Queensland restaurant Flynn's bans children under seven

Children aged under seven have been banned from an upmarket Far North Queensland restaurant after management grew tired of toddlers screaming and throwing tantrums.

Flynn's Restaurant in Yungaburra in the Atherton Tablelands enforced its new rules on Sunday after staff asked a mother to take her crying daughter outside, leading to a heated discussion.

In a review on Tripadvisor, the woman accused the owner of being rude and said her daughter "wasn't misbehaving or wreaking havoc".

Punters have taken to Flynn's Facebook page to blast the restaurant, however owner Liam Flynn said the reaction to the child ban was "largely positive".

The boutique French and Italian restaurant in Far North Queensland has operated for 14 years under Flynn's management and has won numerous awards.

Flynn says the restaurant has not permitted young children at its dinner sittings for two years, however the ban now extends to all opening hours.

He said he understood that "kids will be kids", but was frustrated parents weren't removing unsettled children from the restaurant.

"What we have is a situation where the other customers ... have to put up with the inconvenience of a screaming child or a child that is spilling food on the floor or breaking glassware," Flynn said.

"We just decided enough was enough.

"We're not child haters, we're not anti-children. We just want those who can't control their kids in a public setting to go elsewhere."

He said between 5 and 10 per cent of customers brought young children to the restaurant, and of those children, most misbehaved.

Many of the critics on social media are angry Flynn's has banned children under seven but still permits dogs in its outdoor areas.

Flynn said management was considering allowing children in its outdoor cafe area on a case-by-case basis, but he feared they would be accused of discrimination if they turned people away.

He said he was happy if the debate surrounding his restaurant started a broader discussion about acceptable behaviour at fine dining establishments.

"I don't want to tell anyone how to run their family or how to do their parenting but I think people need to be told that it's not acceptable and someone has to stand up to the parents who think it's OK to have a kid running around screaming in a small space with other members of the public there," he said.

"I think it's just common social etiquette, to be honest."