Kids eat free discrimination

[BigBaoBun]

Some restaurants offer a kids eat free/ kids eat for £1 offer during the half term but this is usually (not always) when one adult buys a main meal the restaurant allows one free kids meal. I have noticed a lot of parents with multiple children complaining that certain restaurants are being unfair as they only get one free kids meal. Particularly single parents saying it's discrimination against them. One woman was complaining that she has 3 kids and it isn't fair because only one can eat free and the restaurant should be giving them all a free meal. Aibu to think that this isn't discrimination and you can't expect all kids to eat for free?

People will truly complain about anything, even supermarkets and restaurants offering a deal on their meals which is wild when you think about it!

Ive commented on the post so I'm not outing myself? If you don't believe it then that's fine. Others have said they've experienced it so..

So you’re the only one arguing against all these loads of parents. Ok.

Thank you! Seems a few posters are trying to call me a liar so glad it's not just me that has seen it. I was honestly shocked by a lot of the comments

Not a liar

but I reckon you saw a comment or two and have started a thread making out it’s loads

ie exaggerating

It’s only discrimination if it’s based on a protected characteristic as set out by law. This isn’t one of them.

They also don’t require that the child is the offspring of the adult buying the meal so mum, auntie and granny could claim one child’s meal each.

Oh right, right, of course! People on low incomes can’t have anything but beans on toast. How dare they “treat” themselves to a meal someone else has heated up for them in the Asda cafe.

Maybe that mother of 3 could do what i did, radical but it worked, my husband and fed our children, we bought the ingredients, i cooked from scratch. I had my first when i was 18 and by the time i was 23 i had 3 children that the state didn't pay for and i didn't need to rely on a cafe feeding my children for free. Can't pay to feed and house them then don't have them.

Restaurants have to make some profit

OK, maybe 'abuse' was too strong; but it's obvious that the intention is for the adult to have a 'normal' full meal. You don't normally get more value free than you've actually paid for.

Even if they are obscenely rich - and is it only the massive chains that run promotions? - they're still not going to stick around for long for little or no profit.

If you object to their quality/service/profits, you're much better refusing to go there at all; not just regularly patronising them but trying to rinse as much out of then as you can each time. That's a bit like the people who criticise Amazon for avoiding their taxes, yet still happily ordering stuff from them because it's cheaper!

It's always wild how people on here seem to assume people on low incomes are ignorant and stupid (not you, but some previous posters moaning about it on their behalf).

I don't think it is.

I've already said daughter worked for a couple of years in a restaurant that offered this and she hated working during school holidays for this reason.

Of course it wasn't everyone or even most people but there would be several every day who did. It wasn't one or two over the week.

Across the 5 day week, it might number 30 people or so and I don't think it's exaggerating to call that 'loads' when some people dispute it happens at all. 30 people is a lot!

but you dont know that?maybe "portion control" lnds different when full paying/no kids.mybe every time adult with no kids meal is sold they could "bank" it so multiple kids can benefit from the deal...
Sorry am just being arsehole now....i can not believe how far my eyes rolled bck in my head with this full thread.
is noted that even tho using words like discrimination it rapidly highlighted quite a collective distaste for single parent families\mothers.( Bint,betchu she has teenagers ordering.).. entitled.....crazydaze

There are a lot of posters that claim people are lying across multiple threads. I think it’s because they find the topic uncomfortable so it makes more sense to assume it’s nonsense than it does to use critical thinking skills.

My favourite recent SM post was a link to a petition demanding that kids have access to 10 days off school each year to go on holiday. Blaming schools ( as though schools are responsible for legislation) and not one of them pondering that lots of parents taking children out of school in term time might just push prices up for everyone 🤦🏻‍♀️ Holidays are a UN right you know! (They’re not).

Even if it could be framed as discrimination against single parents (which it can't) - being a single parent isn't a protected characteristic so businesses are entitled to discriminate against them if they wish. Businesses engage in discrimination all the time. In this case, offering the free meals just to kids is (lawful) discrimination on the basis of age and they're discriminating against those who can't afford them. Only a very limited set of things are unlawful to discriminate against.

She could always chose to go elsewhere to eat it's a business not a charity. If she can't afford to eat out then she shouldn't.

.

It’s costing these retailers pennies to give children some chips, chicken nuggets and beans, which comes out of the pounds they make in profits on an adult meal. I’m still not sure why you’re worried about adults not having a proper meal, when it’s up to the retailer to set a threshold? Who cares?

I’ve personally never eaten in a supermarket cafe, but we know this is not fine dining. People going to these places for free meals are not doing so because they want to abuse the offer.

I agree that it's a bit misleading to say "Kids eat free!" in big letters - but the parents can't just ignore the smaller print that says one kid with one paying adult.

Ultimately, they're probably targeting the adults who resent having to pay for their kids as well (or just can't afford to), or who think they won't appreciate it at their age, so it's a waste and not worth paying for them - removing their 'excuse' for not coming in.

I agree that insults are not very nice, and that some people will see this as their big chance that they otherwise couldn't possibly enjoy; but that doesn't mean that there won't be entitled people who can well afford to pay, but who just like to play their CF face and deliberately misinterpret the offer to try to shame the place into giving in.

I hate myself for still commenting on this... as it goes @BigBaoBun -i havent read anyone outright call you a liar ,youve repeated-but no examples provided ..and at @ERthree -you upon your throne so high..?!...all manner of variables could lead to a single adult(mum) trying to feed herself and 3 kids (as much\as cheaply)as possible. hope to goodness none of the self righteous ever actaully come stuck with kids in tow.judgement and wrath at no extra cost,all day

People don't always know in advance the dad is going to disappear or die when they have kids.

I took the toddler out for her free meal (I got one too obviously) and did notice a lot of single parent families with multiple children and did wonder whether this would be a problem. My meal was £7 so that made it £3.50 for each of our meals technically. I overheard one lady with 4 kids paying £26! Now I understand that's great value for 5 of you but still.. £26 just to get one free meal...

Agree and sometimes the husband drops dead and even though you have remained independent of him and have a good job financially you end up screwed.

The way some people's entitlement works, I could believe them reckoning that kids' meals are free, they only have a small appetite and can only manage a child's portion, therefore the two of them (adults eating alone) should therefore be completely free.

And if they later discovered that they do have a bigger appetite, simply come back in later and do it all again.