Restaurant backed for no-kid stance

A Sydney restaurant has made a wild call about kids and public support is overwhelmingly in favour of it.

A Sydney restaurant has made a wild call about kids and public support is overwhelmingly in favour of it.

A Sydney restaurant has made a wild call about kids and public support is overwhelmingly in favour of it.

Marrickville’s Kin Dining and Bar has banned under 18s from eating dinner at the venue, with owner Peter Wu defending the controversial move.

Speaking on Sunrise, Mr Wu told host Nat Barr that customers appreciated the child-free environment, especially when celebrating special occasions such as anniversaries or engagements.

Mr Wu told Sunrise host Nat Barr his customers backed the move. Picture: Sunrise.

“We have all had experiences being sat beside a screaming toddler, or an impatient child, or just a loud iPad — we don’t want our diners to have those potential disturbances,” Mr Wu said.

“This is partly so that we can provide that dining experience for our guests and create that sense of escapism.

“Ultimately, we just want to create that sort of experience for our guests on a nightly basis.

“That is all it is.

“I think overall people are quite happy with that stance we have taken.”

He does allow customers aged under 18 to join adults for lunch on the weekend but the restaurant’s dinner bookings are strictly for adults only.

The restaurant’s booking conditions show the controversial rule.

Mr Wu said that people who didn’t agree with the decision were free to choose another restaurant with lots of family-friendly options available in the market.

“The great thing is that we live in an amazing country where everyone has free choice,” Mr Wu said.

A post on Instagram by Kin Dining and Bar revealed the move had widespread support from the restaurant’s followers, many of whom are parents.

“As a parent of 2 kids, I’ll happily leave my kids at home to go out and eat dinner in peace!” one commenter said.

“I have kids and I say yay!” wrote another.

“Loads of options for kids so good on you,” commented another follower.

The move also garnered widespread support on Facebook, with many commenting that it is the restaurant’s decision to make and that families with kids have plenty of choice when it comes to options for eating out.