Some parents boycott North Side restaurant

November 9, 2005 (WLS) -- A classic case of the haves and have-nots is playing out in restaurants in Chicago and across the country over the behavior of children. People without children are asking parents to control their kids. One North Side restaurant owner has posted a sign asking families to keep it down while chowing down.

What's happening at the A Taste of Heaven restaurant in Andersonville seems to be touching off a great debate nationwide. Here's the question: Are children these days out of control? The owner of the restaurant thinks far too many of them are, and he blames their parents.

A Taste of Heaven is a tiny restaurant with a little sign on the front door that says "Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices." But it is causing a big controversy. Dozens of mothers are now boycotting the place, the same mothers the owner says don't place limits on their children.

"Her kids are using the poles on the walls to climb the walls like Batman, and I'm not exaggerating," said Dan McCauley, restaurant owner.

He asked that woman to never come back.

Kim Cavitt says she was offended when she was told her 2-year-old daughter should quiet down or they could leave.

"My response was, then we're leaving," Cavitt said.

Kim says her daughter is welcomed in many other Andersonville establishments, like the Swedish bakery, which gives out free cookies to kids, or Starbucks.

"And the way he handled it is extremely offensive. If you don't want children, great, that's great. Put a sign up that says no children allowed, not a benign thing where you are subjectively deciding what you consider to be positive behavior," said Cavitt.

But the little sign has touched a raw nerve. The New York Times called it Wednesday a culture clash between the childless and the child-centered.

Is it a sense of entitlement?

"It's a sense of my money is green and I get to have what I want," said McCauley.

"I am not sure whey people are upset the restaurant doesn't want their kids to act like a brat," said Lara Osborne, restaurant patron.

"That is really taking a stand for something," said Patrick Tully, restaurant patron.

A Taste of Heaven is not alone in doing this. Another restaurant, Toast, in Lincoln Park, has a note on the menu asking people there to use their inside voices. Many other restaurants across the nation are doing similar things.

One thing is for certain, with or without those boycotting mothers, A Taste of Heaven, with all of this attention, is going to be selling a lot more scones.

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