Ok, well this restaurant doesn't offer that. The parents should choose a restaurant that does. Or perhaps, you know - they themselves should have a babysitting service on their own speed dial for such emergencies. It would be a responsible way to handle the situation.

Or what we've done before: have one parent go and bring a friend instead. I understand they were looking forward to it. I understand the tickets were non-refundable but I don't know, this evening doesn't sound like fun at all. I don't think I've ever had a fun evening in a restaurant with my daughter, not even in the…

No kids under 10 is probably a safe policy. I would have no problem with someone (with cash to burn) taking their well behaved aspiring-chef 1o year old out for a birthday dinner. In fact, I remember seeing a really sweet thread on a French food forum when I lived in Paris in which a mom was taking her young 8ish…

We didn't have any food while there - the drinks are the whole point! I mean I understand they have some food and some people may or may not have had some while we were there, but we were too busy running science experiments at our table to care.

I have a feeling that, with those prices, and that demand, they are not experiencing razor thin margins. I'm anti-baby at nice restaurants, but I've never even heard of having to put a non-refundable down-payment on a restaurant rezzie. That's crazy.

Thank you. I love my kid. I think my kid is adorable. I never assume that anyone else does. Nor do I believe that I have the right to subject other people to him in certain settings. Parents need to realize that for a while there are some things they just can't do with their child, nor do they have a right to. Or, if…

I'm just here to say I support everything you have said. My bf and I are saving up for tickets to Next this year (Achatz other restaurant) and I'd be SOOO pissed if some people showed up with a crying child. We are a couple of meager means, but we really love food, and instead of buying gifts for special occasions…

You don't buy tickets to Alinea! I know because I've been. You make reservations like any other restaurant. There is, however, a fee for reservations cancelled less than 72 hours in advance. I think that's fair. Even restaurants like Alinea have razor thin profit margins and an empty table can have a big impact.…

Little Doo is 6, and I still find it stressful taking her out to dinner. I pretty much didn't leave the house for the first six months of her life, and after that I still didn't like taking her out because I had to constantly find something to occupy her, which meant I couldn't enjoy my meal. She's gotten better,…

Maybe the parents should have a babysitter on call. It is not the restaurant's responsibility to arrange child-care. Having a kid means sometimes to don't get to do the adult things you want to. It is a choice and a trade off. Find a more reliable babysitter or wait 15 years and go to all the Michelin star restaurants…

There's not being family friendly, and then there's not accommodating your guests when an emergency arises. This is the kind of place where someone probably holds your napkin for you when you go to the restroom. Alinea probably would have no problem selling off cancelled tickets if they had to. On the rare occasion…

They're not the assholes, the restaurant is. Practically every other restaurant, even exclusive ones, just take reservations, which you're able to cancel in case of an emergency. When you back your customers into a corner like this, shitty things are going to happen. There's no reason why this couple shouldn't have…

How many people who can afford $200 a plate got that money by being considerate to others? Some, but not many.

Sample tweet:

That's what we did too when our kids were small. While it was important to us that our children gain experience behaving in public, especially restaurants, we didn't want them to gain that experience at the expense of the diners around us. We'd typically order and then one of us would take the child/ren to the…

Having kids means making sacrifices.

No babysitter = no can do. As the parent of a small child, I feel for them with the last-minute cancellation, but certain things are just incompatible—like babies and 2-hour leisurely meals. They should have called friends to see if anyone could take advantage of their reservation, and gotten back on the wait list…

I feel for them because reservations are hard to come by and it's not like they planned on the sitter cancelling. I don't feel for them because other patrons complained and their reservations were equally hard to come by.

Well he didn't dox the guests like some chefs so it's not *AS* bad? I don't approve of the practice either but I do like that it forces people to consider their etiquette and how it contributes to the environment they are in.

Thank you, I absolutely cannot stand the comments calling JLaw "fake" and labeling her personality contrived. I have truly never understood the word "fake" in this context, it's another made up, nonsense definition for the purpose of discrediting women. I don't think everyone should be in love with the girl, if…