Charged for an empty plate?!

[sandwichh]

I recently went to a greene king pub for a carvery. After plating up my dinner, I asked for a plate for my 10 month old, not to take any extra food but to take it off my plate to give to him. They wanted to charge me for it! Never had this issue before, AIBU?

Some people really are CFs.

The only places I’ve had buffet meals is hotels so little guests will have been factored in. I was more making the point that I’ve happily shared my portion of a la carte food before without climbing up the walls with hunger. Sharing doesn’t necessarily equal more food, especially with babies of that age, regardless of how the serving of said meal works.

I waitressed in a pub in the 80s where we were supposed to charge 50 p for a spare kid plate. that was for ser meals not a buffet. People hated it and I think it cost them more in goodwill and repeat custom than it brought in.

It all adds up, lifting the plate, washing it, a baby bowl is usually available for pittance.

Ofc YABU it’s a buffet so you pay by the plate! I often split a la carte meals with my daughter and would expect a free spare plate in this situation but for buffet or carvery I’d obviously expect to pay as that’s the whole model.

CandidHedgehog I agree in principle with what you are saying, and at a carvery or similar I suppose I wouldn't begrudge paying for the plate as that is the business model.

I do remember though when DC was younger I would be much more likely to visit the restaurants when out and about that provided a "free" tots plate of mash and veg. Than to go to a cafe that either charged for food or where I had to provide my own.

I had no issue in providing my own, ut just felt like a bigger treat for me to have a very easy lunch out.

I will still go those restaurants/cafes now as that bit of extra hospitality earned them brownie points with me.

I get that a plate has to be handled, washed, water heated etc......but a 50p charge will put me off ever returning whereas for a quite little loss I will be a returning customer for 14 years.

Or in my parents case...they could have been returning customers for 40 plus years for the sake of 50p

...... isn't the saying for the want of a nail the shoe was lost

@LuckyShark genuinely curious, why would the 50p put you off? It still seems very good value to me and would probably cost me less than the cost of cooking for baby at home…

CandidHedgehog I agree in principle with what you are saying, and at a carvery or similar I suppose I wouldn't begrudge paying for the plate as that is the business model.

I do remember though when DC was younger I would be much more likely to visit the restaurants when out and about that provided a "free" tots plate of mash and veg. Than to go to a cafe that either charged for food or where I had to provide my own.

I had no issue in providing my own, ut just felt like a bigger treat for me to have a very easy lunch out.

I will still go those restaurants/cafes now as that bit of extra hospitality earned them brownie points with me.

I get that a plate has to be handled, washed, water heated etc......but a 50p charge will put me off ever returning whereas for a quite little loss I will be a returning customer for 14 years.

Or in my parents case...they could have been returning customers for 40 plus years for the sake of 50p

...... isn't the saying for the want of a nail the shoe was lost

Sorry didn't mean to repost my previous reply.

I mean that 50p for an empty plate will put me off as there are probably over 100 cafes in the city that wont charge 50p a plate.

Then theres a good 10 or so that will offer fresh homecooked food for baby's and toddlers for free, which is a lovely touch.

As I said where the policy is like a carvery where people will take extra to out specificly on a plate for a toddler or try and get away with it for an older child then of course the charge is reasonable.

But the 50p is to me a similar barrier to return as say a cafe that offers a free top up of hot water in your tea pot, compared to one that is asking £3.50 for another cup of tea. It's the small cheaper gestures of hospitality that make a return customer from me.

Really? This kind of boggles my mind — I have a 3 year old and have spent a lot of time in cafes and pubs with her since birth. I don’t think I’ve ever been offered free food for her! I have always shared an a la carte meal with her or (when she was younger) brought her own snacks.

I can see though why it would seem a bit petty to charge 50p if you have numerous other free options — just foreign to me as I’ve never had anything like that so 50p seems a bargain!