Most restaurants not into ‘screaming child’ surcharge, say they risk losing customers over ‘touchy’ matter

Unruly children causing a ruckus while out eating with their parents at restaurants can be disruptive and frustrating for other diners, but most food-and-beverage (F&B) business owners said that they will not consider penalising their customers with a surcharge.

They also told TODAY that they often let the unruly behaviour persist because they do not want to offend their customers, and that the most they are willing to do is gently request that the family keep the noise down, or move other customers away from the noise. 

These comments came on the back of a controversial move by Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill restaurant to impose a S$10 surcharge for noisy or uncontrollable children.

The Mothership website published an article earlier this month saying that the restaurant on Outram Road had informed one of its customers that it had a "screaming children surcharge" that it could impose if a table had screaming or uncontrollable children. 

When contacted by TODAY, the restaurant said that it had introduced the surcharge more as a deterrent than one that it would actively enforce.