Birthday Party at Mall Food Court???

[MotionMan]

I went to the mall on 3/8. The food court is a fairly open space on the second floor. In the food court is a so-called "play place" (that may be the official name for the playgrounds at McDonald's or some such restaurant, but people here sort of use it generically to describe any indoor place for kids to play).

Well, as you may be able to tell from the attached crappy mobile phone picture, someone commandeered a portion of the food court tables and had a birthday party!

Party!!!

I was standing next to the play place when I took the picture. I few minutes after I took the picture, all the kids from the party headed to the play place.

I have no idea if they had a reservation or permit, but I can honestly say I have never seen that before. And it was not a small party, either - at least 20 kids plus at least 10 adults.

Have you ever seen a birthday party at a mall food court?

(BTW, I waited 10 days because I just bothered to pull the picture off my phone last night.)

MotionMan

 

[Nitemare]

Bebe's kids? Never

 

[moshquerade]

can't say as i have ever saw a birthday party in a mall food court. i hope they don't catch on either.

 

[Heller]

ghetto at a whole new level.

 

[MotionMan]

It got me thinking:

Does anyone else remember having or going to McDonald's birthday parties?

I remember having and going to those a lot when I was a kid (and that was before they ahve play places or video games in them). However, in the almost 8 years since I became father, I have never gone to one.

(Also, in Cub Scouts we took an annual tour of our local McD's!).

MotionMan

 

[dartworth]

hanging out at the mall taking pics of little kids...


:weirdo;

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: dartworth
hanging out at the mall taking pics of little kids...


:weirdo;

LOL. I was there with my son.

MotionMan

 

[waggy]

sheesh whats wrong with have a party at home? no need ot go and have fancy birthday parties! frickne people spoling the kids.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I have no problem with birthday parties at the mall. 'Course I avoid going to the mall like the plague.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: waggy
sheesh whats wrong with have a party at home? no need ot go and have fancy birthday parties! frickne people spoling the kids.

Parties for 20 kids and 10 adults may not fit in an apartment and winter weather does not always allow for outdoor parties, even sometimes in Southern California.

Around here, going to kids "gyms" (like Gymboree) are popular for birthday parties of kids under 8 or 9 years old, but they are not cheap.

MotionMan

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: waggy
sheesh whats wrong with have a party at home? no need ot go and have fancy birthday parties! frickne people spoling the kids.

Parties for 20 kids and 10 adults may not fit in an apartment and winter weather does not always allow for outdoor parties, even sometimes in Southern California.

Around here, going to kids "gyms" (like Gymboree) are popular for birthday parties of kids under 8 or 9 years old, but they are not cheap.

MotionMan

we went to one at Gymboree it was great. think the parents paid like $200 for 2 hours and one hour of that was eating.

luckly my both of my kids birthdays are in the summer.



(as for the remark about spoling kids it was a joke..so don't flame me)

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: waggy
luckly my both of my kids birthdays are in the summer.

So are mine, but sometimes that means it is too hot to be outside.

It is very hard to win with the weather.

(My birthday was always over winter break, so all my birthday parties were in January, as was my Bar Mitzvah (held almost one month after my 13th dbay!) and my bday parties were generally in my garage and backyard - except for the ones at McDonald's)

MotionMan

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: waggy
sheesh whats wrong with have a party at home? no need ot go and have fancy birthday parties! frickne people spoling the kids.

Parties for 20 kids and 10 adults may not fit in an apartment and winter weather does not always allow for outdoor parties, even sometimes in Southern California.

Around here, going to kids "gyms" (like Gymboree) are popular for birthday parties of kids under 8 or 9 years old, but they are not cheap.

MotionMan

we went to one at Gymboree it was great. think the parents paid like $200 for 2 hours and one hour of that was eating.

luckly my both of my kids birthdays are in the summer.



(as for the remark about spoling kids it was a joke..so don't flame me)

it's not a joke, i agree. a lot of times extravagant (not exactly food court in the mall parties) kid's birthday parties are parents trying to keep up or one up each other.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
can't say as i have ever saw a birthday party in a mall food court. i hope they don't catch on either.

I wouldn't mind if they catch on.
1. My kids are too old to be invited to a birthday party at a mall food court.
2. I don't go to mall food courts.


The more that have birthday parties in mall food courts means that my likelihood of encountering a loud birthday party at some other place is decreased.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: waggy
sheesh whats wrong with have a party at home? no need ot go and have fancy birthday parties! frickne people spoling the kids.

