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!

@Marriedwithchildren5 are you serious or just taking the piss?

@Marriedwithchildren5

They can go to any of the thousands of resteraunts which allow kids. They just can't go to a child free one. And when that new mum has a night out without the baby, there's every chance she might desperately want to go somewhere child free because she wants a break from kids. Everyone, at some point, wants to go out without hearing kids charter or squealing or moaning, and without hearing Peppa pig or other crap coming from an iPad.

So new mums are basically not able to go out for dinner?

New mums can go out for dinner. They can even go out to dinner at Amaya at certain times of the day.

Yeah, when I go to a child free restaurant on date night, I go to get away from kids and babies. I don't want to be around a crying baby. There's plenty of places that are family friendly, and we go in knowing full well there will be kids and are fine with it. But if we're paying a little extra for a nice child free restaurant, I expect it to be child free.

Why are you discriminating against sexual orientation?

It’s pretty offensive to describe paedophilia as a sexual orientation.

How would you describe it?

@TheNestedIf

Comments like that really don't help. I'm on the side of the restaurant and don't agree with the discrimination nonsense, but your comment isn't going to win your argument. You've basically just compared children with paedophiles. They aren't comparable.

I apologise and have self reported. I did not intend to offend.

I believe it's classed as a disorder or deviance

You might as well have sarcastically said "oh, so you're allowed to choose to eat without a paedophile in the restaurant but I can't choose to each without children. One rule for you and another for me".

That's what you're saying when you play the 2 things off again at each other. It's nonsensical, it doesn't work as an argument and it's pretty disgusting.

It should stand do people can see what a disgusting comment you made and judge what kind of person says things like that.

Again, I apologise. I should have realised I should not have posted that. I hope the mods remove the post soon.

It's a perfectly reasonable policy.

Alright @PurpleDaisies untwist your knickers. She made a thoughtless comparison and apologised. Good for her.

I'm judging you a lot harder than her for your comment.

So new mums are basically not able to go out for dinner?

Well of course they are. To one of the thousands of restaurants that cater for families and children. They just can’t go to the minority of restaurants that are child free.

I have a 6 month old baby and I just made a reservation for me and my friends to specifically go to a restaurant that doesn't allow children.

Sorry, no children policies are fine. In fact, I think they're a great thing.

@Contraceptionismyfriend because I see a different side to the argument to you? I find it hard to believe that people can give a new mum such a hard time. Everyone is entitled to a dinner out.

Plus not many newborns are on tablets playing peppa pig. Whole different argument.

@Marriedwithchildren5 so you are actually being this dull?

There is no argument. It's fact. There is no discrimination.

Babies and children are not allowed in certain places.

Licensing does not allow a lot of venues to admit under 18s. Ever.

Do you want Alton Towers to allow babies into their rides?

After all isn't it height discrimination.

A new mum can have a dinner out fgs. There are thousands of family friendly places for a new mum to eat. And a handful of places where you cant take children.

Also. New mums aren't surgically attached to their babies. That's the plus side of labour.

The mum is more than welcome. Decisions that she makes regarding her baby mean that she is choosing not to attend.

@Marriedwithchildren5 don’t be ridiculous - new mums can eat at a plethora of places in London or elsewhere with or without baby.

Amaya are well within their rights to instil this policy and aren’t the only ones to do so.

They also make it doubly clear on their website.

Anyone wondering why parents get a bad rap should be pointed at the comments stating that a no children policy is "discrimination"

Honestly, you are just shooting yourself in the foot with that sort of entitled bullshit.

They should have informed you. I'd be annoyed if I got there and they only told me then. That IS annoying.

I'd be bloody pissed off if every restaurant I booked asked me if I was intending to bring children, as if I were incapable of checking myself. (Not to mention the assumption that woman = mother.)