New York restaurant limits parents to one drink when dining with children

The decision was made with the safety of the children in mind, but not everyone is on board

Parenting is, undeniably, exhausting. So you can forgive mums and dads for wanting to relax with a bottle of wine (or two) occasionally.

But one restaurant is taking matters into their own hands by limiting parents from having more than one drink when dining with children.

The decision has been made in an attempt to limit collisions caused by drink driving, but reactions have been mixed.

The notice

The policy employed at Peddlers Bar and Grill, in Clifton Park, New York, reads: “The commitment to end fatalities from drinking and driving requires all of us to participate.

“Each of us take part in this mission in our own unique way.

“We at Peddlers will limit one of the responsible adults to one alcoholic beverage while dining with children.”

According to 3 News, the one drink policy has been in place for seven years but was recently brought to wider public attention on social media.

Some people have praised the rule for keeping children safe.

Others, however, believe it’s not a restaurant’s place to dictate how much an adult drinks with their meal.

According to restaurant manager Melissa Gravelle, the policy is about “giving children a voice”:

“I could never live with myself knowing that I killed somebody driving,” she said. “I could never do that and it’s a choice that you can avoid.”

Gravelle says the majority of customers accept the rule, but some have occasionally become angry and aggressive:

“They do get berated at the tables and some come back very very upset,” she revealed. “But the managers go to the table and they explain, we’re not picking on parents, it’s just something that we feel in our hearts is something that we can do in order to help.”