--- ---  # No ‘Loud’ Children Allowed in California Restaurant by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Jul 31, 2014 7:24 AM UTC  The entrance to Old Fisherman's Wharf at sunrise in Monterey, Calif., on April 6, 2013 The entrance to Old Fisherman's Wharf at sunrise in Monterey, Calif., on April 6, 2013George Rose—Getty Images by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Jul 31, 2014 7:24 AM UTC One restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula’s historic Fisherman’s Wharf is turning heads with a policy aimed at preventing patrons from bringing loud children or infants into the eatery. The Old Fisherman’s Grotto has [explicitly laid out its policy](http://www.oldfishermansgrotto.com/aboutus.htm) with both signage and on its website stating that no high chairs or booster seats will be permitted on the premises, while loud children and crying babies are not allowed to sit in the dining room. The policy, which the Grotto has had in place for at least two years, has been met with shock and disbelief from tourists and parents visiting Monterey. “I think kids need to know how to behave in restaurants, and if you don’t take them to them, they don’t know how to behave, and they shouldn’t be kept hidden away, so I think it’s ridiculous,” tourist Teresa Colombani told [KSBW news](http://www.ksbw.com/news/restaurant-sign-stirs-controversy/27198928#!brOQfp). However, the restaurant’s owner is sticking to his guns. “If a place has the rules, that’s what the rules are,” owner Chris Shake told the broadcaster. “You go in and abide by the rules or you find a place more suitable for you.” Despite the criticism from the occasional passerby, Shake said the policy has yet to affect his business. “I haven’t had a down year for over 20 years, and our business continues to grow.” California: Monterey Restaurant Bans Crying Babies and High Chairs ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3062427/no-loud-children-allowed-in-california-restaurant/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3062427/no-loud-children-allowed-in-california-restaurant/"},"headline":"No ‘Loud’ Children Allowed in California Restaurant","datePublished":"2014-07-31T07:24:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:45.261Z","description":"The establishment, much to the chagrin of some parents and tourists, has banned high chairs, booster seats, strollers and crying babies","url":"https://time.com/3062427/no-loud-children-allowed-in-california-restaurant/","keywords":["Living","California","restaurants","Family","seafood"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad364925da87587d/69869de435ba6fd5e5c033ef/167335089.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Stout","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/david-stout/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad364925da87587d/69869de435ba6fd5e5c033ef/167335089.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"California's Coastline A Top Tourist Destination","caption":"California's Coastline A Top Tourist Destination","creditText":"George Rose—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3062427/no-loud-children-allowed-in-california-restaurant/","name":"No ‘Loud’ Children Allowed in California Restaurant"}}]}] ```