Banned from Starbucks

[Monicachoux]

I am part of a group of new mothers who used to meet a local Birmingham Starbucks for a coffee and chat once a week. The Starbucks is located within a hotel, and both businesses share a lounge area big enough for us, our babies and baby equipment.
We have (after about 6 meets) been told we are not welcome to meet there anymore as the "venue has been booked for corporate seminars and events on the days you meet, and this will be taking place for the next few months".
Starbucks boasts a sign stating "Sit and relax in our lounge area at the back", yet, we are no longer welcome to relax here with our babies anymore... Numbers for our group range from about 4 or 5 mums with their babies up to about 7 or 8 (so we're hardly an army) and each of us consumed drinks and snacks from the coffee shop and hotel when we went there... Are we being unreasonable by expecting to be treated like any other Starbucks customer in spite of (the horror!) having babies? I have to say that I for one was quite shocked when they (very nicely) informed us we couldn't meet there anymore- this is DEFINITELY NOT a baby-friendly establishment

Monicachoux has contributed to other threads on MN i believe, I may be wrong but I am pretty certain I have seen her from time to time, just saying as people seem to be wondering.

Ok, Ok, you were right. The Boss - maybe we should meet to offer mutual support.Btw, even the NM brigade are giving the OP a hard time and have sussed out that she has posted the same thing on here (obviously a few double agents round here.
I think the crayons are great - I've been bringing them home for years, melting them down and making homemade candles from them.

ahh yes - if food is taking a very long time then it can come out before in some circumstances -

bupcakes - my DS's are 10,7 and 3. The older 2 were both allowed to use the children's activities they were given when very young after they had finished their meal. Both are now perfectly capable of sitting and holding a conversation before/during/after a meal without need for distractions.

Was your brother "kept quiet" - all the way through the meals - or just at the end? I wonder if that makes a difference. I won't let my DS's play with toys/draw/do puzzles etc during the meal.

Post meal conversations are boring for 3yr olds

Exactly cupcakes

'Imagine Italy, a nation famous for it's love of kiddiwinkles. Now, in all my times in Italy I have NEVER not been able to get into a cafe due to a trillian buggies parked up. Nor are the Italian children mashing their food into the walls/being changed on the tables. Rather, Italian children are treated like small adults, sat at the table, sharing food and being spoken to in a group. That doesn't happen all that often here. Children are shoved into the pushchairs whilst mummy has a natter. The Italians take their children out so that they can socialise too. If you want your children to be accepted in restaurants/cafes then they need to learn to behave appropriately in a restaurant/cafe and they're not going to do that strapped in their pushchair or colouring in with those shitty wax crayons that so many food places dole out to kids now.'

Few people in Britian see this type of example though because small children are not adequately catered for/cared for in restaurants

I you want to have a natter and leave your children to their own devices you should do so at home/in a park/soft play.

But it doesn't mean that toddlers cannot be part of a social gathering outside the home

Ah, we do that once a week only. Saturday nights, DS has his dinner early and DH and I have ours after he has gone to bed. Why? Because it's the next best thing to having a night out when you can't get a sitter. But yes, totally agree. DS eats with us at all other times.

Way back in the middle ages when I was a waitress, I remember this PARTICULARLY ANNOYING BINT and her friend come into the restaurant with two children.
It was late in the day and I was setting up for dinner service, so laying out all the tables etc. Bint and friend sat at one table chatting and having coffee (fine, whatevs) but pretty much ignored the two children (around 6/7 years old) who just spent the whole time running up and down the restaurant. Silly bint was occassionally shout out "Jasmine Leaf, don't run sweetie" and then get back to discussing reiki and weaving lentils, while Jasmine Leaf ran riot and broke plates.

I still hate that woman. She was such a moron

"Few people in Britian see this type of example though because small children are not adequately catered for/cared for in restaurants"

But that is the fault of the parents, surely? Aside from actually letting your children in and providing them with suitable food, the restaurant is under no obligation to "cater" for kids any further. That's up to the parents, to entertain/amuse their children. Restaurants in Italy don't do anything special to make themselves more appealing to families. They welcome children and feed them. That's all.

