Three Out of Four Americans Now Want Restaurants Without Kids — Dallas Already Solved the Dog Half of That Equation

A new survey has landed on a number that’s hard to argue with either way: 75 percent of American adults say restaurants should offer some form of adults-only dining. The finding comes from Lightspeed Commerce’s State of Hospitality 2026 report, based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults as part of a larger study spanning the U.S., Canada, and five European countries, and the detail that keeps the number from reading as simple crankiness is who’s driving it. Seventy-nine percent of parents support the idea, a higher share than the general population.

Nobody’s asking for a blanket ban, at least not most people. Half of respondents said it depends on the setting, and only 26 percent said they’d support a fully child-free policy outright. What people actually want is more specific: 49 percent favor keeping kids out during late-evening hours, 46 percent want a dedicated adults-only section, another 46 percent think romantic dining settings should skip the kids, and 43 percent would restrict children from venues that serve alcohol.

Adoniram Sides, Lightspeed’s senior vice president of hospitality product, framed the shift as less about avoiding children specifically and more about restaurants finally treating “atmosphere” as its own kind of menu item. “Adults-only dining is no longer a niche concept tied to luxury or exclusivity,” he said, adding that the pattern reflects “changing expectations around how people want to socialize and spend their nights out.”

The same survey found the opposite instinct picking up steam for a different four-legged demographic. Forty-five percent of respondents said they support dogs being allowed in or around restaurants in some capacity, and the generational split is stark: Gen Z diners are nearly twice as likely as Baby Boomers to back dog-friendly policies, 64 percent versus 35 percent.

Dallas, as it happens, settled its own version of that argument close to two decades ago. Before May 2008, dogs on restaurant patios in the city were technically illegal, a rule most people ignored until someone actually pushed to change it. Janice Provost, chef-owner of the longtime Oak Lawn bistro Parigi, led that push during her term as president of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association, working with the city for months before the council approved a formal dog variance ordinance.

The system Provost helped build is still exactly how it works today: a restaurant applies for a two-year variance through the city’s Consumer Health Division, pays a $264 fee, passes an inspection, and posts a sign at the door before dogs are legally allowed on the patio. It’s the reason Dallas has entire guides dedicated to dog-friendly patios today, from beer gardens to backyard-style bars, all technically operating under a rule that didn’t exist before Provost made the case for it.

The other half of the survey, the adults-only side, hasn’t found its Dallas equivalent yet. No local restaurant currently advertises a formal no-kids policy the way some cities’ late-night tasting counters or reservation-only cigar lounges do elsewhere in the country. Given how fast the rest of the country is moving on it, and how strongly parents themselves are backing the idea, it may not stay that way for long.