Parties for 20 kids and 10 adults may not fit in an apartment and winter weather does not always allow for outdoor parties, even sometimes in Southern California.

Around here, going to kids "gyms" (like Gymboree) are popular for birthday parties of kids under 8 or 9 years old, but they are not cheap.

MotionMan

we went to one at Gymboree it was great. think the parents paid like $200 for 2 hours and one hour of that was eating.

luckly my both of my kids birthdays are in the summer.



(as for the remark about spoling kids it was a joke..so don't flame me)

it's not a joke, i agree. a lot of times extravagant (not exactly food court in the mall parties) kid's birthday parties are parents trying to keep up or one up each other.

well i was jokeing about having a party in a mall as extravagant (seems pretty redneck to me). but i agree. some kids parites are just a way of up's menship.

we plan on having a party at the house in teh pool. if the parents think we are cheap screw em.

so far my daughter has been to parties at a skating ring (empty but for 13 kids), gymboree, a swimming pool. all of them were overkill for the kids.

 

[WraithETC]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: waggy
sheesh whats wrong with have a party at home? no need ot go and have fancy birthday parties! frickne people spoling the kids.

Parties for 20 kids and 10 adults may not fit in an apartment and winter weather does not always allow for outdoor parties, even sometimes in Southern California.

Around here, going to kids "gyms" (like Gymboree) are popular for birthday parties of kids under 8 or 9 years old, but they are not cheap.

MotionMan

we went to one at Gymboree it was great. think the parents paid like $200 for 2 hours and one hour of that was eating.

luckly my both of my kids birthdays are in the summer.



(as for the remark about spoling kids it was a joke..so don't flame me)

it's not a joke, i agree. a lot of times extravagant (not exactly food court in the mall parties) kid's birthday parties are parents trying to keep up or one up each other.

Jews on Mercer island

 

[SunnyD]

My daughter's birthday party was essentially at a mall I believe last year - but we did a Build-a-Bear party, so that kind of goes without saying. We did do food at the food court however. McDonald's and a BYO cake. But the bulk of the "party" was at Build-a-Bear for 20 or so kids. Everybody just ate at the food court. It was cool too because the manager at McD's somehow unknowingly screwed up. He rang up 20 kids meals and the total came to about $17. I suppose that made up for spending about $450 at Build-a-Bear.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
My daughter's birthday party was essentially at a mall I believe last year - but we did a Build-a-Bear party, so that kind of goes without saying. We did do food at the food court however. McDonald's and a BYO cake. But the bulk of the "party" was at Build-a-Bear for 20 or so kids. Everybody just ate at the food court.

20 kids at Build-a-Bear, and then you got 'em all happy meals? how much did that run you?

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: SunnyD
My daughter's birthday party was essentially at a mall I believe last year - but we did a Build-a-Bear party, so that kind of goes without saying. We did do food at the food court however. McDonald's and a BYO cake. But the bulk of the "party" was at Build-a-Bear for 20 or so kids. Everybody just ate at the food court.

20 kids at Build-a-Bear, and then you got 'em all happy meals? how much did that run you?

See my edit.

 

[Capt Caveman]

WTF is up with all of the misspellings in the Topic Titles lately?

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: waggy
so far my daughter has been to parties at a skating ring (empty but for 13 kids)

But you meet the most interesting people at skate parties!

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: WraithETC

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: waggy

(as for the remark about spoling kids it was a joke..so don't flame me)

it's not a joke, i agree. a lot of times extravagant (not exactly food court in the mall parties) kid's birthday parties are parents trying to keep up or one up each other.

Jews on Mercer island

Or Jews in the San Fernando Valley.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
WTF is up with all of the misspellings in the Topic Titles lately?

I have no idea what you are talking about.

MotionMan

 

[alkemyst]

it happens here in Palm Beach County often...mostly in nicer malls by people that really can't shop there or by those that want to say 'look at me...look at me'.

I don't know why malls don't ban these out of principle but I am sure it has to do with them having a captive audience.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: waggy
sheesh whats wrong with have a party at home? no need ot go and have fancy birthday parties! frickne people spoling the kids.

Party at home:
Soda spilled on carpet
Cake smeared on couch
Someone made a mess in the bathroom
Big mess to clean up afterward
Where are Jimmy's parents? They were supposed to pick up Jimmy an hour ago


Party at other location:
No mess to clean up afterward. Guaranteed end time to the party. No surprises 3 days later when you discover the cake frosting on your drapes or that something has been broken and placed so that it won't be discovered immediately.