Restaurant Owner Refuses to Back Down After Backlash Over Banning Children Under 15

A Winnipeg restaurant owner is standing by a decision that has already sparked criticism before her dining room even opens.

Christine Pattison, owner and chef of Miss Christine’s Kitchen at 878 Ellice Avenue in Winnipeg’s West End, plans to limit dine-in customers to people ages 15 and older. The restaurant already offers pickup, while the dining room is expected to open later in November.

Pattison says she has no plans to change the policy.

“But, I’m not backing down. I’m sticking to my guns,” she said.

The restriction has prompted criticism from a local mother who believes well-behaved children should not be excluded because of the behavior of other children. At the same time, Pattison says the small dining room is designed to provide a quieter, more intimate experience.

Why the restaurant is limiting dine-in customers

Pattison’s main concern is the size and atmosphere of the dining room.

She describes the space as small and intimate, with little room for children to move around. Her concern is that children running or screaming could disturb other people trying to enjoy a meal, particularly when parents do not step in to manage the situation.

“It’s very tiny, it’s an intimate space, there’s nowhere to run around,” Pattison said.

The decision also comes from her previous experience operating a restaurant where children were allowed. Pattison said there were situations in which parents did not intervene while other customers were trying to eat.

For her, the age restriction is a way to establish the type of dining environment she wants before the new dining room opens.

The policy is not adults-only

The cutoff may be surprising because it does not simply separate adults from young children.

Customers who are 15, 16, or 17 will be allowed to dine inside the restaurant. Pattison said older teenagers can also benefit from having an outing without being responsible for younger brothers or sisters.

“Fifteen-year-olds are not adults, but they also deserve a break … because they take the brunt of it when they go with their family,” she said.

The restaurant plans to accept reservations, but there will not be a children’s menu, high chairs, or a changing table.

Families with younger children are not completely excluded from the restaurant itself. They can still order food for pickup.

A local mother says the age rule goes too far

Crystal Dale, a neighborhood resident and mother of four children between the ages of three and 10, disagrees with the blanket restriction.

Dale says her children are well-behaved, have traveled, and enjoy Jamaican food. Her concern is that families should not be excluded simply because some children may cause disruptions in a restaurant.

She believes there is a difference between dealing with an individual problem and refusing entry based on age.

“If there is a situation in her restaurant where the kids are not behaving, she can by all means ask them to leave, but you cannot refuse service to them at the door simply because they’re under 15,” Dale said.

Dale said she might file a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission if the policy goes ahead. That does not mean a formal complaint has already been filed.

The human-rights question is still unresolved

The dispute also raises a question beyond whether customers like the policy.

Manitoba Human Rights Commission hospitality guidelines say restaurants cannot discriminate based on age or family status without reasonable cause. The guidance specifically addresses age restrictions in dining rooms.

That means owning a restaurant does not, by itself, settle whether an age-based restriction is permitted.

Joëlle Pastora Sala, a lawyer with Winnipeg’s Public Interest Law Center, said the circumstances, the restriction itself and its effects on someone making a complaint would all matter when assessing discrimination. She was not representing anyone involved in the dispute and did not determine whether Pattison’s reasons were legally sufficient.

Pattison has also contacted the commission. As of November 12, there was no definitive ruling establishing that the policy was either permissible or impermissible.

“They didn’t say that I’m discriminating, and they didn’t say I’m not,” Pattison said.

Pattison says pickup remains an option

For Pattison, the availability of pickup is an important part of her position.

She argues that younger children are not being prevented from accessing her food. Instead, the restriction applies specifically to sitting inside the dining room.

“It’s not like you can’t eat my food. You have the option of picking up … so I don’t see where the discrimination is coming in,” she said.

That argument has not ended the disagreement, however. Critics are focused on the age restriction itself, particularly the fact that a child who is under 15 would not be allowed to dine inside regardless of how that child behaves.

Her own grandchildren influenced the decision

Pattison is a mother and grandmother of seven, and her decision was also shaped by an experience involving two of her grandchildren.

The children, ages four and six, visited her, and Pattison said their behavior reinforced her concerns about having younger children in the dining room.

She described them leaving washroom taps running, playing with burning candles and running around while dragging things.

For Pattison, the experience illustrated the type of disruption she wants to avoid in the restaurant.

The dining room is expected to open later this month

Miss Christine’s Kitchen is already offering pickup, but the dining room has not yet opened.

The restaurant is hoping to begin dine-in service by the end of November, with November 30 identified as the planned opening date. That date remains a plan rather than a confirmed launch.

Until then, the disagreement is taking place before customers have even had a chance to experience the new dining room.

Pattison wants the space to provide a quiet, intimate meal and says she intends to keep the under-15 restriction. Dale and other critics are questioning whether an age cutoff is the right way to achieve that atmosphere.

For now, the policy remains in place as the restaurant prepares to open its doors.