Katie Leach was looking forward to going out for a family dinner at Texas Roadhouse. The chain is popular among families and other groups for its vibrant ambience that caters to them. Leach, on the other hand, was shocked when other customers at the restaurant came over to her table and placed a note down complaining about how Leach’s 10-month-old son had “ruined” their meal because he had been crying, shouting, and making a lot of noise.
Unfortunately, mom revealed that her son had developed a liking for shouting, which she referred to as the “new thing” he enjoyed. The boy is learning to vocalize and communicate with his voice at ten months old, just like every other infant who has been brought up.
Leach is a resident of Nampa, Idaho, where she says she feels her neighborhood is open and accepting. This event at the Texas Roadhouse, however, rubbed her the wrong way, so she shared her story on Facebook – and it’s gone viral thousands of times over.
She posted on Facebook: “He will yell when I tell him no when he’s super excited and happy or just for no reason at all. I’m doing my best to teach him an indoor voice and to not yell back at me when telling him no etc. But he is only 10 (almost 11 months) and LEARNING.”
When her infant Drew began shouting fitfully, the family was at the Nampa Texas Roadhouse restaurant. This was his new behavior. Because there was a lot of activity at the raucous establishment, Leach thought no one would be bothered by her loud son. She was incorrect in that assumption.
“He had been screaming off and on just with everybody as they were singing happy birthday. And when one of the waitresses would come up, he’d scream to tell them hi,” she stated. “We all tried quieting him down, which a majority of the time he did, but he also was so excited to be around all the commotion. He was not yelling to be mean, or because he was mad, it was purely from excitement and being happy.”
Two diners in their late 50s or early 60s slammed a note down on the table near infant Drew halfway through the Leach family meal.
The note read: “Thank you for ruining our dinner with your screaming kid. Sincerely, the table behind you.”
The mother went over to the woman and told her that her son was still young and didn’t realize what he was doing. The incensed woman informed Leach that she had grandchildren, none of whom were as mischievous as Drew.
She stated: “He’s so young. He barely understands now. I mean, he’s starting to learn that when we tell him no, that means to tone it down, which he was doing.”
Leach believes the customers were discourteous, and they could have handled things better. The restaurant’s manager agreed. They reimbursed Leach for her food and offered to bring him and his family back to Texas Roadhouse anytime.
A representative for Texas Roadhouse addressed the matter: “We’re in the hospitality business. We want all our guests to have a great experience. We were voted one of the loudest restaurants by Consumer Reports. 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.”
