GainesvilleMoms.com

I know the title sounds a little strange, but have you ever taken food from a restaurant into a different one? For example, your child does not like the food offered at the restaurant you want to go to. So, you go through drive-through elsewhere, take the food to the place you want to go, and then let them eat their food. Then you get to eat what you have been wanting, but your kids get fed, too.

I am just curious as to if anyone has ever done this before.

Hee Hee, broomluk. It does sound strange!

Has a restaurant given you a hard time about this lately?

I haven't tried it. But, I have brought lots of food from home for my son to eat, even when he was old enough to eat from the menu. I've never had any bad reactions to it. I was prepared to offer a defense of allergies/dietary restictions if bothered about it.

Nope, can't say I have done that but I do bring food from home until such time the kids can eat from a menu. Even then I bring snacks or something just in case they aren't 'into' the menu food. I have brought my own juice and water but no one has mentioned it. Most places don't have juice on the menu and i just keep a sippy cup handy and refill it discreetly.

This actually doesn't sounds too strange to me. When I was young, my parents loved to eat Chinese, but I didn't. They would swing through and get me some kind of happy meal. They never faced any problems.

I've not ever done it, though. My daughter is great about eating where we go, or I just bring something from home.

I do exactly the same as Michelle. I always bring a sip cup with juice or water in it to restaurants and I always have my little 'just in case bag'. Its a soft sided Dora lunchbag that is insulated. I carry a container of applesauce, a small bottle of applejuice, a couple of strawberry banana cereal bars, some teddy grahams, some goldfish crackers and some dry cheerios. Those are the basics I always have with me just in case we get stranded somewhere or are running late and my 3 year old gets hungry. We don't always use it but we always carry it with us. I also carry 6 unopened bottles of water in a case in the back of my van...just in case.

Jeez Karen, its starting to sound like you and I were separated at birth! In the diaper bag I keep a zip top bag with snacks for each (they like different things); I always take an insulated bag with fruit, applesauce and snack bars and in the van is a small plastic storage bin with a change of clothes for each, extra diapers and wipes, toys and waters and juice boxes - just in case!

I used to do this in Ft. Lauderdale. I'd pick something up for myself and then take J to McDonald's to play at the play land. I always purchased her a Happy Meal there, so I didn't see anything wrong with it.

I noticed recently at a local McDonald's, they had a sign saying no outside food on the door to their play place. I have no problems with them requiring you purchase food there, but I think it's out of line to say no outside food. You would think they would lose a bit of business if they actually enforce this rule. There are other parks and places to frequent that don't have this rule.

I love all of your answers! Being as my children are now four and seven, they end up having to find something at restaurants we go to. Usually it isn't a problem, but my son has not been able to find anything he likes at this one restaurant that the rest of us enjoy. Last time I went I got him a Krystal chicken meal, put it in the bag (without the little car), and took it in with his drink. No one said anything to me, especially since I went ahead and sat the kids down so he could start eating and ordered three meals from this place.

I just wondered if anyone else had ever done such. When my oldest was about two or three years old, she didn't care for Mexican foods, we would do the same thing. However, we kept it as low key as possible...took it out of the box and just took in the actual food without toys, boxes, etc. Also, we usually tried to make her try some of the foods, or I had a little goody bag with a snack for her. But there was about three times that we just let her have McD.

A waitress once commented on my daughter having something else (but not in a necessarily bad way), and I just told her that "this is our favorite restaurant and she just doesn't appreciate Mexican foods yet." Which was true, and she just laughed.

My mom use to do this for my youngest sister all the time. She was and still is a very picky eater. So if we wanted to go somewhere for dinner we always had to stop and get her something else. Noone ever said anything to her.

I have done and do this sometimes since hubby and I have such different tastes. Many times I'll get my McCallisters and head over to CC's where he's porkin' down on all-you-can-eat pizza. I don't see a problem with it but I do feel bad if it's a restaurant where there is a server. You should always leave a tip if you're taking up a seat, whether you eat there or not in my opinion.

I've eaten my Coldstone in Starbucks before...does that count?