Another NJ restaurant is banning kids

It happened last year. It’s happened again. A New Jersey restaurant banning children under a certain age.

The difference this time is it’s a new restaurant just opening as opposed to last year when a long-established restaurant that has always welcomed kids changed their policy and caused quite a backlash.

Andaaz is an Indian fusion restaurant that opened in Franklin Park in April. It’s a bit upscale with a dress code and a strict rule that children under 5 are banned from dinner service after 4 p.m. Probably because the ban is implemented from day one, there doesn’t seem to be the backlash that a Tinton Falls restaurant suffered last year when it banned children under 10 years old.

UPDATE: Restaurant has a change of heart

That was Nettie’s House of Spaghetti. At the time they posted to their social media, “We love kids. We really, truly, do. But lately, it’s been extremely challenging to accommodate children at Nettie’s. Between noise levels, lack of space for highchairs, cleaning up crazy messes, and the liability of kids running around the restaurant, we have decided that it’s time to take control of the situation.”

They knew some would support it but others would hate it. They politely acknowledged that with the words, “We know that this is going to make some of you very upset, especially those of you with very well-behaved kids, but we believe this is the right decision for our business moving forward.”

Is it wrong to ban kids? No. While it’s not a child’s fault, it’s definitely the parent’s. Too many couples bring kids to restaurants and act like part of the tab they pay for includes childcare. People let kids run around busy restaurants, make noises, throw tantrums and don’t bring them outside like good parents do. The people who are most upset about these bans are those good parents who took the time to teach their children how to behave in a public restaurant and are not part of the problem. I don’t blame them. It’s a case of a few ruining it for the many. But a restaurant can set its own rules regarding such matters.

By the way this new Indian place Andaaz in Franklin Park is said to be pretty amazing. In a write-up on MyCentralJersey.com, founder Charu Saxena told them, “At Andaaz, we are committed to using only the freshest ingredients and age-old authentic recipes to bring you a modern twist on traditional Indian cuisine."

If you’d like to check out the vibe and don’t mind getting a babysitter Andaaz is at 3059 Route 27, Franklin Park.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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