Had to leave Costa as breastfeeding was taking too long

[CalmFawn]

Visited Costa last week with my 10 day old baby. Went to meet my best friend and it was my first outing without my husband ( so a bit nervous!)

Sat down and we both ordered a coffee and a cake. Had a good chat and she held baby etc. about 40 mins into seating, I started to breastfeed baby. Coffee was nearly gone but cakes hadn’t been eaten yet. A member of staff came over and demanded I stop feeding my baby as it was ‘too time consuming’ and we’ve been sat here for too long and it was a busy period so we need to leave. We pointed out there were over 10 empty tables and we still had cake but she ignored us and held the door open for us to leave. I was so upset and embarrassed I just stopped feeding baby and rushed out.

whilst reflecting over the weekend I wish I had had said something to her but worried I’ve missed some time frame that Costa allow and overran. Was she right to ask us to leave? Or was she in the wrong?

OP, you weren’t asked to leave because you were breastfeeding, you were asked to leave because you were taking way too long. Why didn’t you just order more drinks?
the equality act won’t help you here as you have to show that you were being treated unfavourably because of the feeding. Assuming Costa was telling all their customers who had taken 40 minutes to drink a coffee to leave, they’re golden.

@distinctpossibility same OR furious and destroyed the place. Depends on the day depends on the hormones.

I have seen breastfeeding protests on social media recently, where something like this happened and a load of mums got together to breastfeed in the establishment. ( I'm not saying that's what you should do)

Oh please 🙄

I would be contacting their headquarters:

• Costa Limited
• 3 Knaves Beech Business Centre, Davies Way, Loudwater, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP10 9QR

and citing the equalities act

Don’t be absurd. 40 mins in a cafe versus the hours that people take with laptops etc, especially when the cafe was half empty. Did you even read the post? Of course it was about the feeding.

It’s Costa, not the pre-theatre menu with a table time limit. She hadn’t finished her cake, so she was still using her table. Even if she had finished her cake, her baby wasn’t finished, so she was still using her table. No need to leave or to order more drinks.

This is outrageous. This happened to me in Pizza Hut once but that was nearly 30 years ago. Disgusting.

Call them out publicly. Very publicly. Email the manager. Ensure that person is looking for a new job. I’ve no patience for this sort of misogynistic bullshit anymore! So sorry you experienced that.

My local Costa has lots of visible signs in the place saying something about being supportive of breastfeeding in them. Can’t remember the details but to me indicates staff are well aware to leave feeding mums to feed their babies. When I was on mat leave I often went there and on weekday mid mornings it’s not very busy and lots of people would be there a long time having leisurely catch ups with people etc

Why are so many commenters sceptical about whether this actually happened?

While not commenting on the believability or not, lots of Costas are franchises so there’s a lot of variation between them.

I’m so sorry you experienced this, I hope you get some compensation, even if it’s just a free coffee and cake!

Also, never feel like an imposition with your tiny baby. Take as long as you need feeding wherever you are.

People sit in Costa for hours with one cup of coffee, on their laptops!! Busy or not.

Yes, Costa bashing threads are not unusual. I wonder if it's a generated by Starbucks.??

I have been in lots of Costas for a long time and never once been asked to move along, and I wasn't even breastfeeding!!

obviously I'd move along if there were no empty tables for other people!!

Aah I really feel for you OP. What a terrible experience for your first solo outing, when you do feel a bit nervous generally. Regardless of the law, it is so important that mothers feel supported with feeding in public, it so important for mental health to pop out and socialise together.

I exclusively breastfed both mine for 10 months, and I have never experienced anything like this. Please know that not all places will treat you like this, and I hope this hasn’t knocked your confidence with future outings.

Good luck and I hope you receive an apology.

Jesus, calm down!

Yep I regularly sit in Costa, Starbucks and elsewhere with a laptop while dc are training.

training sessions are usually 2-3 hours so I’m sat there way more than 40 mins.

usually with one drink. Though starbucks charged me nearly £6 for an iced lime last week which was a bit pricey.

*caveat being if it was so busy people were struggling to sit I’d cut short. Never had to do that though.

So sorry this happened to you OP and I hope it doesn’t knock your confidence with feeding in public.

Nor mine!!

With Costa they do have time policies in outlets (varies by franchisee though) but it’s discretionary if they are enforcing it. I personally never had an issue anywhere feeding but you learn to start when you first sit down rather than after 40 minutes when they are very tiny as it takes a while. They legally can’t stop you from feeding but if the store has a 45 minute table policy you would have reached that, I’m not sure where that law lies?

https://unherd.com/newsroom/costas-trans-mastectomy-advert-is-an-insult-to-women/

I’m boycotting Costa. They don’t seem very into breasts . . .

@Fruitytutti223

thats very different, they were samples of the chairs she was selling, just like sitting down in the middle of the dining room tables section of John Lewis, not appropriate whereas John Lewis cafe is fine as long as you have bought something