Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 13

Chez Xue's Child-Damage Policy Draws 1.7 Million Views as Owner Defends $327 Charge

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 13

Chez Xue's Child-Damage Policy Draws 1.7 Million Views as Owner Defends $327 Charge

Q: Did the viral 'unruly kids' policy ultimately boost or bust the restaurant's business?

It appears to have boosted the restaurant rather than hurt it. By owner You You Xue’s account, the policy drew strong public support and brought added attention to Chez Xue, including calls from new local customers who said the restaurant was expressing a view many people shared. There is no reporting that the policy caused a meaningful business decline. Operationally, the policy also seems to have helped. Xue said serious incidents involving children have dropped “considerably to basically zero” since the rules were put in place. That matters for business because the policy was designed not just to recover damage costs, but to improve the dining environment for other guests and reduce disruptions that can drive customers away. The backlash appears to have been limited mostly to online debate over specific examples, such as charging for a broken teacup. But the broader reaction, including from etiquette experts, has been that restaurants are entitled to set standards around safety, hygiene and respectful behavior. That wider support likely reinforced the restaurant’s image rather than damaging it. So while the policy was controversial and viral, the available evidence points to a net positive effect: more visibility, support from many diners, and fewer disruptive incidents inside the restaurant.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 13

A year-old notice at Chez Xue in Foster City recently went viral after a social-media post, reigniting debate over the restaurant's policy holding parents liable for damage caused by disruptive children.
You You Xue said worsening behavior over the past year drove the policy, citing children running through servers carrying hot soup and knives, carving a custom table, and climbing on umbrellas.
One family paid $327 after a child dropped and shattered a standalone credit-card machine; Xue said he has sometimes had to threaten legal action to recover costs.
Xue rejected reports that the restaurant is "fining" parents, saying the rule is about safety, respect and protecting other diners, not banning children from the family-friendly business.
Etiquette and child-development experts backed restaurants' right to set behavior rules, arguing public dining can teach manners while unchecked behavior creates hygiene and safety risks.