Plenty of diners have sat at a quiet table for two while a toddler melts down nearby, and plenty of parents have braved a restaurant with a stroller and a bag of crayons. A Winnipeg restaurant has picked a side before its new location even opens. Miss Christine’s Kitchen, a Jamaican restaurant on Ellice Avenue, will not seat children under 15 in its dining room.
Owner Christine Pattison, 55, announced the rule in a social media post and has defended it since in interviews with CTV News and the Winnipeg Free Press, saying adults “deserve a break,” the New York Post reported on Nov. 11. The restaurant is slated to open its new Winnipeg location on November 30, seats 30 and offers takeout, which stays available to families. Supporters and critics have each made their case in public.
What the Policy Says: Dining Room Open at 15 and Older
Pattison’s post, as quoted by the Post, says the restaurant works to create “a warm, cozy and relaxing atmosphere” and offers “a comfortable, intimate setting for adults to get away, unwind and enjoy quality time.” It adds that, to maintain that setting, the dining room “welcomes guests ages 15 and older.” The post asks diners to respect the policy.
The Post describes the ban as applying to dine-in customers under 15. CTV News, in a video report published Nov. 9, covered the story as a West End restaurant owner defending the policy, which divided Winnipeggers.
Pattison told the Winnipeg Free Press that her years in the restaurant business showed her children were a steady disturbance for other diners, who often booked late reservations or asked for tables at the edges of the room to avoid them, according to the Post. She asked in that interview why it is fair for customers who work hard for their money to come for a nice experience and then find kids running around.
Takeout Stays Open for Families
The age rule covers the dining room only. Pattison said, in remarks the Post attributed to her CTV News interview, that children can still eat the food and that families can pick up an order. She said she did not see where claims of discrimination come in, since a family can take the same plate home. A piece on people who always order the same thing at a restaurant is a reminder that many diners stick to a favorite dish, which travels easily to a pickup counter.
She also pointed to the size and mood of the space. The Post quoted her describing a dimly lit restaurant that seats 30 and has nothing to entertain a child, and said she believes a visit there would not be a good outing for a young guest. She expects the policy might cost her some diners but believes customers will support her and order takeout when they have little ones.
Anyone who has read a list of blunders to avoid when dining out knows how often noise and behavior show up in restaurant etiquette debates, and a roundup of red flags when dining at a restaurant covers more of the same ground. Pattison simply moved the line from a matter of manners to a written rule.
Supporters Say Not Every Restaurant Has to Welcome Kids
Responses on the restaurant’s Facebook page included praise. One commenter, a father of three children under 8, wrote that “not everywhere needs to accommodate kids.” Another, describing themselves as child-free, said more restaurants should adopt the idea. A third said parents could leave the children at home and eat at an adults-only restaurant, the Post reported.
Adults-only dining is not new, and the New York Post pointed to a recent example from a different industry, a JetBlue and Virgin Voyages 18-and-older charter flight called “Do Not Disturb.” Restaurants have long set their own rules about who gets seated, and a roundup of outrageous reasons people were kicked out of restaurants shows how far some of those rules and clashes go.
Critics Raise Inclusion and Rights Questions
Others were not convinced. In CTV News interviews quoted by the Post, one critic said that if it is a restaurant there should be no age limit, since it is not a bar serving drinks, and that parents should have the right to take their children out to eat. Another said the world needs more inclusion rather than exclusion of young people from restaurants with their families and friends.
Many commenters called the policy a human rights violation, the Post said. A diner who has been through a surprise fee knows how quickly a restaurant rule can become a debate, as a story about a restaurant that added an 18% gratuity shows. Pattison later posted that the Manitoba Human Rights Commission had told her an investigation requires proof that discrimination caused “some sort of trauma.” She wrote that the commission said “it’s all good.” The account is Pattison’s own, and the Manitoba Human Rights Commission itself was not quoted in the report.
The Post also reported that some critics allegedly posted one-star reviews with fabricated claims about service, even though the restaurant has no dine-in service yet. Pattison shared the reviews on the restaurant’s Facebook page and has asked review platforms to remove them, according to the Post.
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A Jamaican Menu Built Around Oxtail, Jerk Chicken and Plantains
Behind the debate is a menu. The restaurant has been promoting braised oxtail, jerk chicken and fried plantains, the Post said. According to Wikipedia’s entry on jerk, the style is native to Jamaica, with meat dry-rubbed or marinated in a spice mix whose main ingredients include allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers.
Oxtail is the culinary name for the tail of cattle, and Wikipedia’s entry on Jamaican cuisine lists brown stew oxtail among the island’s popular dishes.
Whether the dining room fills on opening day or the takeout counter does the heavier work, Miss Christine’s Kitchen will test the policy starting November 30. Pattison has said she is sticking to her position, and the first weeks of service will show how many diners agree.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: OnyekeEjike – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
