After a popular Italian restaurant in Tinton Falls made headlines for its controversial decision to ban children under the age of 10 from its dining room, the owners of the largest chain of Applebee’s Grill & Bar locations in New Jersey is becoming even more family friendly.

Between Feb. 19 and 26, kids ages 12 and under can eat free with the purchase of an adult entrée. The offer is valid for dine-in orders at the 36 Applebee’s locations in New Jersey that are owned and operated by Doherty Enterprises. Additionally, youngsters must order from the Kid’s Menu, according to Doherty.

Kurt Pahlitzsch, vice president of operations at Doherty, said, “Applebee’s is all about families and kids so after we saw the Netty’s article, we were inspired to do something that would remind our customers that kids are welcome at our restaurants. It’s why we’re offering a ‘Kids Eat Free’ promotion to help families out over the school break.”

Participating Applebee’s restaurants: Piscataway, Tinton Falls, Paramus, Brick, Totowa, Woodbridge, Parsippany, Toms River, Clifton, Manalapan, Bridgewater, Edison, Milltown, Linden, Manahawkin, Howell, Ocean, Hillsborough, Phillipsburg, Middletown, Union, Butler, Hackettstown, Kearny, Hackensack, Newton, Jersey City, Mount Olive, Newark, Rockaway, Lacey, North Bergen, Manchester, Garfield, Elizabeth and Clark.

The promotion comes a week after Nettie’s House of Spaghetti announced that beginning March 8, it will no longer serve young children.

In a Feb. 9 social media post, the restaurant’s management wrote, “We love kids. We really, truly, do. But lately, it’s been extremely challenging to accommodate children at Nettie’s. Between noise levels, lack of space for high chairs, cleaning up crazy messes, and the liability of kids running around the restaurant, we have decided that it’s time to take control of the situation.”

“We know that this is going to make some of you very upset, especially those of you with very well-behaved kids, but we believe this is the right decision for our business moving forward,” Nettie’s explained.

The announcement drew mixed feedback online, with some calling it a “fantastic idea” while others accused the restaurant of being “child haters.”

Nettie’s elaborated on its decision, writing in response to a comment, that children have “become a liability to us” and that “kids running around the restaurant in circles when we’re trying to carry trays of food and drinks has made doing our jobs extremely difficult.”

After opening in 2018, the Monmouth County eatery has earned a reputation as one of the best Italian restaurants in New Jersey.