Pizza Hangouts

I went to my local pizza shop to grab a couple slices for dinner today. Often it is busy, like it was tonight. But most of the people weren’t there for the pizza, they were there to hang out.

Teenagers often hang out at malls, donut shops and fast food places like, pizza parlors. But, these people weren’t teenagers – they were young moms with their noisy little bratty kids.

I just wanted a couple of slices to quash my hunger. Instead, I had to wade through a mountain of baby strollers, toys tossed everywhere, clothes on the floor, and don’t forget to watch out for kids running around into unsuspecting people.

The kid was stunned, I was upset, the mom just laughed and went back to eating her pizza.

I’m thinking to myself – how are these kids ever going to learn right from wrong if their parents don’t teach them?

I thought about giving the kid a quick boot the head – I was wearing my heavy boots at the time. However, I decided against it, I just wanted a couple of slices, not to go to jail.

So, I kicked a couple toys out of my way as I walked to a table, sat and ate my slices.

The kids kept running around, screaming, making like the pizza shop was their own personal play land. The moms didn’t seem to mind. But those working at the place and most of the customers seemed annoyed.

Then the unthinkable happened. More moms with strollers and kids and toys and all the other junk mothers bring with their kids – more of this crap walked into the pizza shop.

The place was already crowded, but now it was just plain full. There was no more floor space – all the real estate was taken with kids, toys, strollers and more clothes on the floor.

What a freaking mess. I’d hate to see what one of these kid’s homes actually looked like, because if this place had been made a mess in the short time they were there, imagine how much of a bigger mess they can make where they live?

Eventually, the pressure must have come from somewhere – thankfully – because the manger came out and politely asked these moms to take their kids home. He told her that this really wasn’t the place for them to play, and they had been here a couple of hours already.

A couple of hours already!?!?!?

SHEESH!

Don’t these people have homes? Who spends a couple of hours in a greasy-spoon pizza house?

One of the mom’s got mad at the manager. She told him where he could stick his pizza, right in front of all those kids. She said she had paid for her food and was going to enjoy it.

Yeah, I could see her enjoy it – so much so that she didn’t have the time to tend to her little brats. Though I’m guessing that was the whole idea. I bet the moms brought their kids to the pizza place intentionally to relax, and let the pizza place take care of them for a while.

Though pizza places don’t generally offer babysitting services.

The manager then got tough – good for him. He told her if they didn’t leave, he was going to call the police.

“Call the police! Go ahead and call them, see if I care” – that’s what she yelled back. So, he calmly went back to the counter, picked up the phone and started dialing.

The moms quickly gathered up their crap – I mean kids – and hustled out the door.

I don’t know if the manager actually called the cops, maybe he didn’t even dial any number at all. But his trick worked.

So, the next time you want to get rid of someone else’s problem – just pick up the phone.