This Italian restaurant is offering a controversial discount

When you go out for Italian food, you know there’s usually going to be a sense of family surrounding you. Aside from the heaping servings of pasta, that atmosphere is our second-favorite thing about going for Italian (wait, third — I forgot tiramisu). But the family environment sometimes comes with a lot of ruckus, which is understandable, since that’s what the young ones in families do. Kids make noises. It happens. One restaurant’s solution? To offer customers a discount for their children’s good behavior. Seriously.

The owner of a wine bar in northern Italy is giving families a 5 percent discount if they practice good behavior — as in, no running around the restaurant and causing a disturbance to other patrons.

Apparently, the owner, Antonio Ferrari, was inspired to offer customers the discount after noticing a party of 11’s five children companions handling themselves “with much composure.”

"I imagine how difficult parenting is today," Ferrari, who himself does not have children, told Corriere della Sera.

Ferrari also shared that while some of the parent customers noted that they had free rein to do what they wanted in the essentially public space, he pointed out that he, as the owner, would be liable for said actions — and that being judgmental wasn’t his intention.

"I'm responsible for what happens in [my restaurant]," he said.

Ferrari’s offer is facing opinions on both sides of the coin, with folks seeing where he’s coming from and others who are kind of like, “Errr, it’s a free country, and let kids be kids.”

means if the kids r not naughty and doesn't disturb others in restaurants then something wrong with kids. Don't ruin kids freedom.

— Giribhai10 (@Giribhai101) February 15, 2017

why be sorry? Good manners should be celebrated not apologised for

— Jonathan Torbitt (@Jon_Torbitt) February 15, 2017

While this is an understandable controversial topic, we’re glad that no one is being kicked out of anywhere for being a kid, and that Ferrari’s discount is just a bonus (and something he totally didn’t have to do).

But we also see the side of parents who are like, “But it’s not our fault our kid is high energy, come on” — and yes, there have been lots of essays and strong opinions when it comes to kids’ behavior in restaurants — so we just hope Ferrari and his customers can come to an amicable middle ground.