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?

I don’t think feeding a 10 month old requires “piling up” on anyone’s plate, whether her own or a spare!

Buy one of those silicone plates and keep it in your changing bag. Stops the issue.
I get why they would charge for the plate (as its probably seen as a child meal) but its ridiculous to charge for a 10 month old.

Deliberately using vocabulary to poke at someone. Ew.

you sound like a nasty greedy horrible person

I think the problem is that Mumsnetters who have never worked in a customer service/hospitality role have no idea how badly people can behave and how far they will go to scam businesses,

Yes, the OP wouldn't take take advantage but very many would. get and extra plate for a small child and suddenly a 10 year old also appears having been waiting outside and uses that plate as well.

The refillable drinks one on here, there was also one about getting limitless salad when what they were getting didn't include it. Taking 6 year olds into places and telling staff they are under 4. And these are the ones that have been openly talked about on her. Those who do these things make it so much harder for the honest minority.

The food is already paid for as it’s on the OPs plate, she isn’t asking for a plate for the baby and then going back up to put fresh food on it.
OP just wanted a side plate to transfer some of her already paid for food on to for the baby.

Let him eat off your plate?
How do they control how many people are eating from the carvery if they issue ‘free’ plates?

Then you don't need a separate plate

Yup…fine if they’re sitting on her lap, but messy and awkward without a plate if the baby’s in a high chair. If the carvery doesn’t mind the mess then no problem, but a plate would make it easier. But, depending on price, paying for a full on kids plate when the baby will only be eating a really small amount of it seems OTT.

I noticed this happening. I won’t ask for an extra plate now. I just give my 18 month bits of my plate. At most he eats a small handful anyway. No way am I paying for a kids carvery for him to eat next to nothing. He won’t even eat meat so would be waste of money.

It is very different when the meal is served at a fixed size it is a per meal cost and can be shared.

When it comes to refillable plates (or drinks) it is a per person cost.

They could have shown some discretion for a 10 month old, but to be fair to them, my niece takes her 2yo to our local chinese buffet (2 and under are free) and she puts a fair amount of different foods on the plate for her to try most of which she doesn't eat, but it is still a cost for the restaurant. They can't police every child to see how much food was actually given to them.

That would work at a regular place but not a help-yourself buffet. What if she had 5 children that needed cool food? Go up to the buffet bar with half a dozen plates and pay for just one? They would soon go out of business.

It’s a carvery which generally means a hot buffet with unlimited food. She does want extra food to feed to her child.

Edited to say: since you think she means a set amount of food which she wants to share, we do seem to be reading the OP differently. Maybe you are right about how it works, in which case, no, she’s not unreasonable.

Well it is different for a carvery.

Else you'd be happy to go and get a large plate piled high for a table of four.

And a plate needs fetching and washing.

Is everyone reading a different OP than me?

50% of the population are below average intelligence.

But it is odd for them to gather in such an odd clump.

But it IS different. If me and DH decide to pay for one meal and share it, we’re paying a fair price to the restaurant for what we each get. If we go to a carvery, and one of us piles enough onto a plate for two, but we don’t pay for a second plate, we are NOT paying a fair price to the restaurant for what we each get. I know you’re original post is about you and a baby, but I still think you are BU and your example doesn’t justify it.

See now I would have given you a plate if I.didnt think Id be caught because I doubt your 10 month old would eat much. But I probably wouldn't for the other table next to you with a 2 and a half year old so I can see why the staff have to follow a blanket rule so that they don't have accusations of double standards. Mind you, I have a small appetite so I always just shared my meal with my niece when she was a baby. Likewise, I would give hot water to people who had finished their cup tea so they could reuse their tea bag (hot water was only for pots because they can get stewed) and I'd only sneak them extra milk if I knew the boss wasnt watching.

This is the best and most insane thread I have seen in a while

I went to a greenhouse carvery about 6 months ago - asked the exact same thing and they were happy to oblige - my daughter is 3 and they still did not care. She is a picky bugger and ate a spoon of peas, a bite of Turkey and about 2 slices of carrot.

Happily wolfed down the ice-cream I did pay for her to have though.

When did normal family behaviour become "entitled" and "cheeky fuckery" chill out and unclench you bunch of pearl clutching weirdos.

Not stupid at all. There's staff time to give one to you. Staff time to clear it away and wash it. Potentially the cost of breakage. The actual food costs are only one of many costs faced by a restaurant. Everything else has to be paid for.

And the rude man who came in twice a week and spoke to me like I was shit, never got a cup refill.. The lovely lady who came in with her small kids used to get free macaroni and the chef would tell me to say, "now we have divided your portion onto three bowls for you". We obviously didnt but she was a regular and so sweet. I once carried her screaming child up and down the street so she could eat! None of this is relevant, im just reminiscing now! 😊

The problem here, similar to the bottomless drink thread, is that with a carvery, you pay per person, not per meal as per a a normal restaurant set up.

Urgh, I think this is more mean spirited than the drink thread, she was just being scabby. I think a lot of us have asked for a side plate and donated a spoonful. I can see the restaurants point of view, I mean when does a spoonful on a plate become a child's portion that they should be paying for?

But yeah, a bit mean spirited. Vote with your feet, leave a trip adviser review (try to be balanced here), but maybe it's a prompt for you to check in carvery/all you can eat type set ups in the future.

Really, it'd be like me turning up to Toby and asking for four plates but just charging me for one as I'm going to share my food. it doesn't work like that.

Now, was the pub a little harsh charging her for a plate, for a 10 month old, maybe, but if the policy is to charge for an extra plate, then that's the policy. customer can not go back there agian.

what would the cut off be in your situation? 2, 3 10 years old or would the fact they are sharing a plate be okay for you?

It is extra food though.

OP paid for and took enough food for her to eat, not for her plus one (even though its a very small plus one, its still a plus one)

No it really is.

Its trying to game the system for an advantage - or theft in the big scheme of things.

All you can eat - is all YOU can eat (or drink) not all you plus one can eat or drink

thats different.

Its like the difference between ordering a pint of lager and sharing it, and refillable coke where you keep getting more.

With the lager its a fixed amount - say £5 per pint (yes showing my age) no matter who drinks which ever part of it, the cost to the business is fixed.

Refillable - say you normally drink a pint of coke £3 cost (and say cost to business 50p for the drink only not staff rent etc) - now you're sharing and you both drink 2 pints - which should have been £6, but you only pay £3, but the cost to the business is £1.

Rough explanation, but hopefully makes some sense

I don't personally see any major issue asking for an extra plate in these circumstances. Your intentions were reasonable.
However, the workers don't know you from Adam. They've no reason to take you at your word. How do they know you truly intend just to use it to pass a few bits to the baby, and not to sneak a whole other meal when you think no-one's looking? Perhaps they've had a run on people pulling similar tricks and now just have a blanket policy?

In other words, you weren't unreasonable to ask. But you are unreasonable in being arsey about it when they said no.
Lesson learned, bring a plastic bowl from home next time.