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- A restaurant in Georgia makes diners pay a surcharge if they're "unable to parent."
- Two recent Google reviews put the fee at $50.
- Reddit users have slammed the restaurant, calling the owner a "cheapskate."
A Georgia restaurant that charges diners a fee if their kids don't behave well is sparking debate online.
Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia, around 100 miles north of Atlanta, states at the bottom of its menu that is currently listed online that it has an "adult surcharge," which it describes as "for adults unable to parent."
The menu doesn't say how much the surcharge is, simply labeling it as "$$$," but two recent reviews on Google put it at $50.
The notes at the bottom of the menu tell diners to "be respectful" to staff or they'll be refused service.
Insider reached out to the restaurant for comment but didn't immediately hear back.
One reviewer on Google said that the owner "made a huge scene in front of the entire restaurant because our children were 'running through the restaurant' – they were down by the river." The reviewer said that the owner told them that they were "bad parents" and should go to Burger King or Walmart instead.
A Reddit user posted a photo of the menu alongside the caption: "This restaurant charges you extra for bad parenting." At the time of writing, the post had more than 12,500 reactions and 1,200 comments.
Commenters pointed out that the restaurant didn't state what kind of behavior would incur the charge.
"I'm all for encouraging people not to let their kid run around screaming in restaurant, but this is all quite a bit much," one commenter wrote.
"Clearly, this owner/manager is a cheapskate looking to make as much money as possible," another said.
The restaurant's menu says it may also charge an 18% gratuity to larger parties, people hosting birthday gatherings, and diners asking to split the check. It also says that diners have to pay 3.5% more than the listed menu prices if they pay by card and an extra $3 if they share food.
"From the laundry list of extra charges they have, this just seems like a restaurant that uses any excuse it can to gouge customers more," one Reddit user wrote.
Restaurant surcharges are being increasingly scrutinized by diners, who question why they're being asked to pay extra for things that should be incorporated into menu prices. Some restaurants add extra security charges, contributions towards staff's health insurance, card fees, or vague charges like "administrative fees."
Toccoa Riverside Restaurant has a 4.1-star rating on Google and a 3.5-star rating on TripAdvisor.