A California restaurant owner is making headlines for asking parents to control their children while dining and warning that they will be responsible for any damage their kids cause to the restaurant’s property. Chez Xue, located in Foster City in the San Francisco Bay Area, posted the notice more than a year ago, but it only recently went viral after a picture of it was posted on social media.

Respecting the Dining Environment

The notice reads, ‘Please control your children. Chez Xue is a family-friendly restaurant. However, we are not a playground. Please ensure children REMAIN SEATED at all times and respectful of fellow guests and the dining environment. Running around, shouting, making noise with utensils, etc. WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! Guests not respecting this policy may be asked to leave. We will hold parents financially liable for all damage caused by their children to restaurant property.’ Etiquette expert Diane Gottsman, founder of the Protocol School of Texas, said businesses have every right to establish expectations for customer behavior.

According to Chez Xue owner You You Xue, the policy is about keeping order in the restaurant. Xue said, ‘The policy is common sense, and the reaction is a little bit confusing.’ He also noted that children’s behavior at his restaurant has deteriorated over the past year, prompting him to post the notice. Xue believes that parents are increasingly ‘abdicating personal responsibility’ when it comes to raising their children.

Teaching Children Respect

Jan Goss, a professional development expert, said that restaurants provide an opportunity for parents to teach children patience, manners, and consideration for others. Goss added, ‘Children need these opportunities to learn how to function in public spaces.’ Xue encouraged parents to treat dining out as a privilege and teach children to respect a restaurant as they would someone else’s home.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.