Minnesota Restaurant Won't Back Down on Two-Drink Rule for Parents
A Minnesota restaurant has sparked heated debate online for not letting parents have more than two drinks when dining with their kids.
Bayside Saloon and Grill in Red Wing found itself in hot water after its owner posted about the rule on Facebook. The post came after an angry customer left a bad review and didn't tip their server when told about the drink limit.
"Had a very unhappy customer tonight because we enforced this rule on him," the restaurant wrote in its now-deleted post. "I'm not gonna budge, if you want to go out drinking with your kids, don't come to Bayside."
Photo Credit: dailymail.co.uk
Owner Glen Witham told reporters that the rule has been around for 25 years. He was surprised when his Facebook post caught fire online, with people from all over the world chiming in.
"It was getting out of control," Witham said. "We never thought in a million years it would go viral."
Things got ugly when people started making threats against the restaurant. Someone even sent a photo showing the restaurant being blown up. These threats, which targeted both workers and even the upset customer, made Witham take down his posts.
People are split on whether the rule is fair. Some think the restaurant is going too far. "I think the fix is to let adults make adult decisions and if you believe that they are breaking the law in the process, call law enforcement and let them do their job," one person wrote online. Others asked, "What if both parents are there? If one is not drinking what is the problem?"
Photo Credit: baysidetapandsteakhouse.com
But many people support Bayside's rule. "Thank you for standing up for the kids! They deserve better than drunk irresponsible parents!" one supporter wrote. Another said, "Personally I think more places should have a policy like this. Good on you for sticking to it!"
This isn't the first time a restaurant has made such a rule. In 2020, JD Wetherspoons, a big chain of pubs in the UK with over 800 locations, started limiting parents to two drinks when dining with kids. They said it helps prevent children from being left alone while parents drink.
Despite the controversy, Bayside isn't changing its mind. In a new post, they simply wrote: "FYI... policy stands."
