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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have expected a soft play to serve toast to a baby

274 replies

PearlyWhites · 10/08/2013 16:17

I have just left a play centre early and really annoyed. I forgot to bring a snack for my ds who has just turned one.
I was going to buy a banana from the soft play cafe but they were black.
I asked for a piece of toast and was told very rudely no as it was not breakfast time . I asked if they had an suitable baby snacks and was offered quavers! I asked again politely for toast as they sold nothing suitable for a baby but was told no ( despite a loaf and toaster in full view)
AIBU to think it is good customer service just to make a piece of flipping toast for a baby?

OP posts:
Jan49 · 11/08/2013 17:14

Jan - the baby is one year old, so probably well able to cope with a mid-meal snack

Why would it need to "cope" with a mid-meal snack? I've brought up a child to adulthood and never gave a baby a snack. Have I missed something?

2 slices with a cup of tea please if someone's making it.[ smile]

sameoldIggi · 11/08/2013 17:20

All my baby books have snacks listed on their meal planner things. Small tummies, and all that.

HaroldLloyd · 11/08/2013 17:50

It can depend cant it, DS1 is a terrible eater so gets hungry. DS2 eats brilliantly and so dosent need a snack. Many many many variables.

I often get a round of toast from a cafe near a park I go to where you can sit outside, lovely thick doorstepper toast with melty butter. When they saw I had DS1 they offered me a little pot of jam for him.

Nice people. Always busy.

schmee · 11/08/2013 17:55

SirChenjin - "this is a cafe, it is their job to keep their customers happy If a 'tiny bit extra' is just a bit of toast, then it hardly seems a massive expectation, esp. as so many businesses are going to the wall. Quite frankly, as a (very nice and polite) customer, I expect anyone in the business of taking my money to bend over backwards with a smile."

Takes the pleasure out of the little kindnesses if you expect them though doesn't it?

HaroldLloyd · 11/08/2013 17:58

Its not really kindness is it. They are a cafe serving food, not a general member of the public doing you a favour. There is nothing wrong with expecting good service from a business not seeing it as some kind of weird favour.

I suppose if you always go into a cafe expecting a punch on the nose, life would be full of pleasant surprises!

MissYamabuki · 11/08/2013 18:04

it's just a piece of toast not a three course meal. FFS
YANBU
places serving food can be unbelievable sometimes. Really poor service

schmee · 11/08/2013 18:05

I would expect a cafe to serve what's on its menu at a particular time. I wouldn't expect to be able to have a ploughman's at 8am if it's not on the menu, even if they are plated up in the fridge. It would be nice if they were able to accommodate me, but I wouldn't expect it.

If you walk round with the attitude that parting with some money gives you the right to demand what you want, that's your prerogative.

HaroldLloyd · 11/08/2013 18:32

Yes I do expect to get what I want for my money or I don't spend it!

SirChenjin · 11/08/2013 18:38

I don't see it as a 'kindness' - as HaroldLloyd says They are a cafe serving food, not a general member of the public doing you a favour. There is nothing wrong with expecting good service from a business not seeing it as some kind of weird favour

When you are a business relying on people to spend their money in order to keep afloat then you give the customers what they want whenever possible. In this case, there was a customer asking for a piece of toast, there was a toaster, there was a cash register. You see how the 3 things link together seamlessly? See how easy it is?

schmee · 11/08/2013 18:40

In the same way that the OP didn't spend any money on the toast? You can only expect to buy what's on offer. Anything else is a bonus.

Wow - this is the 185th post about a piece of toast. I think I'd better leave the thread now.

HaroldLloyd · 11/08/2013 18:43

There was a cash register, a toaster, bread. 60p or no sale. Daftness.

SirChenjin · 11/08/2013 18:49

Exactly Harold.

Schmee - the OP didn't spend any money because the useless jobsworth behind the counter refused to sell her any. She lost a sale, what a stupid thing to do.

BrianTheMole · 11/08/2013 18:57

Its a bit tight of them not to make the toast if the toaster and bread were right there. Its hardly a great deal of effort.

squoosh · 11/08/2013 19:05

Beans on toast was on the menu so I don't really understand why beanless toast was off the menu

SirChenjin · 11/08/2013 19:28

Because toast is a breakfast item, apparently. Beans on the other hand are an all day item Confused Grin

FrancesDeLaTourCoughngIntoABin · 11/08/2013 19:34

Beans on oast wasnt on the menu.
Am pmsl at the people on here that seem to think the soft play would fill with people demanding a slice of toast once they saw a baby gumming a slice. It's toast. Not quails egg, caviar and truffle on a giant slab of dairy milk.

Ragwort · 11/08/2013 19:40

So many British cafes are terrible at customer service, I have worked in restaurants & the hospitality industry for many years and if a customer asked for toast we would make toast. We went to great lengths to ensure that our customers were happy, nothing (legal Wink) was too much trouble, I can't stand the pettiness of so many British cafes - that's why I don't much enjoy eating out; my DN has special needs and gets very anxious if there are two different items on the same plate - in one place my DB asked for 'beans on toast' without the toast - he said he would be happy to pay the regular price, the server refused Confused. No wonder we have such a bad reputation for service.

Chocolatepup · 11/08/2013 20:26

So we shouldn't 'expect' someone to do something nice for someone else now? Sorry I totally disagree, I do expect people to be nice, kind and perhaps even a bit understanding. And to be honest, I find that most people are. Some, of course, are utter twats.

Moknicker · 11/08/2013 21:37

It's all in the tipping. Here in the US where there is a big tipping culture, people don't mind doing "off menu" items because there is a big incentive for them to do so - more money. There is also a secondary incentive in the form of customer review forums which is big here. A negative review about a place can damage business a lot.

In the UK, the lack of tipping means that there is no incentive for someone in a low paid job to do anything that is outside their job description.

People are always nicer where it in their self interest. True altruism i.e. doing something for nothing is rare.

There are lots of downsides of a generic tipping culture but not being able to get an "off menu" slice of toast for a baby isn't one of them

HaroldLloyd · 11/08/2013 21:51

She should have said can I have beans on toast, but without the beans please.

SirChenjin · 11/08/2013 22:23

I'm not sure I would want to see the UK going down the generic tipping route - I'd prefer to see customer service being placed at the heart of everything a business does as a matter of course.

Grin at Harold.

NachoAddict · 11/08/2013 22:35

The only reason I can think that anyone would refuse is perhaps she was a new member of staff or young and following the rules to the letter for fear of getting into trouble.

weeblueberry · 11/08/2013 22:39

Just to clarify this cafe served crisps chocolate sweets and either sausage, chicken nuggets or burgers with chips and beans. That's it other than drinks and the bananas.

Where the f are people getting that the place sold beans on toast???

aufaniae · 11/08/2013 22:49

OP YANBU, the person in the cafe was, of course she was, and people on AIBU will argue about anything.

HaroldLloyd · 11/08/2013 22:55

They sold beans on toast between 11.28 and 13.54 only.