Or was Pizza Hut?

[Scarlett555]

Took my DD (4) to the park after school. She suddenly announces she's desperate for a wee - no toilets in the park and it's a 15 minute walk home.

Park is packed with kids from her school and near a busy road with lots of cars going past - no opportunity for a quick wee behind a bush.

There is a Pizza Hut near the park and so I take her in there and ask nicely if we could use the toilet.

The waitress states toilets are for customers only.

I explain it's for my DD, she's only 4 and isn't going to make it home.

Waitress repeats toilets are for customers only and we would have to stay and buy a meal if we use the toilets.

Restaurant was practically empty, only one table occupied.

We left and of course DD wet herself on the way home, poor thing was really embarrassed.

WIBU to think a big chain like Pizza Hut could let a 4 year old use the toilet?

Personally, just seeing a thread about Pizza Hut has made me fancy one. It's all about brand awareness, no publicity is bad publicity, etc. etc.

logging into just-eat now

What comes after the four year old, though? The waitress is “unkind” and a “bitch” for not letting the four year old use the loo (even though her DM is too tight to buy anything and seems to think that’s the waitress’ fault). Wouldn’t we get similar threads if the waitress turned away someone’s elderly nan, or a teen saying she needed to change a sanitary towel, or a boy with a nosebleed, or an off-duty fireman? It never ends, people’s sense of entitlement. That’s why they have a policy.

I think companies have rules - but I have found staff will often use their discretion in certain circumstances. A small child desperate for the toilet would be one of those circumstances. But I would guess it depends on which member of staff you encounter as to whether you get treated well or not - rather than being a blanket Pizza Hut deficiency.

I once got very lost and disorientated quqite late at night driving round an unfamiliar area. Eventually I pulled into a huge empty industrial estate car park to try to work out my map. There was a pizza hut open on the far side of the park(though empty and near closing time) I went in and ordered a coffee. Explained I was lost. The manager and the waiter looked up my route home on their phones, wrote instructions down for me. Told me the coffee was on the house and the manager escorted me across the car park to my car. So I was lucky.

I think you were unfortunate in the member of stff you encountered OP.

@Danja2010
Today it's "customers only" (mostly small places) or you pay 50 cents as you do in public toilets and there is usually a sign at the door telling you what the policy is.
Too many people were taking the piss (I couldn't resist, sorry)

Working for a company and upholding their policies does not preclude you from your most necessary, basic and essential quality of human kindness.

There is not a company on earth that would rob me of that. And yeah, I would risk a blocking from any manager to uphold this. I hope I always can but some people on this thread make me think they've sold their souls already.

I guess it's all about the £££. Make it rain. For them. Not us.

Park is packed with kids

There's your problem - I'm betting that every ten minutes someone pops in with a child needing the loo who assumes it will be fine because "pizza hut is a big chain".*

So the staff will have been told that the toilets are for customers only. Which is pretty reasonable - if they let your DD use it, they'll have to let everyone use it.

*a big chain of pizza restaurants. Not a big chain of public toilets.

If it happens again just use the toilet then come out and say sorry we've changed our minds we arent eating

Furiosa

Alright, Trotsky. Look, it seems a bit two-faced to sit there bemoaning the evils of this profit-loving world, at the same time as demanding to use their toilets for nothing. Just saying.

I live in Valencia, at the huge train station, they have just shut down every.single.loo in every bloody bar/café so, even if you are buying a beer/coffee/sandwich before your train trip you HAVE to go to the new public toilets.

They charge 50cents for each person, i.e accompanying a child you would pay too.

Bloody outrageous.

I still think this Pizza Hut hissy fit by OP is ridiculous. First rule leaving school is always 'Have you done a wee? Well do one then'

There is not a company on earth that would rob me of that. And yeah, I would risk a blocking from any manager to uphold this. I hope I always can but some people on this thread make me think they've sold their souls already

I guess it's all about the £££. Make it rain. For them. Not us

Someone who has to work as a waitress at Pizza Hut probably IS thinking all about the money when they consider whether to jeopardise their job for the sake of one kid going for a piss, yeah. Not everyone has the luxury of risking their salary to make a stand.

