Mom Shares Her “Unpopular Opinion” About Picking Up After Messy Kids In Restaurants
Several past and present restaurant servers weighed in with their takes.
There has been some major discussion over kids and restaurants. Some say that kids do not belong anywhere near a dine-in establishment where people want a nice, peaceful evening. Others say tough sh*t and think that no one is entitled to a child-free world.
Some restaurants have banned children from their businesses because of messy tables and unruly little ones. Other places will charge parents a fee if their kids are disruptive or make a giant mess that servers are left to pick up.
The whole kids/restaurant debate boils down to parenting and how parents can assess 1) if their kids are ready to eat at a restaurant and 2) if they can handle their children and the mess they make while eating.
One mom shared a clip of herself cleaning up quite the mess on the floor of a restaurant, noting that she thinks every single parent should do this when dining out.
“Unpopular opinion but you should always clean up after your babies at restaurants...” she wrote in text overlay on the video.
In the caption, she continued, “If you’re not cleaning up after your kids i really hope you’re leaving a fat tip😭😭😭”
After her video went viral, thousands of TikTok users commented on the short clip, thanking the mom for doing her part.
“YES! When people say ‘They get paid to clean it up’ drives me nuts. it’s called respect,” one user wrote.
Another echoed, “Absolutely. Do I let my kid have fun and make a mess? Yes. Do I clean up the mess after? Also yes.”
One user commented, “I get so many stares doing this but I would rather be stared at for this than leaving a huge mess.”
A server chimed in with an interesting perspective and wrote, “As a server, thank you. 😊 A lot of times when I see moms cleaning up after their kiddos I always tell them thank you, but it’s okay, I got it. ❤️”
Another server agreed and wrote, “As a prior server of 5 years.... Don’t clean up after your children, let us do it! BUT just be sure to tip extra!”
“I served for 7 years, and I always insisted moms let me clean up! A night out is suppose to be a break for everyone, including mom,” another said.
One server said that she truly appreciated the extra help with clean up. “Girl I worked service industry for 15 years and loved when parents did this, even though they didn't have too. I now do the same thing with my kids ❤️ just know it’s so appreciated,” they wrote.
One parent admitted that she never cleans up after her kids, but she does leave an apologetic tip.
“I do not clean after cause my kids are already at peek melt down by the time dinner is over but I do tip beautifully as my apology for my kids crazy mess 😭,” she wrote.
The moral of the story for mom and dad: Clean up a bit or leave a big tip!
