Bulkley said Biaggi's tries to hire servers who are up to the job's many demands, including handling the needs of families and groups without children. "It's a very difficult and demanding job; it's very underrated. The server needs to be intelligent, up on current events, flexible, and they need to be able to read people pretty well. Do they want to be left alone? Do they want attention? How do they want their children treated? Do they want their children treated as adults or talked to like they're kids?

"We discuss with our staff to be very open and observing and pay attention to their table. If somebody comes in and you take care of their children, they're going to be pleased. Speaking as a parent and a business owner, you want that in a restaurant — you want to feel like they value all of you."

There is no "family section" at Biaggi's, or at most restaurants, Bulkley said. "We love having children and families here. We wouldn't be open if it weren't for families. The anticipation is that, if somebody did not want to dine in a place with kids, there are plenty of alternatives out there. In other cities, there are restaurants that specifically state, 'No children.' Biaggi's doesn't agree with that in terms of our style, but there is a niche for that in the market.

"People that are absolutely opposed to being around children should frequent a restaurant such as that."

But many readers said they are not opposed to being around kids — just kids gone wild.

"I have absolutely no problem with kids in restaurants, even high-end restaurants, as long as they are well-behaved," said Tanya Spackman, who described herself as "single and not a big fan of kids."

"What is NOT well-behaved? Running around the restaurant, dumping salt and soda and everything else on the table, screaming," Spackman said. "I've seen some situations where kids were totally out of control, and the parents seemed to do nothing, or they didn't seem to try very hard.

"But I've also been in quite a few situations where the parents had clearly taught the kids how to behave in public," Strahan said. She believes every child, no matter the age or personality, can develop restaurant etiquette.

"I have an adopted brother who has fetal alcohol syndrome," she said. "At 8 years old, he had the mental capacities of a 4-year-old and the reasoning abilities of a 2-year-old. He also had nearly impeccable table manners.

"My friends have a 3-year-old boy who answers the waitress with, 'Thank you, ma'am,' when the waitress brings him his plate in a restaurant."