I do that now except I would not have let them even seat us. I don't give a crap what the parents think about it. It's my money and my right not to be disturbed by that. I am picky about table location as it is, and if I see a table with kids I will insist on a different table away far away. Some parents are jerks and let their kids go wild and ruin other people's night out. Managers these days are so careful not to offend that they will not step in and correct the problem, so I'm not taking that chance.
Almost every parent thinks their kids are angels in restaurants, but guess what...they aren't, and I don't want to listen to it.
Don't be afraid to ask the server for another table and don't worry about offending. They would be much more offended at what I would have to say if their kids ruined a special night out.
Better yet, for something special, just price them out. Go somewhere that would normally be too expensive for jerk parents to take a table full of kids. It will cost you more but it will be money well spent to weed them out. 4951