Da Nang cafe draws heat for no child policy

Dream House Coffee announced on Facebook on December 14 that it would not serve guests under 12 years old because it doesn’t have a private space for kids to play.

The shop said it did not want quiet-seeking patrons bothered by children crying. Also, it can’t tell the kids how to behave or offer babysitting to help parents.

“The prohibition of children under 12 years old is one-sided and shows that the shop despises kids,” a Facebook account called Thu Thao commented.

Hieu Nguyen wrote: “I understand that children can be loud and hyperactive, and it can affect many people. However, banning children from going to the cafe is too much.”

Some have even called for a boycott and many visitors have declared they will not come back to the cafe.

“I don’t like the tone you used in your statement, even when you try to protect the rights of a group of people. I don’t know and care what kind of cafe you are, even when I don’t have children, I won’t be coming to your coffee shop,” Duy Tran wrote.

Meanwhile, many people have also voiced their support for the decision and said that the coffee shop has the right to refuse service or turn away customers to protect its patrons and business.

“Each business has its own preferences for the kind of customers they want to serve. I am glad to see that you have the guts to politely decline service when seeing something you don’t find fitting,” Vu Quoc Minh wrote.

“For many customers, especially those like me who want to have a quiet place to relax or hold a conversation, the presence of a noisy toddler is enough to cause headaches,” Truong Bao Lam stated. “I support the shop’s decision.”

“Having one noisy kid next to me makes it impossible to concentrate, let alone having a large number of them nearby…Parents, please don’t boycott this cafe,” Nguyen Thai Duong, who said to have small children, commented.

Restaurants and cafes in other countries have their own regulations on children.

The Korea Times in 2014 reported that an increasing number of restaurants had refused to allow children to enter after ourt rulings that owners should take responsibility for any accidents involving them there.

In one case, a court ordered a meat-grilling restaurant owner to pay 47 million won ($45,370) to the parents of a child who was burnt by charcoal. A separate court ordered another restaurant owner to pay 10 million won to the parents of a child burnt by a pot of hot water.

Insider in 2018 reported that Old Fisherman’s Grotto, a California restaurant, did not allow children ‘making loud noises’ inside.

Chris Shake, the restaurant’s owner, said: “We decided that it was important that our guests enjoy a great meal and not be distracted by children crying in our dining room.”