Top chef considers baby ban in restaurant

Should babies be banned from fancy restaurants?

That's the question posed by acclaimed US chef Grant Achatz, who ignited a fiery Twitter debate when he considered whether to start enforcing a "no kids" ban at his three-star Michelin restaurant.

On Saturday, Achatz tweeted that a couple had enraged fellow dinners by bringing their crying eight-month-old to Alinea, an exclusive Chicago restaurant where a meal can cost $260 even before taxes and tips are factored in.

The couple's babysitter had cancelled at the last minute, reports NBC Chicago.

Achazt, who said the baby was crying so loudly he could hear it from the kitchen, was torn over whether he should demand that parents leave kids at home, or whether other diners should just have to tolerate disruptive youngsters.

His tweet on the topic inadvertently set off a flurry of online argument, with most people agreeing that bringing babies to fancy restaurants is a no-go.

"It is absurd to bring your baby to Alinea," tweeted Michael Nagrant, a US food critic who has contributed to the restaurant's cookbook.

The viral storm even sparked a parody Twitter account, Alinea Baby, which questioned whether other upmarket restaurants had kids' menus.