'Oasis of calm': German restaurant sees surge in popularity after banning children around dinner time
A restaurant in Germany has come into the spotlight after it decided to ban children from the restaurant around dinner time. In an extreme bid to let their adult customers enjoy their meals in peace, the German restaurant called Oma's Küche — Grandma's Kitchen — has banned children in the restaurant premises after 5 pm.
According to reports, Oma's Küche, which is located in Binz on the island of Rügen on the Baltic Sea coast, made the shocking decision so that their dinner guests could have their meal in peace without getting constantly disturbed by unruly children in the evening. As per reports by Evening Standard, owner Rudolf Markl revealed that he wanted to offer his guests an "oasis of calm".
"We have been thinking about this for a very long time," said Markl. "There has to be a limit somewhere where we say: It's just not possible." He further revealed that the ban was put in place because a lot of parents who came to dine with their children were not intervening when children didn't behave well.
He apparently reached his breaking point when a group of unruly youngsters damaged restaurant inventory including some antique photo stands while their parents "acknowledged it with a smile, kept on eating, and didn't care at all."
As an example of negligent behavior of parents, Markl said that some parents chose not to say anything to their children even when they bothered other guests or tore tablecloths from tables causing drinks to spill. He then explained that the ban wasn't explicitly for the kids, rather, it was imposed for those parents who let their children misbehave and for those "who no longer have their children under control".
The restaurant's novel policy has caused quite a stir among the people of Germany with a lot of people calling it discrimination against children. This is a much more serious allegation in Germany than in any other nation, the country has a ban on age discrimination and the restaurant’s new rule might violate the law.
According to Markl, the initial reaction to his ban has been more than just good — it has been a great success. There have even been claims made that the restaurant's popularity has surged since the dinnertime ban was put in practice since a lot of adults are now popping up at the award-winning joint to enjoy an evening meal in peace without being bothered by unruly kids.
In particular, Markl said he was happy to receive a WhatsApp message from another innkeeper friend of his from the island: "He said that he has been thinking of this for 22 years and wanted to do it but he simply does not have the courage."
However, companies banning children from certain areas meant for adult recreation is not a new concept. Torsten Schäfer, spokesman for the German Travel Association, said: "For example, in the Caribbean, every hotelier can decide whether the building is suitable for children or not. Just as there are family hotels, there are also places that specialize in childless holidays. Of course, it is up to each one of us to choose our target group."