Mass. Pizza Shop Kicks Out 'Negligent Parents' for Not Supervising Their Kids: 'It Makes Us Very Sad'

A Massachusetts pizza shop is getting attention after its owner asked an allegedly disruptive family to leave the premises — and shared guidance for future patrons on social media.

Dragon Pizza in Somerville was dishing out pizzas as usual on Friday, March 14, when a group of families started "disrespecting" staff and other guests, they said in an Instagram post. The post recounted their decision to ask the “negligent parents” to leave.

“To all our guests with children: Anyone who has visited our restaurant knows we are a pizza shop that loves kids,” the restaurant said in their Saturday, March 15, post. 

“Sadly, we had to demand a group of negligent parents Friday to take their families home because they were disrespecting our dining room, other guests, and our team,” they continued. (His pizza spot also features a game-room hangout for all ages next door called Dragon’s Lair, according to its website.)

“Our restaurant, or any restaurant, is not a place for unsupervised children to play," the restaurant added. "It is here to share dining experiences.”

Dragon Pizza did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Dragon Pizza then listed six "thoughts" on the matter, which ranged from “we welcome all children dining in our restaurant with open arms” to “we do not appreciate parents who treat our pizza as a cheap, simple option to feed their children until they can have their own dinner.” At the end of the post, they emphasized that this was the first time the restaurant had asked a family to leave. 

“It makes us very sad, but we refuse to allow entitled, lazy parents to damage our reputation and the overall dining experience for all our guests,” their post said.

The Boston Globe reported that the social media post came after restaurant owner Charlie Redd was alerted that the family in question shared the experience with local parenting groups.

There have been a range of reactions following their social media post. One commenter said, “We feel this so much.”

Another wrote, “You had me until #6. Why can’t parents give their kids pizza as a cheap, easy option?” 

In an interview with Boston.com, Redd, a dad himself, said he wants to make guests with children "comfortable."

“It’s part of my philosophy to hospitality, for restaurants to engage everyone," he added. "We’ve been very successful here at Dragon accommodating groups with kids.”

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When speaking with The Boston Globe, the owner also clarified that the parents' children weren't the issue.

“The fault lies where the parents had to be spoken to multiple times and were ignoring our requests and our instructions to watch their kids,” he told the outlet. “Kids belong in restaurants. It’s a lot of fun.”

Meanwhile, it’s not the first time Redd’s actions have made headlines. In 2023, he allegedly got into a viral confrontation with Dave Portnoy when the Barstool Sports founder was at the pizza shop filming his "One Bite Pizza Reviews" video series, the paper previously reported.