Who was in the wrong - bakery or me?

[Doijb]

I take my kids to a bakery after swimming. Most of the time they choose sausage rolls or similar. There is a tiny table with two chairs. I plop one of my kids on my lap and we eat our treat. I prefer this as otherwise the flakes would go everywhere.

Anyway, after going every week to this place for a year one of the staff members tells me we’re not really a sit down food place. I inquire about the chairs and she said it’s more for people who wait.

I just found this odd. My kids are brilliantly behaved and I make sure not loud. My oldest will wipe down the table with a serviette.

Who is being weird?

No one is being 'weird' - you were understandably mistaken about the purpose of the table and she decided to inform you. So long as she wasn't rude she is simply telling you the table is for the benefit of waiting customers rather than eating customers.
She expects you to take your order away.

Well somebody who is elderly or disabled is going to have to stand and wait, while you have your snacks in comfort. And as sausage rolls are greasy, wiping the table with a paper napkin isn't great. You may also be getting pastry flakes on the floor.

That's why 'eat in' prices are higher in bakeries that have the facilities - to cover the cost of cleaning up after customers.

'Thanks for letting me know' is the correct response.

Also, if you eat indoors I think you have to pay VAT.
Certainly, most places charge less for takeaway than eat in.

No-one is being weird though-what an odd choice of word

First response nails it

I'd be mortified that I'd never bothered to ask if it's ok to sit at the table all this time

It doesn't matter how well behaved or quiet your kids are, the seats are for those who are waiting for something and not for people to sit and eat food. You mistakenly thought that they were but now that it has been pointed out, you shouldn't use them from now on. Wait until you get home if you don't want flakes everywhere.

You are being weird if you are using the bakery seating area in a way that you’ve been told isn’t the intention. They don’t want to clear up your child’s sausage roll flakes any more than you do.

Yeah, it's not a personal dig at you. She's just making you aware of what its purpose is for. Don't read too much into it ☺️

Is it advertised as eat in or takeaway

No one is being weird.

I do think it’s something to do with VAT on eat in food but someone should have mentioned it if you’ve been eating there once a week for a year.

If I saw a table and chairs I would presume that you can eat there.

There should be a sign stating this, you're not a mind reader and they never said anything for a year..

It is a bit weird that no one told you about this for a whole year. But now they've mentioned it, I would either respect this request or take my business elsewhere.

Absolutely this

If there were multiple tables and chairs I would think that, but just one I probably wouldn't

I imagine they've had a visit from either head office or food safety/licensing and been told to stop people using it to eat at.

Why would ‘waiting’ customers’ require a table? If you find a table and chairs in a food outlet it’s a natural assumption that it’s an invitation to customers to sit and eat, imo.

Find a bench, take it home, go to a sit-in place instead if there's one available.
Don't take it personally.
Also, pay no attention to anyone here who tries to tell you off or make you feel bad about it. People here will aim and fire over anything. It's them not you.

What is so weird about it?

Take the sausage rolls home and eat them there. Unless the bakery is also serving coffee (not just in takeaway cups) and providing cutlery, plates etc then it is obviously not a cafe. I expect they'll take the table away and just leave the chairs for waiting in order to avoid any more confusion.

Its likely the VAT issue... there are different rules for eat in and eat out.

Not a reflection on your parenting.

Well now you know. No one was being UR, really. You’d be UR to keep doing it now you know, though

And YY it will be about VAT

Ridiculous to have a chair and tables and presume people are not going to sit in them and magically know they are just for people waiting?

Most of the local/independent cafes around me don't have separate eat-in prices, only Pret etc.

There are VAT implications if it’s a ‘eat in place’, I’d imagine they’ve just been happen to let it go thus far but for whatever reason have decided to mention it now. A sign might be useful but no one is particularly unreasonable in this situation.

He issue is that food that is eat in attracts VAT whereas bakery items which are to take away and not kept serve hot lamp do not - there was a big court case years ago. Greggs have two prices for items if they have an eat in section (though it's not policed!)

They should have mentioned it sooner and I don’t think you were wrong to assume but now you know so shouldn’t do it anymore. I don’t think your kids behaviour is relevant they just don’t cater for eating in. As many have already stated there is a VAT issue for food that is eaten in.

It’s not a big deal no one is being weird