Chez Xue's dining room notice hits 1.7 million views as restaurant etiquette debate resurfaces

A child behavior notice posted at Chez Xue, a family restaurant in Foster City, California, has drawn 1.7 million social media views after a photograph of the sign circulated online. The policy, written more than a year before it went viral, holds parents financially liable for property damage caused by their children and warns that guests who violate the rules may be asked to leave. Owner You You Xue told Fox News Digital the reaction has been "a little bit confusing," given that he views the policy as common sense.

The notice and what prompted it

Xue said children's behavior at Chez Xue has deteriorated over the past year. He described children running through the dining room while servers carried hot soup, flaming clay pots and sharp knives. Other incidents included children climbing outdoor umbrellas and carving designs into custom wooden tables while parents watched without intervening.

One documented case involved a parent handing a standalone credit card machine to a child. The child dropped and shattered the screen. The parents paid $327 to replace it after initially attempting to negotiate a lower amount, Xue said. He acknowledged having to threaten legal action in a handful of cases to recover damage costs.

Several news outlets framed the policy as a fine system. Xue rejected that characterization. The language around financial liability is about basic respect, he said, not a fee schedule.

What etiquette experts said

Diane Gottsman, founder of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio, told Fox News Digital that businesses have every right to set behavioral expectations. On the diaper incident Xue described, Gottsman said no customer wants to share a table surface used as a changing station, calling it unhygienic and a potential drag on business.

Jan Goss, a Texas-based professional development expert who has raised three biological children and eight grandchildren and has cared for more than 50 children in formal placements, framed the dining room as an educational setting. She acknowledged that toddlers struggle to sit still for long stretches. Allowing them to roam freely, though, creates real safety risks for other guests and staff. "It's all about respect," Goss told Fox News Digital. "Respect allows everyone to be able to enjoy the same space."

Xue's position on families

Xue said roughly 98% of children who dine at Chez Xue behave without incident. He has no plans to exclude children and described the restaurant as family-forward. The policy targets a small number of parents who, in his view, are abdicating responsibility. He encouraged parents to treat dining out as a privilege and to teach children to respect a restaurant as they would another person's home.

The $327 credit card machine replacement is the only specific damage figure Xue cited publicly.