A Chinese restaurant in Northern California, Chez Xue, has gone viral for a policy of charging parents for property damage caused by their unruly children. Owner You You Xue, who runs two restaurants south of San Francisco, introduced the damage charges after repeated incidents of disruptive children affecting other diners and burdening his staff, who he said were effectively being made to parent other people's children. The move matters because it has sparked a wider debate about parental responsibility and what restaurants can reasonably expect of guests.

Xue argues that parenting has become too relaxed and that supervising children is not his servers' job. His restaurant's online menu carries the heading "Please control your children," warning that running around, shouting and banging utensils "will not be tolerated," that guests may be asked to leave, and that parents will be held financially liable for any damage. The page cites specific cases, including a family charged $327.03 after a child dropped and shattered a credit card machine's screen, and another instance in which a child carved designs into a tabletop with utensils.