| We went into Shackology on Saturday with our two kids for brunch, as we often do on the weekends. The place was eerily quiet. We went to the back where we had been instructed to go on previous visits with the kids. But this time, there were no tables in the back, only sofas for lounging. We sat at a table in the middle section instead. We ordered two full English breakfasts and one child's English breakfast, juice and coffee. Then we asked for a highchair for our 9 month old. "Sorry," we were told. "New management. No more highchairs." Huh? A little dumbfounded, we naively inquired if this signaled a new anti-child policy. The waiter (who was very nice) smiled politely and gave us a "if the shoe fits" kind of look. "That's a pretty strong message," I continued, feeling more and more offended (we were, afterall, spending money and our kids were being very well behaved!). "I guess we won't be able to eat here anymore," I said, sadly. "Sorry," he replied. After more questions, he told us that too many NCT groups were using the facility for meetings, sitting for hours, spending little, and causing a nuisance with their prams and screaming children. Still, I thought, not offering highchairs seems like a case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Surely there are other, more effective ways to discourage people (with or without kids) from just nursing a coffee or tea for hours? As much as I like the food at Shackology, we won't be going there again, with or without kids. We left the Shack and, needing some refuge from this cruelty, we went into the Starbucks across the street where we were received with a smile and a coherent business model. |