A restaurant in New York has enforced a "one drink policy" for parents dining out with their children.

New York eatery Peddlers Bar & Bistro are garnering quite a bit of attention with their drinks policy for parents. The family-friendly restaurant have used their menus to inform mums and dads that they have a "one drink policy while dining with children."

Local news station WNEP 16 reports that the policy was actually brought in seven years ago but has hit the headlines after some renewed attention from disgruntled parents on social media.

The restaurant's general manager, Melissa Gravelle, says that the one drink rule was put in place to protect children by ensuring their parents aren't risking being over the limit behind the wheel:

"We love children. Everybody loves children and children don’t have a voice. I could never live with myself knowing that I killed somebody driving."

Ms Gravelle says not every parent is happy with the policy and sometimes her staff are on the receiving end of some angry opinions:

"They do get berated at the tables and some come back very, very upset, but the managers go to the table and they explain, we’re not picking on parents, it’s just something that we feel in our hearts is something that we can do to help."