Winnipeg Restaurant Bars Diners Under 15

Christine Pattison says her new restaurant will welcome diners aged 15 and older, a rule that has sparked a heated response online ahead of the Winnipeg restaurant’s planned November 30 opening. Miss Christine’s Kitchen is a Jamaican eatery with a small dining room intended to offer adults a relaxed setting, she said in a social media announcement last week.

Pattison defended the restriction in interviews, saying adults deserve a break and that customers can still order food for pickup. She said the restaurant is small, has little to entertain children and is not suited to running around. From her years working in restaurants, she said, she noticed diners asking for later bookings or particular tables to avoid being near children.

The policy has attracted praise from people who support adult-focused dining, including parents who said not every restaurant needs to accommodate children. Critics argued that families should be able to bring children to restaurants and described the rule as exclusionary. Pattison said she is “sticking to my guns” despite the backlash.

Pattison has also shared negative online reviews, some of which she said were fraudulent, and sought to have them removed. On November 9, she posted that the Manitoba Human Rights Commission had told her discrimination would need to be proven to cause some form of trauma for an investigation to be warranted. She said the commission indicated the policy was acceptable. Pattison expects customers to support the restaurant and said families with younger children can choose pickup.