They’ve lost OP now and several others on this thread.

Well considering OP says she lives nearby, it doesn’t sound as though she’s ever used them before this. So no reason to suppose they’ve ‘lost’ her.

Pizza Hut lost me years ago because they’re crap.

There was a pizza hut open on the far side of the park(though empty and near closing time) I went in and ordered a coffee.

And there you have one key difference between you and the OP. You ordered a coffee - and then asked them for help. You didn't assume you could walk in there and ask for help.

a huge empty industrial estate car park

That's your second difference - far less likely to suffer from hordes of children wanting to use the loo, than a Pizza Hut by a children's park.

Thirdly, of course, you wanted directions - not the loos. The whole scenario is different, and yours was very unlikely to set any kind of precedent.

Hang on, the four year old’s skinning up in there now is she?

The kids are accompanied by an adult . Do you think everyone with a kid is miraculously clean, tidy and non piss taking?

churchandstate

I'm flattered!

OP ASKED, not demanded. Her daughter peed herself went she could have just used the toilet. Like a human.

Can I call you Trump if I'm Trotsky?

I wouldn't have wanted the waitress to get in trouble so I guess if it is company policy then fair enough.

It felt a bit mean spirited though, especially as it was so empty and she's only little.

On a separate note just found my purse at home so if we had stayed for a snack or drink I wouldn't have had the money to pay for it! Now that would have been CF.

Furiosa

You can call me Czar Nicholas II. 😂

I get the that the policy is a bit unfortunate and may be bad publicity... On the other hand... If they make an exception for a 4 year old. Should they also make exceptions for 5 yos? 6? 7? When is the cut-off point?
How about people with disablities? Or those with invisible disablities?

Or women who may suffer from „postpartum incontinence“. Wouldn’t it be unfair to exclude them? But how could the waitress know whether that’s a woman about to pee her pants or a cheeky fucker?

Anyhow. Buy a bottle of water and use the toilet.

I do have a lot of sympathy for the people who can‘t afford to buy that. But they’re probably also the ones that are the most likely to be turned away if judging people to be „worthy“ of using their loo without paying is simply a discretionary decision to be made by staff....

So yeah. Nobody or everybody does seem like the fairest solution to me personally.

It’s all just a bit casual, isn’t it, OP? Leaving the house with no money, not checking if DD had done a wee at school, park for however long and then - shocker - she needs a wee. She’s 4, she’ll always need one! Maybe you can avoid this next time.

Oh FFS. I'm so bored with everything and everyone being labled 'rude and entitled' in every situation.

Have you ever eaten there before Scarlett?

I think a better use of the OPs annoyance at the situation would be to lobby the local council to install some public loos in the park. That way, everyone can benefit - kids have somewhere to wee, local businesses don't have to be pilloried for not picking up the slack.

Or...you could just send an outraged tweet and cross your fingers that a minimum wage employee loses her job. And maybe you get some vouchers or something.

The whole scenario is different, and yours was very unlikely to set any kind of precedent.

Well obviously it was different - I wasn't suggesting otherwise. My point was that depending on what staff members you encounter the reaction wil be different.

I was given a free cup of coffee - I imagine Pizza Hut has a rule somewhere that says 'don;t give the goods away for free' or words to that effect, but the staff I encountered kindly ignored that rule. I was also making the point that just becuae you encounter one unbending member of staff it doesn't mean all Pizza Hut staff are obstructive - so never going to pizza hut again because of one unobliging waitress is overkill.

I think a better use of the OPs annoyance at the situation would be to lobby the local council to install some public loos in the park

This! You could even tweet them!

GPatz

Sorry for boring you. What do you think these words mean, that render them irrelevant to this situation?