by Pitterpat » Mon Aug 23, 2021 5:30 pm
In response to the OP, Anthonyd923:
It is completely unacceptable, no ... disgraceful, for you to take to a public forum to put the boot in in this way!
Having dined both there and at their sister restaurant over in Kew, I sincerely doubt that anyone at Chez Bruce "hung up" on your partner. I have been to Chez Bruce many times (without children) and found their manners never less than exemplary, both on the phone and in person.
As other posters in this thread have said, it is very clear on their website that babies and young children are not allowed, so the fault lies entirely with you for not taking the trouble to read their details properly.
I rather suspect that your baby did not just "make a few noises in the background", as that would not have been heard by someone on the other end of a phone; it is more likely that your girlfriend was trying to object to the buggy rule and, unable to hear further conversation, the call was terminated by the staff member while your girlfriend was distracted by a fussing baby.
Perhaps, in the drama of the moment, your partner accidentally cut the call off - it happens to the best of us. It's not as though Chez Bruce slammed the phone down on you, is it?
Could you not have called back, perhaps having looked into childcare options?
As for the venue, I would like to add this, in support of their "No Children" policy: Chez Bruce is a Michelin starred establishment where grown-ups can eat spectacular food prepared by skilled and passionate chefs.
What it is not is a buggy-park, lunch-break stop-off for stamping, whining parents who think their babies are the exception to all rules, and it's high time that such parents realised that the world does not owe them access to every bar, cafe and fine dining establishment in London simply because they have offspring.
No parent can offer a cast iron guarantee that their newborn will not kick off during a meal in a fine dining restaurant - not one - yet you seem to imply that your baby will be 100% perfect throughout the meal.
It makes not one jot of difference whether you are going for lunch or dinner. I have had many past meal experiences utterly ruined by parents bringing new babies or young children in to high end restaurants; our past three lunches out have been a cacophony of ear-splitting noise emanating from bored, badly behaved children, ignored by their inured, inattentive and inept parents.
South West London is awash with cafes and restaurants who willingly cater for parents with babies, children and buggies - but the parents who feel that a baby in a buggy gives them the right to sit for hours in a mother-gaggle, ordering nothing more than a glass of water, or demand to use the toilets (despite not actually being a customer or buying so much as a slice of cake) are becoming alarmingly common, no to mention aggressive.
When turned away or charged for said water, they turn into spitting, seething Gorgons, Angry Karens storming homeward with the buggy wheels spinning imaginary knives like Roman chariots; they take to their keyboards to vent their misplaced indignation.
These thoughtless, clenched, hysterical reactions are completely out of proportion in relation to the perceived indignity they feel they have suffered, not to mention hugely damaging to independent local businesses who have really struggled during the past 18 months.
So for those of us who don't relish the idea of having a 6 week old screaming through our fine dining experience, establishments such as Chez Bruce are a welcome and much needed refuge and I for one am delighted that it remains a safe haven for those of us who want a quiet, adult evening or lunch service.
Were you to go to the restaurant, brandishing your vouchers, doubtless you would seek out something to screech "I'm offended" about, or find some morsel of a misstep to grind your gnashing teeth on before taking to social media again, wielding your keyboard like a Spartan.
Yet, I remain reassuringly confident that Chez Bruce would rise above such an attack, based purely on the dignity of their past performances and reputation alone.
I have eaten lunch out at "nice" restaurants four times since lockdowns have eased. By "nice", I mean a three or four course meal, tablecloth with good glassware and shiny cutlery laid out, discrete yet attentive waiting staff, excellent cuisine accompanied by superb wine, while happily anticipating a bill which reflects the whole.
On each and every one of those occasions, our dining experience has been utterly ruined by parents bringing in very young children or newborn babies. It became clear that they would not sit still for more than 10 minutes, they whined, arched, thrashed and shouted until let loose, where they ran around the table being a nuisance to others seated nearby.
When restrained, they escalated to an even bigger fuss. Toys were hurled, iPads and smart phones (lobbed at the children like tranquillisers) jangled their tinny sounds across the room, food ended up on the floor and serving staff look embarrassed and awkward.
Tiny babies (who, at that stage of their development, are not equipped to cope with the impact of the level of of a busy restaurant) just went into meltdown and were simply popped on to an exasperated parent's shoulder, where they continued to fuss and grizzle for the rest of the meal. Meanwhile, the remaining adults around the tables continued to talk over the chaos, or spent their time with faces glued to their remaining phones, blunted to the misery of those around them who were simply trying to have a nice meal out.
For 20 years or more I have sought "no children" hotels/holidays and I now actively seek out restaurants which have a "No children" policy.
There, I can truly savour the quiet rumble of adults having an enjoyable dining experience, fully appreciate the skill, craftsmanship and dedication which has gone into producing the meal, hold a conversation with my partner, without ear splitting screams from small children whose parents seem to think that others must bow to the fact that they have reproduced.
Our own (young) family members were taken to child-welcoming establishments, easing them in to the occasion of a meal out, until they reached an awareness of expected behaviour, could sit at the table nicely throughout a meal and allow others around them to do likewise. Then, and only then, were they taken to more adult restaurants.
I am sure Chez Bruce will continue to do well, despite this very public slur.
I am equally sure that the OP will find an establishment where he, his girlfriend and his perfectly behaved offspring will fit in. There are plenty of them in Clapham, that's for sure.
