Thrown out of restaurant for bringing newborn baby

[toddlermom]

Hi all,

Just need to vent and wondering if I should complain and if so who to. We went to one of my (ex) favourite London restaurants (Amaya) last night (wearing 5 week old baby in cloth sling, as I often do).

Walked in, got to our table, I took off my jacket and went to sit down but the waitress stopped me and said I couldn't sit down and had to leave the restaurant as she could now see (that I had taken off jacket) that I had a baby and 'children aren't allowed in the restaurant". I said it was a baby - who was asleep - and unlikely to wakeup - and she said it didn't matter, they don't let any children in the restaurant.

The manager came over, said the same thing, they were really, really rude and unfriendly. Didn't say sorry or sympathise, empathise in any way.

They don't have any social media presence so I can't even tweet them and vent on social. I could write a letter to the owner? Or is there anything else I should do? Or AIBU and just not go there again? Any advice welcome!! Thank you!

Glad to know this place will be child-free of an evening. Will visit it.

Rules are rules and must apply to everyone. Why should anyone think that they should have the right to be an exception? If you can't abide by them then leave. Simples!

I'm fifty. I eat out lot. I love these threads where staff are apparently randomly "really really rude" in a totally unprovoked manner. I've never seen this in real life. It's always, always in response to a customer behaving badly, and the staff response of a simple no, is perceived by the op customer, as being rude, when to onlookers it is not.

Completely agree with this!

I've spent years in retail. 'She was rude' ALWAYS equates to 'I didn't get my way'.

Dd2,is a student. She’s just got a job in a chain restaurant,- few shifts a week to fit around lectures. She tells me the rudest customers are middle aged white men and ‘mummy’s’

Some. people.

So you walk in to a 'no children' restaurant concealing a baby under your jacket and are surprised when they ask you to leave !

YABVU

You expect them to make an exception for you? Right.

You lost my sympathy at "wearing baby in a cloth sling"

If they actually we're rude then they shouldn't have been.

However, the policies have to be applied consistently. Your baby is a small child. Small babies can make a racket out of all proportion to their size so could be very disruptive in a restaurant where people have gone for a quiet a child-free meal. The restaurant can't allow one person to bring a child in and ban others. It has to be consistent.

Pubs and restaurants may specify no children after 6 or a time to suit them.

It their choice sorry. However I think they should make it clear.

@DioneTheDiabolist , those laws apply to unaccompanied children. For accompanied children there is no legislation that restricts their presence in restaurants.

It seems to me that to have a blanket rule excluding children, other than where there are safeguarding issues recognised by law, MIGHT be illegal, and I would be interested to see a test case. I am not aware that there has been such a case.

And even if it IS legal, my personal view is that it is wrong. Bad for parents and bad for society. Much better for children to learn to behave properly in restaurants and other public places. (And, parenthetically, to cut mothers of tiny babies, like the OP, quite a lot of slack: I can see no good reason for throwing her out with her sleeping child. In fact I think it is quite shocking, and I am surprised and disappointed that more people here are not shocked.)

I DO think it is entirely inappropriate to disrupt other diners, whether with a screaming baby, a whining toddler, an iPad blaring Peppa Pig, or a load mouth grownup.

YABU for saying you were 'wearing' your baby.

They're not an article of clothing. The sling yes, the baby, no.

I do not think the policy is easily locatable.

I was looking for it, and you have to click through 3 pages, where it is hidden in a link from small print in the FAQ. If you were not specifically looking for it (because you hadn’t realised it would be a issue) it wouldn’t be on any page you would naturally see.

I run a public facing organisation and we would make sure that this info was more intuitively put before people. And if they missed it and were upset to be turned away we would be sympathetic, tactfully show them the policy and offer them a free drink or starter for a return visit. Unless they were rude to staff, shouting the odds and pretending not to know the policy. In which case we would be polite, friendly and tactful but not offer the incentive to return.

It's on the reservations page. You click reservation and it's there. It's one click.

I have never been to Amaya but on googling it it says it is a Michelin starred restaurant! I'm wondering why on earth you would think it appropriate to take a baby to a Michelin starred restaurant? Maybe stick to Pizza Express and the like in future and you won't have a problem...

While the restaurant staff are within their rights to send you away they could and should have been much more polite about it. Rudeness is, well, rude.

How do you know they were rude? Because the OP said so? Given the title she gave this thread I think it’s safe to say that not getting her own way causes her to load her case somewhat.

It’s their prerogative. Two local restaurants near us don’t allow children. I actually think it’s absolutely fine.

I do not think the policy is easily locatable.

I was looking for it, and you have to click through 3 pages, where it is hidden in a link from small print in the FAQ. If you were not specifically looking for it (because you hadn’t realised it would be a issue) it wouldn’t be on any page you would naturally see.

It's a Michelin starred restaurant, not a Wetherspoons. Not going to be a child friendly place.

Does wearing your baby make a difference, btw? Were you hoping to pass it off as a daring outfit choice?

🤣

My baby is a designer Balenciaga, dahling!

and no WAY is it true that every other country is super-friendly (towards kids,) whilst the UK is hostile towards them

No, it really is true. The English are quite hateful towards children compared to other places.

Excellent. Am now going to book this restaurant. Love an adult only atmosphere.

For example, all the people piling on here to say how great it is that a mother was banned from a restaurant. Like wth.

I've spent years in retail. 'She was rude' ALWAYS equates to 'I didn't get my way'.
We see the same in schools as well.

"Mrs Blogs was incredibly rude" almost always equals "when I tried to argue and be rude and throw my weight around regarding an issue the boils down to 'rules don't apply to my child', Mrs Blogs calmly, politely and assertively explained that I'm not about to get my own way".

Wearing baby. Oh Lordy. The OP is one of them

wearing your baby? Is it an accessory?

Pleased to hear the restaurant is child free. I’ll remember that when I’m in town and want a nice evening meal. And I say that as a mum of three wonderful children