Punishment: Going to Bed Without Dinner?

I was shopping the other day and a kid was straight wilding out.  His mother was trying to talk to him through her teeth as mother's who want to kill their kids in public sometimes do.  I overheard her say, "If you keep up, when we get home, you're going to bed immediately without dinner!"

I hadn't heard that threat in a long, long time.  I believe my mother used to threaten it but I can't remember a time she actually followed through with that particular threat.  I mean...no dinner?  I can see no dessert or no strawberry milk or lemonade but no dinner?  Wouldn't that be considered cruel and unusual punishment?

What do you think?  Is a punishment of no dinner an acceptable punishment for a child or do you think it's a bad punishment?

What are some of the punishments you've used which are on the creative side that you felt worked?