We\u2019ve all been there: You sit down to a nice, relaxing dinner at a cozy restaurant and suddenly you\u2019re surrounded by kids who are screaming, crying, misbehaving … or all three.<\/p>\n
And sometimes those kids are your own.<\/p>\n
But one California man is determined to change the game.<\/p>\n
You You Xue, an energetic 28-year-old restauranteur, was exasperated by the behavior of children in his Bay Area restaurant, Chez Xue. In spring 2025, he added a note at the top of\u00a0his restaurant\u2019s digital menu<\/a>.<\/p>\n It reads: \u201cPlease control your children. Chez Xue is a family-friendly restaurant. However, we are not a playground. Please ensure children REMAIN SEATED at all times and respectful of fellow guests and the dining environment. Running around, shouting, making noise with utensils, etc. WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!\u201d<\/p>\n Recently\u00a0posted on X<\/a>, the note went viral and garnered thousands of comments and lots of media attention.<\/p>\n Though the policy may look harsh in print, Xue, who does not have children of his own, tells TODAY.com, \u201cThis is not an anti-child campaign.\u201d In fact, he points out that the restaurant has plenty of high chairs and caters to big families. Xue\u2019s issue, he says, is \u201cparents who don\u2019t do their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n He explains, \u201cWe\u2019re not confronting children at the restaurant about their behavior. We\u2019re not banning children. We\u2019re not discriminating against children.\u201d Xue also wouldn\u2019t chastise a parent actively trying to corral their misbehaving child. Rather, it\u2019s the parents who don\u2019t pay attention that infuriate him.<\/p>\n The cost of misbehavior<\/p>\n Xue, who also owns a Michelin-recognized restaurant named\u00a0wonderful<\/a>,\u00a0gives examples of problematic behavior, like parents ignoring children while they\u2019re screaming or banging their utensils on the table repeatedly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s the responsibility of the parents to turn to their child and say, \u2018Hey, we don\u2019t do that here.\u2019 And to be honest, if children don\u2019t stop their disruptive behavior, it\u2019s actually the parents\u2019 responsibility to take them outside the restaurant,\u201d Xue says. Once they take the time to calm down, they can return to the table.<\/p>\n The difference in Xue\u2019s approach, he says, is that he has proactively decided how to handle problematic situations.<\/p>\n \u201cMy servers are all trained to take the appropriate action to protect the restaurant environment,\u201d he says, noting that he tells them to be \u201cfirm and professional\u201d with parents. He also tells servers that he is \u201calways at their disposal\u201d if they need backup.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last thing they want to think about is how to run a daycare,\u201d he says of his waitstaff.<\/p>\n Xue points out that misbehavior can be a safety issue, like when a child runs in front of a server carrying hot soup. It can also cause physical damage.<\/p>\n