Diners Deliver Scolding Note to Mom and Screaming Toddler

Most patrons of casual dining chains have likely come to take the presence of rowdy kids in stride, but not two women in Idaho. Annoyed by a screaming child at the next table, diners at a Texas Roadhouse in Boise chose to passive-aggressively deliver a note to air their frustrations, says KTVB.

Katie Leach says she was having dinner with her family when her 10-month-old son began yelling excitedly, despite her attempts to quiet him. About halfway through the meal, two middle-aged women "slammed a disapproving note down on Leach's table" and returned to their seats. It read, "Thank you for ruining our dinner with your screaming kid. Sincerely, the table behind you."

Rather than bending to the whims of the complainants, the restaurant manager sympathized with Leach; he comped the family's meal, and told the women "they could finish their dinner, but then had to leave quietly." A rep for Texas Roadhouse told the news station, "We are proud to be loud. If you want to hear clinking wine glasses and clinking forks, then this probably isn’t the place for you."

The restaurant's move isn't sitting well with some: Several angry customers have taken to Texas Roadhouse's Facebook wall, with one writing, "I'll never go to this restaurant as you don't care people enjoy their meal. Screaming children have priority."

Kids in restaurants is an issue that people on both sides get awfully passionate about: After a Monterey, Calif. restaurant called Old Fisherman's Grotto instituted a no-kids policy, a local radio station polled listeners to find 57 percent disapproved of the move. Meanwhile, an Australian restaurant that banned kids says it's busier than ever. And it's not just casual restaurants affected, either: Chicago's pricey fine dining institution Alinea considered banning babies after a crying infant in the dining room angered other patrons.

Eater Video: The only thing more absurd than that note are these ways to open a wine bottle