A Nelson café owner is standing by his decision to ban children from his café, saying parents with kids are welcome to eat anywhere else.
Fabian Prioux's Abbey Road Burgers, Bar and Café has restricted children entering the venue, outright banning anyone under 12 and forcing anyone aged 12-18 to dine with a guardian.
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"They can go anywhere else," he told Newshub.
"It's only us and the restaurant in Akaroa also that have banned the kids under 10 so I mean [they can visit] all the other restaurants."
Some prospective customers have used online reviews to criticise the policy, which has led to some families being turned away due to their kids.
"Was really looking forward to having a meal here but they turned us away as they don't serve to people with kids under 12yrs was very disappointing for a burger place not to serve families," one person wrote.
"Would love to try it but being a parent can't as this place has taken it [out] on all kids and parents. So won't waste money on there food (sic)," another said.
But Mr Prioux told Newshub he stands by the decision, as riotous children had been destroying his restaurant before the ban.
"Stabbing the table with knives, the chairs, the walls... there's been a lot of damage [to] the menus, the list is quite long," he said.
Mr Prioux believes about 80 percent of children visiting the restaurant were misbehaving due to their parents not educating them about how to behave in public.
His move to ban children from the restaurant has upset some people, but Mr Prioux is being praised by others.
"Love my burgers... that they had a no kids policy which was amazing in my view. True to the word, really great food and no snotty nosed, badly behaved kids," one TripAdvisor review said.
Mr Prioux said he's certainly lost business from families since he implemented the rule, but that has been made up by adults visiting the restaurant without children.
Newshub.
