To want to boycott 'Cafe Giardino' for their lack of ANY toilets??!!

[BunnyBaby]

Today DH, DS1 and I went shopping to the Chimes Shopping Centre in Uxbridge. We looked around for place to eat and thought that the 'Cafe Giardino' looked reasonable. This branch had seats for perhaps 150 people.

DS1 who is 2.5 years old wolfed down his spaghetti bolognese, and his drink and then asked for the toilet.

I quickly hurried to the counter, to ask where the nearest toilet was to be told..

'Perhaps 100 yards that way, at Debenhams, we don't sell alcohol and don't need to provide customer toilers'.

I pointed out that this is ridiculous, they sell childrens meals and drinks and have 150 seats, half of which are empty. I asked them how do they expect you to clean a child after a meal.

I told the girl that he couldn't hang on, and did they have any toilet. The girl just shrugged and carried on with the customer she was serving.

I hurried off to try and find Debenhams and poor DS1 weed all over me as I dodged shoppers trying to get there in time. I should have let him wee on their floor, as how can you expect toddlers to hold in a wee after a meal. Though that would have been not nice for him. It was humiliating for him to have to wee on me due to their lack of facilities.

I am complaining and seething that this would be allowed. On Monday I will contact environmental health at the council to check their behaviour is actually legal.

In the meantime, am I unreasonable to want to boycott 'Cafe Giardino' and would you be shocked at their lack of any customer facilities, especially as they sell a childrens menu?

That does sound unreasonable - all our local Cafe Giardino's have toilet facilities.

I'd always thought that if you served food and drink along with "eat-in" facilities, you had to have toilets?

I think that because they are always in shopping centers they are just able to use the shopping center facilities. There are 3 around this way, none with their own toilets.

That is weird beyond belief

what if you need a pee during the meal?

Do you just leave your food, wander off to find a loo and then come back 15 minutes later?

how bizarre.......

YABU this is very common for eating places in shopping centres, surprised you haven't come across it before. Bit annoying yes but not unreasonable as they don't have to have them.

Perhaps if your DS is always desperate for a wee straight after a meal you could instead take him to loo between ordering and getting food? Then af least if you had a walk you wouldn't get peed on!

I am afraid it is legal if they do not sell alcohol and are not open after 23:00.

Does not make it right though...

I often find in shopping centres the loos are not 'on site' as it were and there are shared toilet facilities - I make a mental note to check out the location of loos in advance to try and avoid accidents.

Sounds like the staff here were very rude and unhelpful - a not so friendly letter to head office is called for!

yanbu. Thanks for the heads up.

I won't ever be going there then.

when they said the nearest loo is at debenhams did you immediately ''that this is ridiculous, they sell childrens meals and drinks and have 150 seats, half of which are empty. I asked them how do they expect you to clean a child after a meal.'' ?? really?

or did you say 'oh gosh that's far away could i possibly use your staff loo just this once as i didn't realise you don't have a customer loo and i don't want him to wee on your floor!' nicely?

YANBU - an awful lot of companies seem to be using the "shopping mall" excuse for not providing customer toilets.

They won't ever get my business.

YANBU. How difficult would it be to provide customer toilets? I think the law should be changed.

As others have said it's quite common in a shopping mall not to have toilets. I used to work in a shopping mall and we didn't have staff toilets in the shop. They were about 50 yards away through a "staff only" door. Some customers used to get very irate when they asked to use our loos. The public ones were closer than our staff ones. There were also a couple of cafes and they didn't have loos either.

YABU - what do you expect them to do? rearrange the plumbing when there is already a toilet a few yards away?

This is common in shopping centres where there are several places to eat all in close proximity.

I know where you mean, the toilets aren't in Debenhams, they are near Debenhams. They are only a short walk away. They also have a cafe in the other shopping centre in Uxbridge, that is more 'food court' & it is obvious you have to use the centre toilets.

FWIW the toilets in The Chimes are large, & clean and they have a really nice big clean baby change, with a toilet & feeding seats.

Maybe they should have a sign up stating you need to use the centre toilets.

maybe direct your frustration to one of these people

Thanks for all responses, it did not occur to me to ask as it was such a large restaurant. I could understand no toilets a food court setting.

I have Emailed trading standards and complained to cafe giardino direct.

Given the sheer number of tables, most of which were unoccupied on a busy Sunday I am sure toilets could be squeezed in.

I later looked in BHS which has a tiny cafe, yet still provide toilets. Starbucks are also small and have toilets, so Cafe Giardino in this setting seems to be the largest eating place in the whole center, and the only one without toilets.

I suppose had it been made clear there are no facilities, we would have chosen to eat elsewhere.

Was also shocked at poor service. Have been in a local bank before and DS needed loo, and as I turned to leave, kind receptionist offered use of theirs without bring asked. I suppose some places are more flexible than others.

That is poor. I thought that it was the law that eateries and cafes are to provide toilets. Some people even suggested taking your ds before eating, however he is still little and might not need to go. Mabey also carry a travel potty so that if the same thing happens you can put it in a corner, tough if its unhygenic, they don't provide toilets what do they expect.

agree with piglet.......don't boycott them just take a potty with you, then next time DS needs a wee let him do it next to your table. They may soon change their mind about providing customer toilets if enough people do the same!

what's the difference between whipping out a potty next to your table and a LO wetting themself next to your table?

one is accidental, one is deliberate, d&t

Our Cafe Giardino has a great soft play area, and thankfully does have toilets. However all the childrens facilities are upstairs, and the lift has been broken for several years, meaning you have to try and negotiate a large staircase with a toddler in tow, whilst carrying your food and drink precariously on a tray. You also have to leave your buggy unattended downstairs which isn't ideal if you've spent several hundred pounds on the thing.

I've emailed their complaints dept and got a 'we'll look into it' type response. I pointed out that they are losing a lot of business. Nothing's going to change though so my friends and I eat elsewhere.

Well whether that's legal or not it sounds unreasonable to me.

Food court with obvious shared bogs right there - yes. Huge restaurant - no.

100 yards is 100 adult paces - quite a long way for a desperate toddler or slow moving elderly person etc.

I think YANBU and would give my local one evil looks when I went past if we had one

one may be accidental, and one deliberate, but the outcome is the same! I don't understand how one would be more "fair" on other diners than the other tbh.......