Charged for an empty plate?!

A 10 month old? The restaurant is being very petty and mean.

I can't see where you've said how much it was, but it kind of is relevant.

Charging for a full child's portion is a bit off, but I don't see anything wrong with a nominal £1/2 to cover the food, an extra plate to wash, risk of breakages and the fact that some people with babies will take a lot of food for them, let them play with it and leave it smeared all over the table, chair and floor.

Carveries and other buffets work on an 'average' person. Some people eat less but others eat more and someone feeding a baby increases the average food taken a little and won't be buying them a drink like they would for an older child, so adds to the venues costs so needs to be charged for, especially with the pressures faced by this sort of businesses due to increase in NMW, utilities, food and interest rate on finance, which is how restaurant chains are paid for. All on an offering that costs below average for eating out.

This thread is amazing! It’s a ten month old baby with a plate! People are acting like OP has asked for free plates for all her friends/family/neighbours!

Was the deal priced by plate? In which case not unreasonable. Why were you unable to feed your child from your plate, if they weren't going to eat that much?
However, I have noticed that quite a few places are niw reintroducing a over charge or offering things like bread, butter etc. as a separate coyrse, when once they were part of the meal.

I can see their point, if it's a place that charges by the person. But did they retreat?

I would agree except how many mouthfuls of food are wasted at these places? greedy fat bastards loading up steaming piles of food and eating three quarters of it; big thumbs up! mother wanting to give infant half a roast potato, not a chance.

She did! Read the post! 🙄

It’s exactly the opposite! A share-size starter or dessert is priced higher than a single serving because it’s intended for 2 people. You wanted to pay for 1 person but have food for two. It doesn’t matter that the second person only eats a few mouthfuls, where do you draw the line? Should you be able to put extra food at no additional cost onto your plate for a 2-year-old? A 5-year-old? A 10-year-old? It’s like asking for an extra scoop of ice cream on your dessert to give to someone else but not paying for it. If we all did that, what then?

You weren’t charged for an “empty plate”. You were charged for the food your child ate.

Haha! Is that the best you got?!
Heres some more for you-/:;()$&@“‘.,?!’!!!

Common sense would be to feed the baby from your own plate and not ask for a plate at a place that charges by the plate.
Can’t help thinking the OP is being snobbish and doesn’t want to appear to being cheeky/cheapskate in not wanting to just feed from their plate.
But if you want a separate plate you either bring your own baby bowl or pay for one.

Your punctuation is deranged.

Why not?

Absolutely, and my comment was mostly hypothetical as it was so rare I went out with my kids!
i would tidy up after my kids as much as possible but what I wouldn’t do is delay leaving to clean up after them and risk a major meltdown!
I guarantee staff would rather I leave then hang around!

I really think the staff should be able to use their common sense when the extra plate is for a baby who’ll be taking a few bits from the parent’s plate.

YANBU
a small charge is fine, a full extra meal type cost is ridiculous.

Maybe it varies from place to place, but there are those who do clear up after themselves and their families. Many don't, but some parents do.

In the case of my family, my late husband lost fine motor control after his stroke. I'd use a napkin to pick up anything that landed on the floor. Apart from anything else, leaving a mess bothered him.

As @PyongyangKipperbang suggests in one of her other posts, very often the waiting staff would say that they would take care of it and we'd always tip generously.

She was feeding him bits from her own plate. No extra food required.

The OP is quite clear. I don’t understand the confusion.

Tip for you, don’t work in hospitality if you don’t like clearing up kids mess!

BUT She didn’t remember to bring a baby bowl from home and asked for another plate at a place that charges by the plate, perhaps YOU AND OP DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT?

Haha! What a weird comment!
As I said I rarely went out as both my girls have autism so getting out of somewhere in one piece without a meltdown was a near impossibility! so most staff would prefer we get out as soon as possible rather than faff around cleaning up!
hmm 🤔 I don’t know who the hell you are and I have no expectations of what you do and don’t do, my comment wasn’t to you personally!!!🙄🤣🤣🤣

we do get it we know op said she wanted it fpr a baby-but they dont know do they - its proabably done all the time and their fed up of it

The OP had no intention of filling up a plate for free ?
She was paying for a plate of her own food and asked for a clean plate to transfer some food to for baby, presumably to allow it cool down and mush it up so it’s more palatable for a baby to eat.

For Christ's sake people - READ THE OP.

She wasn't going to take MORE food for the baby, she was going to give the baby a few bits OF HER OWN DINNER FROM HER OWN SODDING PLATE.

If she'd remembered to take one of the baby's own food bowls from home, nobody would have batted an eyelid if she'd then put some of her own meal in it and then fed the baby from that.

OP - I'm with you on this one.

Why do you draw the line at scooping up food from the floor that YOUR kids put there?

Why do you think that I should do it and you shouldnt?

Tip for you......asking for a cloth and a brush and dustpan when your kids make a mess will get you a "Dont worry, we will sort it" reaction. Walking out and leaving a shit hole behind you will mean that the next time you come in (yes we will remember you) we wont bother helping you out with things that are not our job, you can struggle.

You get what you give.

This!