In response to the OP, Anthonyd923:
It is completely unacceptable, no ... disgraceful, for you to take to a public forum to put the boot in in this way!
Having dined both there and at their sister restaurant over in Kew, I sincerely doubt that anyone at Chez Bruce "hung up" on your partner. I have been to Chez Bruce many times (without children) and found their manners never less than exemplary, both on the phone and in person.
As other posters in this thread have said, it is very clear on their website that babies and young children are not allowed, so the fault lies entirely with you for not taking the trouble to read their details properly.
I rather suspect that your baby did not just "make a few noises in the background", as that would not have been heard by someone on the other end of a phone; it is more likely that your girlfriend was trying to object to the buggy rule and, unable to hear further conversation, the call was terminated by the staff member while your girlfriend was distracted by a fussing baby.
Perhaps, in the drama of the moment, your partner accidentally cut the call off - it happens to the best of us. It's not as though Chez Bruce slammed the phone down on you, is it?
Could you not have called back, perhaps having looked into childcare options?
As for the venue, I would like to add this, in support of their "No Children" policy: Chez Bruce is a Michelin starred establishment where grown-ups can eat spectacular food prepared by skilled and passionate chefs.
What it is [i][b]not[/b][/i] is a buggy-park, lunch-break stop-off for stamping, whining parents who think their babies are the exception to all rules, and it's high time that such parents realised that the world does not owe them access to every bar, cafe and fine dining establishment in London simply because they have offspring.
No parent can offer a cast iron guarantee that their newborn will not kick off during a meal in a fine dining restaurant - not one - yet you seem to imply that your baby will be 100% perfect throughout the meal.
It makes not one jot of difference whether you are going for lunch or dinner. I have had many past meal experiences utterly ruined by parents bringing new babies or young children in to high end restaurants; our past three lunches out have been a cacophony of ear-splitting noise emanating from bored, badly behaved children, ignored by their inured, inattentive and inept parents.
South West London is awash with cafes and restaurants who willingly cater for parents with babies, children and buggies - but the parents who feel that a baby in a buggy gives them the right to sit for hours in a mother-gaggle, ordering nothing more than a glass of water, or demand to use the toilets (despite not actually being a customer or buying so much as a slice of cake) are becoming alarmingly common, no to mention aggressive.
When turned away or charged for said water, they turn into spitting, seething Gorgons, Angry Karens storming homeward with the buggy wheels spinning imaginary knives like Roman chariots; they take to their keyboards to vent their misplaced indignation.
These thoughtless, clenched, hysterical reactions are completely out of proportion in relation to the perceived indignity they feel they have suffered, not to mention hugely damaging to independent local businesses who have really struggled during the past 18 months.
So for those of us who don't relish the idea of having a 6 week old screaming through our fine dining experience, establishments such as Chez Bruce are a welcome and much needed refuge and I for one am delighted that it remains a safe haven for those of us who want a quiet, adult evening or lunch service.
Were you to go to the restaurant, brandishing your vouchers, doubtless you would seek out something to screech "I'm offended" about, or find some morsel of a misstep to grind your gnashing teeth on before taking to social media again, wielding your keyboard like a Spartan.
Yet, I remain reassuringly confident that Chez Bruce would rise above such an attack, based purely on the dignity of their past performances and reputation alone.
I have eaten lunch out at "nice" restaurants four times since lockdowns have eased. By "nice", I mean a three or four course meal, tablecloth with good glassware and shiny cutlery laid out, discrete yet attentive waiting staff, excellent cuisine accompanied by superb wine, while happily anticipating a bill which reflects the whole.
On each and every one of those occasions, our dining experience has been utterly ruined by parents bringing in [b]very young children[/b] or [b]newborn babies[/b]. It became clear that they would not sit still for more than 10 minutes, they whined, arched, thrashed and shouted until let loose, where they ran around the table being a nuisance to others seated nearby.
When restrained, they escalated to an even bigger fuss. Toys were hurled, iPads and smart phones (lobbed at the children like tranquillisers) jangled their tinny sounds across the room, food ended up on the floor and serving staff look embarrassed and awkward.
Tiny babies (who, at that stage of their development, are not equipped to cope with the impact of the level of of a busy restaurant) just went into meltdown and were simply popped on to an exasperated parent's shoulder, where they continued to fuss and grizzle for the rest of the meal. Meanwhile, the remaining adults around the tables continued to talk over the chaos, or spent their time with faces glued to their remaining phones, blunted to the misery of those around them who were simply trying to have a nice meal out.
For 20 years or more I have sought "no children" hotels/holidays and I now actively seek out restaurants which have a "No children" policy.
There, I can truly savour the quiet rumble of adults having an enjoyable dining experience, fully appreciate the skill, craftsmanship and dedication which has gone into producing the meal, hold a conversation with my partner, without ear splitting screams from small children whose parents seem to think that others must bow to the fact that they have reproduced.
Our own (young) family members were taken to child-welcoming establishments, easing them in to the occasion of a meal out, until they reached an awareness of expected behaviour, could sit at the table nicely throughout a meal and allow others around them to do likewise. Then, and only then, were they taken to more adult restaurants.
I am sure Chez Bruce will continue to do well, despite this very public slur.
I am equally sure that the OP will find an establishment where he, his girlfriend and his perfectly behaved offspring will fit in. There are plenty of them in Clapham, that's for sure.
