To expect a restaurant to be able to do a pint of milk?

[YourAgileBiscuit]

My autistic DD (13) will normally only drink milk when we are out in restaurants etc.

Some restaurants (including chain restaurants and pubs/carvery places) get a bit funny about it when she orders/asks for milk though. Even though they already have milk for the kitchen and for teas/coffees. We’ve had some restaurants outright refuse as well even though they have milk in the building.

Is it unreasonable to expect restaurants to be able to serve milk for a paying customer? Of course we pay for her milk, we are not asking for it for free!

I would say about 50% of places we go to get funny about it which I don’t understand as they already have milk in the building.

Which csn be bought from literally anywhere the restaurant isn't obliged ti accommodate the child's needs
I have a severely autistic non verbal teen, there are lots of places that can't accommodate his needs for various reasons, I go and find somewhere that can.

Will only drink milk. That’s not a requirement.

I don’t think it’s a dietary requirement, drinking milk is her drink of choice.

It’s not a requirement.

It’s hardly difficult for them to replace a pint of milk if they are running low! I think its entirely reasonable to order milk.

Blimey. It's nice to see people being understanding about autism 🙄

if they're serving milk based drinks like lattes, milk shakes etc. it seems illogical not to serve milk alone.
Maybe asking for a regular mug/cup size would throw them less?

This isn't about autism irs about the paren taking a child to restaurant and expecting them to serve something that isn't on the menu my child is also autistic I don't take him places unless they csn meet his needs.

@x2boys I agree they shouldn't be expected to go off-menu, but they should be willing to accommodate an autistic child bringing their own "safe foods" - especially when everyone else is ordering off the menu.

Ffs! Another silly pile on. If the restaurant serves lattes then it can serve a glass of milk. I suggest the OP mentions her child’s autism when ordering and if there is still difficulty, order a cold latte with no coffee.

I’d love to see the world be more accepting and accommodating for autistic people but I can still understand why a restaurant would be weird about selling a glass of milk. If it’s not on the menu then you’re asking them to sell you their ingredients, and obviously they don’t automatically know what to do about that. I don’t understand how you don’t understand and are so fixated on the fact that they have it in the building.

I suspect with chain restaurants they're not allowed to just pop to the shop and get an extra pint when they need it, there will be strict processes for ordering, pricing, restocking and if they give your daughter milk off menu then it'll mess all that up. Frustrating but I'd suggest asking if they'd mind you bringing/getting your own from the shop if they can't serve it to you, if you fully explain its all she drinks and if they won'tthen thats a shame but go elsewhere. My son is autistic so I know it's hard, but sometimes it just means there's stuff we don't do, or we do differently, it sucks but maybe just search the menu and make sure its somewhere that will serve milk - I do this to ensure there's something my son will eat. I don't just go in, ignore the menu and ask for fish and chips because he'll eat it. It means we don't go, for example, to Mexican restaurants, because he wouldn't eat there and I know that's not their fault and I can't randomly change the menu on request.

Most places serve milkshakes so why is milk any different!
yes they’re being unreasonable.

I would imagine that in many places, milkshakes are not fresh made from milk and flavours, but are pre-mixed. Just as few places are cutting up fruit for a smoothie - they are opening a pack of smoothie mix.

Here’s the real issue with anything ordered ‘off menu’ from somebody who owned a very busy coffee shop :
1 - the person on the till is often young or inexperienced and cannot always think on their feet or feel confident enough to make the right decision, especially if it’s busy or there’s a long queue behind you.
2 - they might not know what button to press on the till so that the ‘barista’ knows from the bill what drink to make.
3 - they also panic as they don’t know what to charge for it. Even if they do know how much the cost price of a 2L bottle was, they cannot work out the quantity the customer requires plus the relevant mark up, as ALL items must have, to cover profit (minimal) and all associated business running costs.
However, if the raw ingredient required is used within the business, the owner or manager of a reputable one should be able to help you with this.
Mind you, on hectic days I’d struggle myself to come up with a correct price - it would vary between £1.50 and £2.50 depending on my stress levels and therefore capacity to think clearly !
I hope that explains things from the other side - don’t let it stop you asking for what you need, just understand where the confusion is coming from !

Most places (especially chains) won't be making up fresh milkshakes - they'll be powdered mixes with water or pre-made ones from a bottle or carton.

Tonight a barman charged me for the wrong drink. Once he’d fixed it, he charged me an extra £1.40 for the difference. I doubt they sell anything for exactly £1.40, so there must have been an option for a miscellaneous charge.

It just goes to show - businesses can sort this kind of thing if they want to do so.

Errr… no. Like when you return an item at m and s whilst you are buying another that’s more expensive, they void the returned item and hold the refunded money to set against the new item. The stock is then accurate.

No, it just goes to show you don't understand how tills work!

“Noooo!! Noooooooo!!! No one must ever be expected to do anything more complicated than pressing the exact button they were expecting to press!!!” 😱😱😱

Are you Boris Johnson? Looking at a thing and deciding that it should be simple, and declaring anyone who points out a complexity to be a naysayer?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with suggesting simple solutions when complexity is unnecessary.

No. It shows that on that particular till they could.

In your opinion, complexity is unnecessary, despite people in the thread with relevant experience explaining why it arises.

I will leave it there, as you have no interest in listening. Have a great day, Boris.

In your opinion

I’m at a loss as to who else’s opinion you think I should be expressing…

That only works if there are shops open/nearby