Zeno's Bar & Grill

Signs not-so-subtly discouraging moms with children from patronizing a coffee shop in Chicago have set tongues wagging and fanned the flames of the battle between frazzled parents trying to score some caffeine and kid-free individuals who just want to enjoy a cup of joe in peace, according to an article in the NY Times.

Isn’t this just a tempest in a teapot? We all know there are some shops and restaurants where kids are welcome and some where they’re not. Personally, I would’ve thought a coffee shop could handle it, but whatever.

Besides, we get to have the last laugh. Businesses that position themselves as anti-kid and drive away families are making a big mistake. Don’t they know that mothers control 80% of the spending done by households in America, which translates to more than a trillion dollars in potential sales each year?

I think that this makes anyone who welcomes kids a savvy marketer. Take the owner of the knick-knack store I stopped in yesterday. Despite the abundance of fragile items (delicate crystal paperweights, blown glass Christmas ornaments, you get the picture), he graciously (and dare I say bravely) welcomed me and my three lovely daughters, ages two to seven into his shop…and was rewarded with a sale and my everlasting gratitude, which will probably translate to more shopping as the holiday season gets underway. Sheer genius.

--Melanie

Thanks to Marcy for the tip.