Restaurant Has $50 Charge for 'Adults Unable to Parent'

When Lyndsey Landmann visited Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in Georgia with her family and friends earlier this month, their group was charged a $50 fee on their check for their children being “too loud."

According to Today, Lyndsey, her husband, Kyle, and their two kids, were joined by four other families, adding up to 11 children at the table. When Landmaan saw the eatery’s “adult surcharge” warning on the menu, she thought that it was a joke," she told the outlet.

There are several notes at the bottom of the Blue Ridge, Georgia restaurant’s food menu regarding etiquette and payment. There are more traditional suggestions like “be respectful to staff” but the one that caught Lyndsey's eye read: “Adult surcharge: For adults unable to parent $$$”

“I remember thinking, ‘No way is this real,'" she told Today,

The large group enjoyed the meal and Lyndsey recalled that the kids, all ranging in age from 3 to 8 years old, were “being so good.” “I even commented halfway through the meal, ‘I can’t believe how well-behaved they are.’”

According to Lyndsey, restaurant owner Tim Richter approached the table after they had finished dessert. He came over and talked about the “adult surcharge” and she initially thought he was going to compliment the families. Instead, Richter told them that there would be a $50 charge for the children being “too loud” and “running around outside.”

Lyndsey called the encounter “alarming.”

“I was like, 'They were quiet the whole time.' He got in our faces and told us that we belonged at Burger King and not at his restaurant," she alleged. "We asked to speak to the owner and he said he was the owner. I looked around the restaurant and everybody was frozen watching this show he was putting on. He was yelling."

A photo of the restaurant’s parenting fee has blown up on Reddit since being posted earlier this week. Many commenters claimed they wouldn’t dine at an establishment with that policy. Others noted that there is no exact price listed for the “adult surcharge.”

The restaurant did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but when reached by phone by Today, an employee said: “We’re not going to comment on a policy we’ve had for years. We just want to live in the woods and cook.”

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