I’m afraid that my nephew is allowed to run amok in McDonalds and his parents never take him to other restaurants because he is known to throw tantrums. I think it is a shame because he is not learning how to act correctly in restaurants. He’s now 5 years old and should not be allowed to throw tantrums. When I have baby sat for him and he has started to throw a tantrum, I put a stop to it immediately by getting down to his level (ala Jo Frost from Supernanny) and firmly explaining to him what he has done wrong, why he needs to stop, how his bad behavior if going to negatively hurt mommy and daddy, and what he can expect from me if he doesn’t stop. Unfortunately, I seem to be the only one who interacts with him that employs this tactic. So far, it’s worked ever time for me, but no one else is willing to scold him or stop him because it’s not fun (because you do have to put up with the screams until they learn to control themselves, but if they were taught earlier, then this wouldn’t even be a problem).
If it was me taking him to the restaurant, whether it be McD’s or any place else, I would tell him exactly how I expected him to behave inside the restaurant (quiet, no running around, no getting up without permission, using common table manners, not complaining) and if he didn’t comply, then we would leave, immediately. I am not the popular aunt.