Good question. I'm surprised the family didn't opt for The Conservatory, right outside of Navio. It's essentially a dining lounge, with more noise and traffic. It'd be much easier to get up and walk around with an infant there.

I'm also surprised at how little effort they were making to calm the baby. By that point, I had all sorts of strategies involving motion and distractions.

That's easy -- the family should have been asked to leave. I have told maitres 'd that the restaurant should cancel my order as we were leaving because the ambience of the restaurant was totally destroyed by a crying baby. In each instance, the maitre 'd took prompt action -- it was the threat of losing business, however, that motivated it.

I think at least four other people took your approach, or at least made strong complaints. Given that, I'm surprised the staff didn't seem to confront the family.

I'm looking forward to receiving a response from Navio. I'll post it here when I get it.

Restaurants can ask anyone to leave for any reason, as long as it is not related to a patron being a member of a protected class, e.g. asking people of a specific race, nationality, religion or gender to leave solely because of the class membership. Restaurants can (and some do) ban children, though it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

The only problem with this is that restaurants think the only food a child likes is chicken fingers, hamburgers and pizza. To add insult to injury many parents think that is what children should eat. Check the statistics just out in the news yesterday. WE are getting fatter everyday. Why because parents feed children junk not vegatables. Restaurants promote junk to kids not quality food. People eat more than they should at these restaurants and restaurants serve larger helpings than should be given. A soup bowl of food is all you are supposed to eat per meal.

A soup bowl of food is all you are supposed to eat per meal.

Snort, snort....

Snort, indeed. If you don't indulge a little at great restaurants from time to time, you have an elevated risk of dying without having lived life.

I like your suggestion. It reminded of a Church I used to attend years ago where the priest would start his homily---which was always very good and thought-provoking---by saying that they try to talk to an adult level during the sermons and if your child disturbs the congration then please take him or her to the nursery. It seemed to work and only a few times did he then have to stop his talk and directly ask the offending parents to take the child to the nursery, which was intended for that purpose. As with your suggestion, they were anticipating the problem.

The ultimate responsibility of a child's nutritional intake rests with the parents. When we start blaming "society" or businesses for children's obesity, it gives parents an easy out. No way.

I like that.

Indeed. ^

We have bought off the adult menu for our young child many times for this reason. Or a salad and then share some of our entre. Luckily our young one loves salad. ^

If they don't offer half-plates for the adult then we go the share route or just plan to box half the plate for following day lunch.

My 7 year old niece always wants to order from the adult menu because she wants to be treated like a grownup. She thinks the children's menu (or what she calls the "baby menu") is perfect for her sister who is 6.

From the Director of Food & Bev. at the R-C Half Moon Bay:

Dear Mr. Dhuey,

Thank you for your visit to the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay and for sharing your experiences with me. It is thorough comments like yours that we are able to continually improve our service and guest loyalty.

I am very pleased that your overall experience at our property was a pleasurable one, however, I am distressed to hear of the unimpressive service you witnessed as well. I would like to sincerely apologize and would like to assure you that discussions will take place on how to make sure these kinds of occurrences do not happen again.

Mr. Dhuey, thank you for keeping me informed regarding your experiences during your stay. We always welcome any kind of constructive criticism that can help us become even better and increase the overall Ritz-Carlton experience to our guest's satisfaction. Of course, I would also like to thank you for your kind words as well. I noticed that although you did have some unpleasant occurrences, your overall view of your stay seems to be that of a pleasant one and we look forward to being of service to you again, soon and often.

Sincerely...

[a cc: to the Restaurant Director]

So, it's just the response I wanted (I specifically mentioned how I wasn't seeking any kind of compensation). I suspect that they'll act more promptly next time a baby's family thinks it's appropriate to use the Ferber method...in a fine dining restaurant! It sure was nasty of that family to put the staff in such an awkward position.

From Flyerwife: [Parent of 3 here. And I would never take an infant to a fine restaurant. Could anyone have possibly enjoyed this meal, parents included????[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with flyerwife. I am parent of just one but I can't believe the parents of the baby could have stood being in the restaurant with a crying infant for 2 hours. I couldn't stand when my son cried for that long inside my own house much less a public place. I think the restaurant should have offered to move the parents to a more distant location or perhaps offered to have room service deliver it to their room. Possibly the parents had already ordered a very expensive meal and didn't just want to walk out, not eat, but have to pay...? If the restaurant could have found some way to make it pleasant for the parents and other guests it seems like it could have been a win/win. I know that if I had been the parents I would have gratefully accepted either offer or simply left if I wasn't staying at the hotel. It sounds like the baby was very young and perhaps it was their first venture into a restaurant with the youngster.