Georgia Restaurant Charges Family Extra for ‘Being Unable to Parent’

A restaurant in Georgia is getting attention after a family says they were charged extra due to their children's behavior during dinner.

Warning To Parents On Restaurant Menu

Listed below the drink section on the menu at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in Blue Ridge is the warning, "Adult Surcharge: For adults unable to parent."

The warning to parents went viral when it was shared on Reddit earlier this week. Opinions in the subreddit called "mildly interesting" were split regarding the concept.

"If I read that a restaurant, I would leave," one Reddit user commented on the post.

The photo has generated more than 1,300 comments since it was shared three days ago. Since then, families have come forward saying they have actually been charged extra by the restaurant.

'No Way This Is Real'

Today.com located one of the families that have found their checks to be more than expected after a family dinner at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant.

"I remember thing 'no way this is real,'" Lyndsey Landmann told the website.

Landmann and her family joined others for a group dinner. There were a total of 11 children in their party ranging in age from 3 to 8 years old.

According to Today.com, the owner of the restaurant approached the table to point out the surcharge for unruly kids. The family was informed they would be charged an extra $50 because their children were "too loud" and "running around outside."

"At first, I thought he was going to compliment us and be like, 'but you won't be charged because your kids were so well-behaved,'" Landmann said.

WSB-TV in Atlanta reached out to Toccoa Riverside Restaurant owner Tim Richter who said the surcharge during the COVID-19 pandemic, but had never threatened to charge anyone until recently.

"We want parents to be parents," Richter told the TV station.

The restaurant took a different route when approached by Today.com for comment. According to the website, an employee said "we're not going to comment on a policy we've had for years. We just want to live in the woods and cook."