared to go somewhere else should we need to.

You might have the best 6 year old - but the 6 year old has VERY rude parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you. And yes we keep up with exposing him to new foods and will try to order off the menu if remotely think it might work, but have backup in case. It just doesn't always work out that there's something he'll eat.

We'll feed him in the car from now on if we must. We just never had a restaurant bat an eye at a young child having outside food and didn't know it's a health code violation. I get that it would be rude for an older kid or adult to bring outside food, but have seen young kids with outside food at restaurants.

I think 5 is considered an age where a child could be expected to eat off the menu if the parents choose to visit that restaurant with their child. It’s understandable when a 2 year old eats outside food, but a 5 year old is school aged and the restaurant wouldn’t be wrong to expect that the child will eat food offered by the restaurant.

Yes this. Your kid is an older kid now. I only ever brought food for a baby or very young toddler (like 15 months).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you. And yes we keep up with exposing him to new foods and will try to order off the menu if remotely think it might work, but have backup in case. It just doesn't always work out that there's something he'll eat.

We'll feed him in the car from now on if we must. We just never had a restaurant bat an eye at a young child having outside food and didn't know it's a health code violation. I get that it would be rude for an older kid or adult to bring outside food, but have seen young kids with outside food at restaurants.

I think 5 is considered an age where a child could be expected to eat off the menu if the parents choose to visit that restaurant with their child. It’s understandable when a 2 year old eats outside food, but a 5 year old is school aged and the restaurant wouldn’t be wrong to expect that the child will eat food offered by the restaurant.

Yes this. Your kid is an older kid now. I only ever brought food for a baby or very young toddler (like 15 months).

Parents today give them real food. Baby food is "out" these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I believe that most sensory issues come because parents are not good cooks when kids are young. Rare is a true feeding issue in kids. The reason this post is so loaded is that we all believe you contributed to your child sensory issue and don't believe you that it is a medical issue.

Totally agree. You rarely (meaning almost never) heard about “sensory disorders” when my kids were little. They are young adults now. Yes, there are rare medical conditions that make feeding difficult. But 99.9% of the time it’s poor parenting.

Eh I have plenty of family in their 60s who talk about how picky their kids were. My nephew, now in his late 30s, wouldn't eat much other than pbj growing up and I can assure you it wasn't from poor cooking or lack of stern parenting. My MIL talks about how picky her kids were until adulthood, she struggled with it. My FIL near 70 barely eats more than white bread, eggs, meat and potatoes and a completely plain salad and has visible angst at going to a restaurant. Just because it wasn't talked about or given a name back then doesn't mean it didn't exist.

Is this nephew the son of these 60 year olds who were and are picky eaters? Nobody mentioned stern parenting as the cause of picky eating, clearly it is the usually the opposite of stern parenting that causes eating issues. You know what most kids not in the US in the last 50 years ate when they didn't like what was cooked? Nothing. And nobody worried about it. If I didn't like the lunch grandma cooked, she most certainly did not make me a sandwich of any kind! Just the fact that your nephew had the pbj sandwiches speaks of why he became a picky eater.

This is correct. If a kid in the 60's or 70s did not eat what was served for a meal kid did not eat until next meal. No special meals were made. This was the norm in
society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sensory stuff for non-sn kids is getting absurd. Feed your kid before you go out to eat.

+1000 As if going out to eat is a right - it's a privilege people! Same boat needs to be sailed with all the emotional needs animal owners. You suck. Everywhere I go now I gotta deal with your pets and associated animal droppings and hair because you can't keep your feelings under control under you're touching Gizmo the Wonder Dog.

The entitlement these days drive me batty. Some lady brought her emotional support animal into the library and it was jumping on people as she was checking out. It was on a leash, but she was ignoring it. It almost took out a lady with a walker. My son will break out in hives on contact with a dog. I was pissed and said something to her.