CUSTOMERS are seeking an escape in your upscale store or restaurant. But their solitude is interrupted by a screaming toddler. If you're lucky, mom scoops the little noisemaker up and leaves. If they stay, well, your other customers get to decide whether to stay or go.
Now, some businesses--mainly restaurants and coffee shops--are creating "no kids" sections, scheduling hours when children are welcome, or banning kids altogether. "A lot of parents have this laissez-faire discipline policy, which means kids go crazy," says Robert R. Butterworth, a Los Angeles psychologist. "This [trend] is part of a backlash."
But is it good for business? Banning kids could offer a ...