Naturally, this is a polarizing issue, with people on the
pro-child side insisting that anyone who does not want to listen to the sounds
of a toddler screaming or deal with a pack of small children running around as
if they were at a playground is simply a horrible old curmudgeon who hates
children, families, freedom, liberty, justice and possibly the American Way.
Meanwhile, people on the pro-manners side insist that anyone who can’t afford a
babysitter should just stay home with the kids, and that anyone who insists on
dragging small children to events or venues that are not age-appropriate is a
selfish, narcissistic, inconsiderate, delusional idiot. I’m not going to
comment on the social, legal or psychological implications of the debate; as
usual I’m going to leave those subjects to people who are better qualified. The
question that interests me is whether age-specific (or age-segregated)
businesses can be viable in this era…
One large-scale experiment going on right now in Virginia is
a restaurant called “The Sushi Place” which is operating in Alexandria. The
owners announced that the place would be 18 years or older only during the
run-up to their grand opening, and have apparently stuck with that decision
during the first weeks of operations. So far it seems to be working; they claim
to have been operating at capacity every night so far, and the reaction (both
from their local community and the majority of the online comments) appears to
be very supportive so far. You can watch the story from the local CBS affiliatestation here if you want to, but at least in the early going this appears to be
working…
Now, I’m not familiar with that part of Alexandria or with
the restaurant itself; it’s possible that The Sushi Place is succeeding because
they’ve chosen a location where their customer base is mostly childless, or
because their food, quality, prices and/or service are exceptional, or just
because the number of small children who are willing to eat raw fish in the
first place is somewhat limited. And it is possible that they are still riding
on the buzz from their grand opening, and that business will drop off over time
– or that local pro-child activists will start causing enough trouble for the
owners that they are eventually forced to change policy. But personally I hope
they make it – and I would like to see someone extend the concept to other
types of business and locations outside of Virginia…
It’s not that I have any problems with families or children,
you understand. It’s just that sometimes I’d like to be able to eat a meal,
watch a movie, or reach my destination in relative peace…
No comments:
Post a Comment