To expect a restaurant to be able to do a pint of milk?

That's a very very milky tea!

I'm going to guess it as 1/5 of a pint.

How much milk do you put in your tea if a pint only does 5 teas?

Weirdly, if my daughter just out of the blue asked if she could have milk with her meal, I would ask the server if it was possible.
If my daughter would ONLY drink milk, I would take my own milk with me to ensure she could have a drink without having to be anxious that the restaurant may not be able to supply it.

I think the key in the OP is that this is a known dietary requirement for their DD. As such, it should be taken care of by the parent and they shouldn’t rely on the goodwill and/or capacity of the restaurant to fulfill an off-menu request.

Why are you saying “At last you’re getting it!!” like that? I’ve never suggested otherwise! It’s people trying to suggest it’s outlandish to even ask I have an issue with.

I don't think I've ever claimed otherwise?

Use common sense and sell them the milk if they’ve got plenty, but not if they’re at risk of running out?

Yay!! At last, you're getting it! Sometimes a restaurant can accommodate off menu requests, and sometimes, they can't!! At last.

Well if you can’t deal with that, you shouldn’t be working in a restaurant.

Having worked behind bars and in restaurants for massive chains, whetherspoons and mitchell and butler and also independent places, the staff who refuse are just being awkward and theres no need for it.
All places will have to pop out for extra supplies and being able to sell a pint of milk for inflated prices is a win for them so they're being stupid.
A bit of kindness goes a long way.

I can understand refusing to serve milk, as many places run to very tight budgets, and will only buy the milk they need. It's also possible they only have powdered milk used for cooking.

However, I don't understand why they would get funny about you bringing your own, as long as you're buying a meal.

It is also reasonable for the restaurant to say no we can't. Or won't!

Anyway my comment was talking specifically to the posters who are adamant that staff can just pop to the shops to replenish. I'm just saying, that's not always possible.

And as per pp experiences, this would not be well received. Complaints over inconsistent service 'we got it last time, this is ridiculous!!'

Oh dear lord, again? The level of rigidity some posters have is startling. It would be a very strange business decision for a restaurant to use milk as an ingredient but keep stocks so tight that 2 lattes make them run out; milk lasts a week and fresh stocks are usually sent several days each week, there is no need to work out usage to the drop. Restaurants are not being asked to produce every conceivable item, nor is there a need for any particular restaurant to send staff to the shops; posters have simply explained it is factual that staff buy extra milk sometimes. It is reasonable to ask a restaurant if they have the standard ingredient milk, and if they have it then it is reasonable to ask them to sell it.

It’s possible. It’s also possible - and for me, more likely - that this is a “computer sez no” scenario.

Okay so if we're using common sense do we not think that's probably the case in the scenarios OP is describing?

Is there a chapter on customer satisfaction and encouraging repeat business? Or a top tips section that suggests not skimping on the basics?

Use common sense and sell them the milk if they’ve got plenty, but not if they’re at risk of running out?

I went out for a meal recently with my boss and she ordered an alcohol free beer which they had to pop out to buy for her. It was a very fancy restaurant though.

And what is a restaurant meant to do if they're nowhere near a shop?

I went to a Toby Carvery a few weeks ago, it was off the side of a motorway lay by and only accessible by car, with nothing else for miles round. Last week I went to a Nandos in a sort of retail park that only had chain restaurants- if you wanted a pint of milk it would have been a 10 minute drive.

Is there a 'how to run a business for dummies' book out there? So many people on this thread should read it, just to have some kind of fingertip grasp on why 'just pop to a shop to get an item not on your menu' , whilst being perfectly doable for some establishments, isn't a particularly good solution for profit for other establishments.

A pint of milk is a lot. Not to mention a lot of teas and coffees.

Five, maybe? Six at a push? That’s assuming no one wants a milky coffee or a cappuccino…

Not again 🙄

I think it has been pretty well established that people aren’t expecting staff to run out to the shop if a customer fancies an Angel Delight instead of something on the dessert menu, or likes Heinz mayonnaise when you’ve only got Hellman’s. But milk? Something the vast majority of restaurants will already have in their kitchens? Then yes - I would say it isn’t a major hardship to top it up in the unlikely event that using one pint more than expected means you’ve run out.

A pint of milk is a lot. Not to mention a lot of teas and coffees.

If it's not on the menu, I can see why they're funny about it. It's got a short shelf life, so they probably buy in exactly what they think they'll need that day.

Surely the easiest fix is just to bring in a pint in a thermos for your DD and ask for a glass.

That's fine if it's your restaurant/ cafe and.your happy to accommodate, you can't however expect all restaurants/ cafe,s ro accommodate.

@x2boys if they run out of anything like that, yeah- I don’t think the odd time this might happen should be that much of a big deal tbh.