One of the many wonderful things about living in New York City is the seemingly infinite number of restaurants. I love going out to eat, but there is one thing that has the potential to ruin my dining experience every single time: other people's children.
We've all been there, questioning a fellow patron's parenting skills as we try (and fail) to ignore their screaming child. Criers and whiners are awful but the child that really gets to me is the type I call "the Richard Simmons", a.k.a, the child who refuses to sit still and may even be running a half-marathon around your table. Clearly, in today's digital age, free crayons aren't cutting it anymore. So, what does hold children's attention?
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| The Old Fisherman's Grotto |
According to the National Restaurant Association, 80% of all kids say they would be likely to use a smartphone or tablet for restaurant-related activities, and a new company called bizzieMe is taking this data to heart. bizzieMe focuses on family-oriented restaurants and creates branded, kid-friendly apps that children can use on mobile devices while dining. Their goal is to increase customer retention and brand loyalty for restaurants by decreasing the effect of disruptive children, which are bad for business and can ruin a restaurant's brand. California restaurant Old Fisherman's Grotto implemented a policy in 2011 that bans loud children from its dining room, and as a result, has reported an increase in business.
Not only do patrons like me not want to be disturbed by other people's children, but parents might not go out to eat as often if they know their children can't behave--or if they'd have to spend their entire meal entertaining them. While I'd never want my date to spend an entire meal on his phone, I think these apps could be a great way to engage children and create better dining environments for everyone involved. I'm going to keep my eye out for restaurants that use bizzieMe's technology and see if they can keep "the Richard Simmons" at bay.
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