--- title: "Upper Thomson restaurant draws flak for saying family with kids left dining area like ‘war zone’" url: "/trending-now/upper-thomson-restaurant-draws-flak-saying-family-kids-left-dining-area-war-zone" published: "2026-10-21T08:02:32.000Z" updated: "2026-10-21T08:23:44.000Z" section: "Trending Now" authors: ["Trixy Toh"] tags: ["TNP News","upper thomson","restaurant","family","google","REVIEWS"] --- # Upper Thomson restaurant draws flak for saying family with kids left dining area like ‘war zone’ *A restaurant in Upper Thomson has drawn flak after taking to social media to lament how parents with kids had left dining areas looking like a “war zone”.* A restaurant in Upper Thomson has drawn flak after taking to social media to lament how parents with kids had left dining areas looking like a “war zone”. Woodsmen, a restaurant known for its butcher-to-table concept, recently shared photos on Instagram of what it described as an “unbelievable mess” left behind by families. The carousel post, captioned “Make yourself at home. But please, don’t trash ours”, has since been taken down following criticism from netizens, though reposts continue to circulate online. According to one such repost shared on Reddit, Woodsmen said it had encountered “several instances” of parents leaving behind a considerable mess after their meals. The restaurant stressed that it welcomed families and understood that children could make a mess, but added that there was a “difference between accidental spills and leaving an entire dining area looking like a war zone”. “No service charge doesn’t mean no basic courtesy,” the caption read, adding that while cleaning was part of the staff’s job, customers should treat the premises and its staff with respect. However, the following slide, which showed a collage of the “mess” under a table, revealed a few strands of pasta, three pieces of what appeared to be carrot, and a small spoon. ![Upper Thomson restaurant family dining area mess](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/51f766e9d471ee20438ce3874ebf14699a3e1deb91c2ac9791225a22c7487540) *A collage of the “mess” showed a few strands of pasta, three pieces of what appeared to be carrot and a small spoon on the floor beneath the table* ## ‘Looks like a typical post-dinner mess’: Netizens Most netizens, however, felt that the restaurant’s strong wording was disproportionate to the mess shown in the photos. “I agree with the message but it doesn’t match the picture,” a Reddit user said. Several commenters pointed out that the scene in the photos was not particularly messy, with one describing it as a “typical post-dinner mess”. “I zoomed in and couldn’t see what the war zone was about,” another wrote. Others pointed out that adults could also leave a dining area untidy, with some highlighting how the areas around the high chairs appeared relatively clean. “Please cut parents some slack,” one user commented, adding that they made it a point to clean up their toddler’s mess at every meal. In an Instagram Story posted on Oct 20, the restaurant clarified the intention behind their now-deleted post. Woodsmen said it had never intended to shame or call out anyone, but hoped to raise awareness and encourage greater consideration among diners. The restaurant stressed that the photos showed just one example of what it had experienced, adding that it had encountered “more challenging situations”. However, the establishment said it had also met many thoughtful parents who helped clean up after their children. Acknowledging that many of its team members were parents themselves, Woodsmen said it understood that children could make a mess. ![Upper Thomson restaurant family dining area mess](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/ba0f6fbef27207f3a242cd99e2ca583df46ee00f42c38bc807d09594bada20bf) *Woodsmen said it never intended to shame or call out anyone, but hoped to raise awareness and encourage greater consideration among diners.* “We don’t expect families to leave the dining area spotless, and families are always welcome,” they said. The restaurant added that even “small gestures” could help its team prepare the space more efficiently and maintain a welcoming environment. ## Netizens highlight restaurant’s ‘defensive’ responses to poor Google reviews Amid backlash over the carousel post, some netizens also drew attention to Woodswmen’s responses to negative Google reviews. A user pointed out that Woodsmen has a “habit of replying rather nastily” to such reviews, while another user described the restaurant’s responses as “defensive”. Checks by Stomp found several poor reviews of Woodsmen on Google, some of which drew responses from the establishment. A diner who left a one-star review a month ago said they were “never coming back again”. In response, Woodsmen issued a point-by-point response about the diner’s reservation records, their complaint about “over-seasoned steak”, as well as the restaurant’s service and pricing. The restaurant ended its reply by saying: “You sound like a petty dude. Glad I don’t have friends like you. Never coming back sounds good.” ![Upper Thomson restaurant family dining area mess](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/700b168a8b5c3f457964266e4a338c74b8dc83f4d0d8346ba0689efe91a4bd62) *“You sound like a petty dude. Glad I don’t have friends like you. Never coming back sounds good,” the restaurant wrote.* Another diner who left a one-star review described one of the restaurant’s pasta dishes as “horrible”, while deeming the 75-minute wait for their stea “unacceptable”. In response, Woodsmen said it had reviewed CCTV footage and found that the group of three had waited for about 62 minutes — rather than 75 — for their steak. The person responding on Woodsmen’s behalf also appeared to know that the diner was a law student, saying it was “wild” that they had interned at a friend’s law firm. The diner hit back, pointing out that the restaurant appeared to have taken time to look into his background before making what he described as “sarcastic remarks”. ![Upper Thomson restaurant family dining area mess](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/26ee6e840ec4ce866408f82f8eee4336f2e2fbf80340fea5906bf990a36f3c62) *Woodsmen said it had reviewed CCTV footage and found that the group of three had waited 62 minutes, rather than 75, for their steak* Stomp has reached out to Woodsmen for comment.