'SOFT PLAY WORKER SAID 'WE DON'T CATER FOR CHILDREN LIKE THAT'

[Jenz9]

I recently went to a soft play area in St Albans (Am I allowed to name it?). I paid just under £12.00 to get in and then with minutes spent another £15.00 on food for my husband and older daughter. When it came I asked for a spare plate for my youngest child as she has milk and soya allergies and I had some safe food for her I had brought from home.
As I sat down a loud bossy worker came over in a very loud voice telling me she could not eat food that had not been purchased there. I explained about her having allergies and she said that it didn't matter and she couldn't eat it unless it had been bought it. when I asked again what I could feed her as she had to eat she replied she didn't know but couldn't eat the food I had brought. I asked again what to do and she just kept repeating we could not eat at the premises.

I had to take my daughter outside whilst my husband and daughter ate at the table (I didn't go fully outside due to wet and rain but fed her by the door where it was muddy and people kept knocking us as they came in. When my husband enquired further what they provided for children with allergies as nothing was on the menu with allergy information she said 'WE DO NOT CATER FOR CHILDREN LIKE THAT AND DO NOT PERTAIN TO'. when asked what we should do she said. Her final suggestion was that we eat before we come out.

Surely all soft play should be about inclusion and involvement?
I am writing to the manager and will let you know how I get on.

[ifyourehoppyandyouknowit]

If a cafe/soft play centre caters for an allergy (ie there is something on the menu that the child can eat) then I think they are fair to say no to bringing your own food. If they don't, and don't allow you to bring your own food, then they are effectively discriminating.

[drivenfromdistraction]

Definitely review them wherever possible.

I have two coeliac DC and feed them food from home in all sorts of establishments - never had any criticism.

[littlepurplealien]

The problem is that some parents have spoiled it for others.

It never even crossed my mind to lie about my child having allergies to avoid paying for food at a soft play or other such venue.

I was considered a bit of a numpty by other school mums when discussing the menu prices whilst chatting during a party held at a local soft play when my eldest was in reception class. Apparently you just say your child has food allergies and must be allowed to eat the food you've brought and no they can't eat earlier or later as it's medically important that they eat to a schedule too.....

Fast forward 3 years and the soft-play venue has now had to get tough because apparently so many parents were pulling this stunt and there couldn't possibly be that many kids with allergies in the local area. NO-ONE is allowed to eat their own special food now unless they pay £2.99 for a plate to eat it from. When you add this to the cost of the food brought in it means there's usually no saving for the "trying to save money by lying about allergies" types but anyone with genuine allergies can join in a party or eat with their family but it costs £2.99. (Somewhat similar to paying an old fashioned corkage fee if you BYO to a restaurant).

[WipsGlitter]

Is the general reason (apart from they want you to buy their stuff!) for not allowing food to be brought in precisely because of allergies? Ie they are supposed to have some understanding of what's in what they serve so they can say it's nut free or whatever, but if people are bringing in stuff then they can't guarantee a nut free (or whatever) environment.

TBH it's pretty standard at these places that you can't bring stuff in - allergies or not. You should call ahead to check / explain.

[Jenz9]

I was so upset that day. I thought 'people leave water bowls at the door for dogs on hot days, anbd this is where we have to eat,'. I think inclusion and involvement for all children may be idealistic but my daughter is only just 2. Surely her world should be ideal at that age

[42andcounting]

YANBU and they do not understand what the word pertain means. I am obviously naive, I would have thought that people who work somewhere like that would have some sort of fellow feeling for children. Very poor.

[ISeeYouShiverWithAntici]

I know, 42. I'd have to complain about that too.

[StealthPolarBear]

I don't think this is discrimination, happy to be told I am wrong.
I do think it is common bloody sense and you were dealt with harshly.

[StealthPolarBear]

Sorry common sense should have been on their part I mean. It shouldn't take a policy to treat someone like a human being.

[WorraLiberty]

Was there nothing on the menu that didn't contain milk or soya?

[GobbySadcase]

I'd say it's failure to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act, particularly as you'd also purchased food for the others there who could eat it. It's not like everyone in your party was eating brought in food.

[scattered]

This sounds very like failure to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act and service providers fall under its remit. I would seek further advice.

[Gruntfuttock]

The woman obviously meant "pretend to*" not "pertain to"

*as in the 2nd def. here

[ProudAS]

Sounds like discrimination to me. The venue must make reasonable adjustments.

The argument about not bringing own food in because of allergies is bollocks! The OP's DD is allergic to the stuff they are serving and another allergic customer has no more right to avoid their allergen than she does.

[AllergyMums]

Honestly stuff like this makes my blood boil. Children with allergies just aren't catered for everywhere. Fine. So I take food. Like OP. What are we suppose to do? Let them go hungry or just stay away and not inconvenience anybody?

Watching for their response OP.

[pinkdelight]

Calm down, sackandcrack. It's a cafe we're talking about, not a life-saving operation or something. I agreed the woman was rude and that OP should complain. I merely pointed out that the business is there to make a profit, not to support "inclusion and involvement", and as such it enforces the very common rule that customers can't bring their own food. As someone else here has said, the valid reason for bringing food in due to allergies has led to some piss-taking which is why some places take a hard line on it. Other places are more chilled about it and others are great and offer a range of non-allergy foods. To suggest that the OP takes her custom to the latter venues is hardly something to get arsey about and start crying discrimation. Eesh. You're as bad as the rude woman in the cafe, and I shall take my posts elsewhere.

[NoodleOodle]

I don't have a problem with a business having a rule that only food purchased on premises can be eaten there, but do have a problem with staff being rude to customers.

[pixiepotter]

The thing is if they didn't have this rule, a family of 4 like your own, could bring packed food and drink and stay their all day long , kiddies entertained for only £12.
Could you not have bought a banana or salad or orange juice that you know doesn't contain dairy?

[PourquoiPas]

Sadly almost everything sold at soft plays has milk or soya in.

DD is severely intolerant to milk and soya, and we are cutting out tomato and citrus at the moment as she seems to be sensitive to them too. The very lovely soft play near us used to do her a special jacket potato and beans which wasn't strictly on the menu as all the other food have milk or soya in (they checked the ingredient lists for me). Chicken nuggets, sausages, fish fingers, bread, veggie fingers the lot.

They now do her a jacket potato, ham, fried egg and peas. They are just fab. We do spend £20 a week in there though I suppose!

[Jenz9]

Hi. We did ask the the question what did they have as there was no allergy information on the board which is when she said' we don't cater for children like that nor do we pertain to. Baked potatoes r pretty safe but she doesn't eat them. I avoid anything with oil unless its specified as she reacts to it. Soya causes swelling which specialist told me to be very careful with as windpipes can swell. (Don't even want to talk about that)

[GobbySadcase]

The business has to "support inclusion and involvement" by law. All businesses do.

I'm disgusted at the attitude that not to do so is a fair business decision. It's not.

[WorraLiberty]

They should have used their discretion OP and let her eat it.

I'd pack a lunchbox next time and just keep it quiet

The staff probably wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't asked for one of their plates.

It still stinks though.

[ifyourehoppyandyouknowit]

So they did do something (jacket potatoes) that she can eat, but she doesn't like them?

[MrsCakesPremonition]

What a silly, silly rule for a business to have. If one child cannot eat at the centre, then the whole group is likely to eat elsewhere as well. So they are foregoing food revenue from a whole group of adults and children rather than waive the rule for one child.

I'm sure there must be nicer places in St. Albans.