Charged for an empty plate?!

I imagine they basically have a pay per plate policy, which isnt unreasonable for a help yourself carvery. If you start getting into “oh it’s just for a baby…a toddler…my friend who isn’t really hungry but just wants to try a bit” then it all gets complicated. Much easier to just have a policy applied to all.

No, obviously not an adult portion, but a meal - more than just the few mouthfuls everyone is suggesting that all 10 month olds eat. Just like adults, children and babies are all different, and whilst some might still just be having a nibble at things, others are happy to eat small meals.

I think that they gave you a plate for your child at a buffet, which is what a carvery is then charged you for a childs plate. If you go to a buffet you effectively pay per head no matter how much you are eating. They don't discount becuase you only had one potatoe and a handful of green beens.

Must be. 😳My daughter at that age would definitely not have eaten this much.

There are some really thick people on here. How much do you think a 10 month old is going to manage to eat? YANBU @sandwichh , next time take a little plastic bowl or put it straight on the high chair

I'm assuming pp means a smaller portion but an actual meal, not just a few mouthfuls.

All 3 of mine were the same at that age. Definitely past just having a few mouthfuls.

Really? At 10 months, they would have eaten the same amount as an adult? Were they absolutely massive for their age?!

Wouldn't people just take a tub with them to decant the uneaten food into - to eat, give to the dog or throw away later at home - rather than pay for the waste (with the added element of embarrassment)?

Or just flush it down the bog there before the waiter/waitress comes to collect the plates at the end?!

I don't know why people keep saying that it will only be a few mouthfuls/a couple of squished up carrots. My kids would have happily eaten a plate full of roast dinner at 10 months! DS had a full english breakfast for his first birthday and ate the lot.

They probably expected you to order a baby bowl if you thought he'd eat enough to have his own plate. If he was only eating a few mouthfuls then he didn't need his own plate anyway.

I went to a greenhouse carvery about 6 months ago

Did they give you a table next to the window?!

Presumably you could quite legitimately feed as many people from the food that you could physically fit on one plate.

Would you feel horrendously embarrassed throughout to pile up a veritable Kilimanjaro of food on one plate and then have two, three or more adults all sit around eating from that one plate (possibly also sharing one set of cutlery)? Yes, and rightly so.

Would you feel embarrassed to take an extra little dollop of mash and small spoon of peas as well as your own standard-sized meal and sit at the table feeding it to a baby? Not in the least; it's entirely normal for parents to feed babies in that way.

Wait is this a buffet thing? If so they charge per plate but for a baby that’s crazy to me.

I don’t quite understand where you went

If it’s a restaurant and you paid for a portion and he’s eating off your plate - yanbu
if it’s a buffet- yabu, that’s ridiculous, of course you pay!

Sounds like the OP is a bit cheapskate.

It's also the cost of cleaning up a space where a baby was eating. When my dc was that age, I spent ages cleaning up after they made a mess. So probably part of the pricing is the clean-up operation of a highchair and floor etc. Personally I think it's reasonable to charge a small amount for anyone eating as there are still overheads to cover too. Few quid is fine.

Next time stick a napkin onto the table and put the food on it for the baby. They don't need a plate.

Yeah, I looked on the website and can't see 'baby bowls' listed or anything like it. I agree the price should be different. The OP doesn't say how much she was charged. Maybe they did just charge her a couple of quid, we don't know. I'm just saying, she shouldn't expect it for free.

I am on Mounjaro and frequently eat barely anything. I often eat just bits off my partner's plate but not at places like carveries or all you can eat places. We just went to an all you can eat place the other day and it was a massive waste for me but we paid it because I was there and I did eat something.

I think I will have to go get a carvery today now!

Anyone who uses the term "plating up" is unreasonable in my book. Yes you are a CF. They must have people trying their luck regularly to weasel their way into having an extra plate of food for free.

Of course the age of the person matters @KitsyWitsy. That’s why most places do baby bowls and children’s menus. I’m not sure of the set-up in this restaurant, but it’s daft to expect to pay the same for a 10 month old as for an adult.

Ugh this thread is such an example of how stupid people are or entitled. Some people are both!

It is so depressing that so many people on this thread can't grasp the simple concepts of a per-person carvery and feel utterly entitled to request service, plates and free food for their non-paying family members. It does not matter AT ALL that the person is 10months old. The OP took EXTRA food from the sides to feed her baby, not just what she wanted for herself as the person paying.

I could not work in hospitality. I'd be yelling at people all day.

Out of curiosity OP, do you think they should give you an extra plate free of charge if your child was 18 months old, 3 years old, 7 years old? Do you feel there should be a cut off point? Personally I don't think they should charge if restaurant was not one where you could have unlimited amounts of food. If you were served a set meal and wanted to let your baby have some of yours, then to my mind it should be ok to ask for a second plate, but for an unlimited buffet or help yourself carvery, I think that they should feel free to charge for a separate plate for a baby, even if a token amount of say £1.50.

Have you never asked for an extra plate in a restaurant so you can share a dessert or a pizza. It's very common and restaurants never charge.
The baby was going to have some of OPs dinner she wasn't going to have a full roast dinner to herself!
OP if there is a next time take your own baby plate

Haven’t RTFT but yanbu! At Disneyland Paris (which is generally very expensive!) they allow under 3s to eat free at all you can eat buffets, and also give out free baby food. The amount a 10 month old can eat is negligible compared to the wastage at these places.