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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed restaurant charged for a baby to have a spoon of custard?

71 replies

missbluebird · 11/09/2014 19:54

Me and DH took our DS (6 months) out for a meal with us. It was one of those eat as much as you like buffets.

DS is just starting weaning and is on purees so took along a jar of something and a spoon. When I got it out to feed him I noticed the lid was damaged and the button on top had popped up so threw it. DS was happy to have a breast feed and when I had my main course I dipped my finger in some non spicy sauce and let him lick it off. I then gave him a spoon of custard when I had my dessert.

Anyway when the bill came we were charged for a full child's meal (up to 12 years). AIBU to be annoyed they charged us?

OP posts:

Aeroflotgirl · 11/09/2014 22:15

That is unacceptable! Our local Chinese buffet were fab when we took ds, they don't charge under 1 year, and 90p for up to 3 years. I would not go there again.

BingoBonkers · 11/09/2014 22:16

I would have been very grown up about it and said "make me pay" whilst sitting on my purse.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 11/09/2014 22:20

Some buffet places can be utter tightwads. When I was heavily pg XH and I went out for lunch on my birthday. He chose the salad buffet so loaded his plate and took it outside. I ordered a hot meal. I was waiting for my food, ravenous, and took a mushroom off his plate. The waitress came over and told me I couldn't do that as it counted as sharing. Despite the fact that I had paid for my own meal which they knew.
They also charged for tap water! They went bust fairly soon, oddly.

Funghoul · 11/09/2014 22:21

Cosmo charged us £3 for 15m dd, but as she easily ate 6 quids worth I couldn't complain. They also told me off for picking her mess up off the floor. It did feel a bit like a kick in the teeth considering we had just got back from Greece where not one single restaurant complained about her sharing our food. They even offered her free deserts every night.

AuntieMaggie · 11/09/2014 22:37

If they saw you feeding your baby then how are they supposed to know it was just one spoonful? You should have just explained.

MrsCurrent · 11/09/2014 22:49

Ring them in the morning and warn them it's going viral on social media and the local press want to run a story, see how they react to that. If they don't play ball then stick it on every fb selling group there is and ring the local rag.

TheNewStatesman · 11/09/2014 23:58

Buffet places def. have to draw the line somewhere, but in my experience it is usually at age 2 or 3, not six months.

That said, usually better to clarify this kind of thing in advance.

chocolatemademefat · 12/09/2014 01:58

Write to them and demand your money back. You paid for the custard and chose to share it. And never ever go back there.

quietbatperson · 12/09/2014 17:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Username12345 · 12/09/2014 17:04

missbluebird Which restaurant was it?

TheXxed · 12/09/2014 17:10

BingoBonkers I spat my tea out laughing at your comment.

spidey66 · 12/09/2014 17:12

I don't think you should have paid. If I went to a cafe with my husband, and had a couple of chips from his plate, or a taste of his dessert I wouldn't expect to be charged. Or if we went to a pub and he said ''let me taste your cider''. No different with a baby.

Fenton · 12/09/2014 17:21

I think I would have said, no you are mistaken the baby had a taste of my dessert, laughed it off and paid minus the £4.99.

I can't believe you accepted this, although I do understand not being good at complaining - but this one would have been an easy one, even for me

Celticlass2 · 12/09/2014 17:35

Op, are you sure it was one spoonful? I'm kind of finding it a bit hard to believe tat they charged you for one spoonful of food.

EmeraldLion · 12/09/2014 17:41

I wouldn't have paid.

I'd have said he hadn't eaten any food and asked them to get the CCTV out and prove it.

WorraLiberty · 12/09/2014 17:54

I honestly can't believe the two of you actually paid, instead of just smiling and telling them there had been a mistake.

Unless it was more than just a bit of custard that your child ate.

Original poster

missbluebird · 12/09/2014 18:21

He's only been eating purees for a week and I have drilled in my head not to give too much sugar, which custard has loads in so was just the spoonful. The waiter did see this as he was clearing the main plates at the time and I suppose he wasn't to know it was just one spoon.

It is a local curry place to me. No chain, no head office and no custom from us anymore.

OP posts:

maddening · 12/09/2014 18:24

He had some of your food which you paid for - they are bu

waithorse · 12/09/2014 18:57

YANBU, totally ridiculous.

ChilledCat · 13/09/2014 02:28

Toby Carvery allow your child to have their own bowl for free up to 3 years, or so long as they can pass for 3 years ;)
They aren't supposed to have meat, but we go there a lot so they always slip us a little something. I think that's reasonable.
I would have refused to pay, as it's absolutely ridiculous, you should have kicked up a fuss in front of other customers!

SquirrelWearingATrilby · 13/09/2014 07:29

Pizza Hut once tried to charge me for giving my ds the icecream dessert which was included in my meal - they said him eating icecream from the bowl they gave me was a visit to the icecream factory and NOT my dessert. I didn't have a dessert as I didn't want one. Manageress argued the toss so we paid for the meal less the extra dessert - the exact amount in cash - and walked out. Never ate there again.

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