Forget Starbucks. Find a proper caff where you can order your drinks sitting down and a waitress brings them to you. And pay half the price Starbucks charges.

Abs, you cannot say "bint" on MN. It's on the naughty list of words.

bupcakes......maybe it's the parents too? Perhaps Italian parents aren't so happy to let their children run riot when eating out?

I think this says it all
"The Starbucks is located within a hotel, and both businesses share a lounge area big enough for us, our babies and baby equipment."
When I read that I thought, bully for them, what about the other people using the hotel?

Anyone local could go and have a look and tell us if Op is being as unreasonable as it appears?
I see that some on the other place are getting militant, I don't know what happened to the concept of having some consideration for others? Don't take a large group of mums, prams, babies, toddlers and other "equipment" into a quiet hotel lounge. It's just a matter of manners, or maybe courtesy, which seem to be completely outdated. Have some consideration for the members of the population who haven't got babies with them.
Some think that people with children have the right to go anywhere whatever the disruption to others don't they?

upsy - what do you use for wicks? And do you add fragrance or have them unscented? Just wondering.

No it isn't just about suitable food. Like stewie said, DS has often had to wait for his meal long after mine and DH's have arrived. That is just silly. Surely if you provide a 'children's menu' you are accepting of children coming into your establishment? And if so catering to their needs, like bringing their food out first, is rather important.

Apols.

"annoying twunt"

But, she wasn't the only person I couldn't stand. We also had the regular "yoga crowd" which was a group of 40 somethings who had yoga classes at the place around the corner. A whole bunch of them would come in after for one cup of camomile tea, and one guy would always just have soup but REFUSED TO HAVE BREAD he wanted crackers instead. Even though they were regular, we enjoyed pissing him off by always giving him bread and making him request crackers. They'd stay for hours and hours. My manager contemplated banning them.

This is very true, baroque. My dad is Italian and we ate out a lot when I was little and no way would he ever put up with any running about/screaming bullshit. It would have been one strike and out. No pudding. Harsh bastard.

Whilst in postingh in my former waitress persona, can I just add...
You may well be BLW. You may just be an untidy cow, but this is a restaurant. We dont expect you to leave the place spotless, we understand you have children, BUT, do you have to let the little darlings have an adult sized portion of chocolate cake, smash it to pieces, mash it into the chair, wipe it on the walls, throw it onto the floor and smear it on the window? is it really necessary?

too right bupcakes - I have much respect for your dad

I've never been to a restaurant where the children's meal wasn't brought out first. Except when I went to a Wetherspoons in an airport but that's to be expected. I think most places are accomodating enough if you just ask them. I don't know what else we want from them? To dress up like Bungle off Rainbow whilst waiting on tables?

I never found the crayons were a means of excluding DS - far from it - we were usually roped in to draw the animal he wanted drawn. So in fact about 80% of the drawing would be done by us, to his direction.

DS has always eaten out with us in the evenings, since he was quite small - no one has ever complained to our faces about it but then they have had no cause to; and a few people came up to us and said what a lovely and well-behaved little boy he was.
I au paired in Italy years ago to a 9yo girl and her twin 2yo brothers. I was a little shocked when we all went out to an evening gathering, but only because the boys were up until gone 11pm. They were both dead tired by then of course! I have no issue with socialising small children from a very early age, I think it is the right thing to do - so long as you teach them how to behave appropriately.

Saggy - I feel your pain.

BTW After changing your babies nappy on the sofa, leaving the dirty nappy on the tray of assorted rubbish and cups and plates I need to wash up is also fucking disgusting.

That's what I was trying to get at thumbwitch

thumbwitch I have no idea what a babychino is but I think it's just frothy milk??

You hear the mums coming through the door saying
" would u like a babychino princess?" and their dc saying " no I want a juice!"
Mum " oh have a babychino sweetheart, you'll be just like mummy"

I remember that one, second only to stubbing out your cigarette end in your leftovers!!