Had to leave Costa as breastfeeding was taking too long

I believe you OP.

Last year went to Costa with DH and kids. Everyone had a coffee/drink and a cake. It was raining in the Peak District so place was packed,

We had just bought a small block of fudge on the way in so it was in a paper bag in my hand and youngest asked to try a little piece as I put it in my bag. Cut a sliver off with my cake knife, passed it to her, put rest of block away.

Costa employee went nuts, out of nowhwere marched over with a placard and started shouting at us about eating 'our own cakes on the premises'. Whole place went silent, she was so loud. I apologised, explained it wasn't cake, it was a sliver of fudge, it was now put away and all the cake we were eating had been bought in Costa. She didn't care, it was all for show, the bellowing was obviously done for maximum embarrassment effect as she could have easily approached our table without creating such a scene if it was really just about the 'cake'. We left and not been back to any branch since, kids refuse to go in.

Lesson learnt: there are angry people everywhere and some of them do indeed work at Costa.

My mother always says that rape figures must be wrong because it never happened to her. Or my friend, doesn’t believe there’s a corporate glass ceiling for women and women arejust „making shit up“ (she works as a retail assistant in Super Drug). Just because you’ve never been asked to leave somewhere because you were breastfeeding doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Good grief!

Hospitality venues care more about rushing people in and out.

This is so outrageous and so against the law (apart from being against basic humanity) it doesn't ring true. However, as pp have said - was it closing time?.

I'm guessing they were about to close in which case no, staff don't have to keep the shop open for someone to breastfeed - especially if mum has been chatting away for 40 mins first.

She was somewhere suitable and there were 10 empty tables so impacting no-one 🤷‍♀️ and you're delusional if you think chain store cafés wouldn't do this, it's not the management team in the stores serving coffee, it's young and poorly trained staff.

I know. People are on their laptops for ages. Groups sit chatting for more than an hour

So. There were 10 empty tables, you still had cake, you started to breastfeed and a member of staff actually told you off and held the door open for you to leave?
Costa in the UK?.🤔

Not sure you can avoid occasionally spraying milk in the early days, so I definitely wouldn't feed on furniture that was for sale. Be that bottle, jar or breast, but I love that a pp was given Jane Austen's favourite chair for bf!

But she had to leave without eating the cake.

Costa has gone seriously downhill since Coke took it over, the coffee doesn’t even taste the same. It used to be a cosy place with nice furniture where you could stop and have a chat, now it’s a wipe clean, in/out, soulless place.

None of those are good reasons for breaking the law.

I wonder if they would have asked a man on his laptop to leave?!

Those of you saying it's not true , the OP posted at 1:15 and 6:30 on a Sunday. Those are definitely the witching hours of a breast feeding woman.

Op work on your "I've not slept for six months and I will get both boobs out in this establishment if you fuck with me again" face.

It will help you many many times over the coming years, in many unrelated but similarly annoying situations.

Because she’s 10 days post partum? Likely sleep deprived, still in pain, hormonal? I’m great at standing up for myself, but at that stage post partum I felt very vulnerable and wouldn’t have been able to

There were loads of empty tables. If the cafe was full and other customers needed a table, they would have a point in asking them to leave. However, as this wasn't the case, it was obviously due to her breastfeeding and they have broken the law.

I assume that poster also finds it vulgar for adults to eat and drink in public.

People sit in likes of Costa for hours. chatting. reading, working etc. 40 mins isn’t long at all. Definitely complain

Is this mumsnet? Why is it courtesy not to feed your baby in public!??

Can you name and shame the branch?

Eh? How is it common courtesy not to breastfeed? The point is that it’s fine to do it anywhere, which most people understand.

Nice volunteer at Chawton House once led me to “Jane Austen’s favourite chair” when I asked if they had anywhere I could sit to feed, invited me to enjoy the view and asked if I needed water: that’s common courtesy. I go back annually to get a photo of DS as he grows in “his” and Jane’s chair.

If this is true its a battle I'd love to fight. Don't just email, tweet, post on insta etc. I'd be going into the branch again too and demanding to speak to the manager in front of her

Exactly.

I’m sorry this happened to you, unfortunately a lot of chains are awful about breastfeeding (despite it being illegal for them to object) and I’ve heard many stories similar. I work in infant feeding. Please complain as loudly as you wish op, she was out of order, no you haven’t been there too long at 40 mins, and hadn’t eating what you had purchased. Like you say there were empty tables. I think you’re right she didn’t like breastfeeding so made up an excuse. Shocking behaviour

A colleague of mine spent 5hrs in Costa working as he has just moved and the WiFi in his new house is awful so worked from Costa. No one told him to leave.

It may or may not be illegal to tell someone they can't breastfeed in DFS but it's common courtesy not to do it in the first place!