China Star @ 210 - KIDS working there

I wonder if this bothers anyone else as much as it does me . . .

It seems that everytime I go into the China Star the owners have their kids in there. Now they are very well behaved and they are usually sitting at a corner table doing homework and watching TV. I would guess that one is probably in 3rd grade and the other maybe in 1st or 2nd grade. They also have a son that is not even pre-school age.

The problem I have is that they allow the kids to WORK in the kitchen. Yesterday I called to place an order and a KID answered the phone and took my order (after asking me to hold on several times so she could ask Mom what to write). I get up there to pick the order up and this KID rings my order up and then proceeds to run my debit card through the machine. Hello?!? Both parents were there and in close range but they were NOT watching her enter the information into the register or the credit card machine.

I have been in there many times and have seen the kids in the actual area where they are cooking with very hot grease. All it would take is for one of the kids to be standing behind one of the cooks and them turn around and trip over the kid and drop very hot food on them. It is so dangerous!

The other child was sweeping the floor yesterday and the little boy was back in the kitchen with Mom.

Am I just being a *B* or does this bother anyone else?

 

do you really want my answer???? :jester::jester:

 

That's why I don't go there anymore.
:ack::ack::ack:

 

I already know your answer. :mrgreen:

 

no you don't luv...:cheers:

 

a "B"?.. Nope, you are a concerned adult. FWIW, at China King, the kids are involved in that restaurant as well. By all measures, the younger child is doing well. The older male, whom we consider to be a sharp young man, is an honors student at school, works full time (and then some) at his family's restaurant, and has a sharp business acumen. Our inside joke is that he will own most of the 40-42 area by the time he's 35 and that, if the water park is to open, he will be the investor that makes it happen. He is personable and I'm glad I've gotten to know him.

 

A diner or a steak house couldn't get away with it.

It's disturbing. If they had to hire a babysitter or daycare most of those restaurants would fail.

 

:iagree: and most of the nail places around town as well.

 

I don't think I'll be going back either. I have no problem with the food but it makes me so nervous to see those kids in the kitchen running around. Too many other places in the area to go to that don't have kids in the kitchen.

 

Are they violating child labor laws??? :?

 

I would seriously think so. The little girls can't be over 7 or 8 years old.

 

I think (but not positive) that family is handled differently. I know for work such as on a family farm it would not be considered illegal.

 

http://www.nclabor.com/wh/fact sheets/joint_state_fed.htm

 

No 7 or 8 year old has any business working like that. I don't care if it's a family business or not. It's different if it is a teenager, but way too many reasons why the young children need to just be children.

 

i set up appointnments at business and it seems a lot of asian restaurants have kids answer phone and say their parents dont speak english.if you own a business in america you should speak the language!

 

Interesting how the people that live in glass houses throw stones. At least this family ins contributing to Society instead of living off of it!

 

:iagree:

 

they're Chinese... maybe this is the reason they own our debt... :jester:

 

Or at least learn spelling, capitalization, and grammar.

These kids are provided for by their families. They are learning some valuable lessons. Again, except for the hazardous areas, hard work didn't hurt us as kids. Dare I say the lack of it is hurting most of them now.

Each generation wants the children to have it easier than they had it. That's understandable. What happens when the tipping point is reached, and the desire is for the next generation to not have to show any effort at all? I fear we are closer to that point that we understand.

 

What happens when a child is deprived of their childhood because they are working and sitting every day in the restaurant? There has to be a balance and it doesn't sound like this is the case in a lot of instances. I'm all for teaching responsibility so don't get me wrong, but there are approrpriate ways to do that and I don't think that making a 7 year old run the front of a restaurant is one of them.