Annoying that this is a DM article. Disabled children refused lunch booking at Pizza Hut

[NewChristian]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3474615/Pizza-Hut-accused-money-grabbers-refusing-book-group-disabled-children-lunch-carers-not-eating-well.html

...because their carers would not also be eating. The carers don't eat because the children need help to eat! So they are working with them. My daughter attends New Hope - she is severely disabled and cannot easily access the community (she's in the photo actually). I find it very sad that our society clearly still sees disabled people as second class citizens. I was going to book my youngest dd's party at Pizza Hut but now I won't!

The national website is very clear about their position on group bookings and timings

Is there a reason why it is not practical for these particular children but ok for everyone elses kids to have to make large group bookings at 11 or 3?

I don't think that Pizza Hut did anything wrong in the first place. They don't do large bookings for anyone at peak times, that's their policy and it's clear from their website.

Discrimination would be to not allow this booking at any time.

Well, actually I don't post as much as I used to years ago. I had a message from someone saying she is tired of arguing with the tone of some of these posts whenever there is a topic about disability.

If you think I'm patronising that's fine by me. People have demonstrated ignorance on the thread in saying things like cinemas don't offer free spaces for carers when actually they do. It shows they have no understanding that concessions should be made for disabled people, because they otherwise wouldn't be able to access activities that most people can easily do.

Newchristian

If you had a non-disabled child and you wanted to book a party for 14 children at lunchtime and were declined because of their policy, but offered 11am or 3pm instead, would you feel the same? Would you think that Pizza Hut are trying to say that children "shouldn't integrate with society"? Or would you accept it as their booking policy?

My non-disabled children don't need concessions made for them because they can access many activities without a carer. The group that my disabled daughter goes to is a specific provision created for children who need a high level of supervision, support and restraint when they are out. My non disabled children don't need to attend a one of its kind group like this in order to go for a meal, or to Legoland, or swimming or the cinema etc. So as I said, it's an unusual situation and should have been considered as such.

Well - as long as they realised that by pushing for something that the restaurant can't really accommodate they might get less good service. At 14 diners they're already at almost twice the biggest group booking. How big a group should they allow - 20? 30? more? At what point does it become unreasonable?

Of course it's more difficult organising a trip for disabled children and nobody is saying that they should eat at a separate time to be isolated from everybody else.

If the children can't eat at 11am or 3pm (like at a birthday party - dietary needs?), perhaps they could have gone as 2 groups or suggested that they order the food in advance as many large groups have to, in order to help the serving and cooking staff.

We've always found Pizza Hut pretty good when it came to things like allergies, although since they're often franchises it might depend on the branch.

Nobody is saying that the disabled children and their carers shouldn't be allowed to eat at the same time as other diners.

The children needed carers, therefore if they were going to go to the restaurant the carers would need to attend with the children. Fine, no problem.

The reason they were turned away is because there were 14 diners. Dining 14 to a table is not a necessity caused by their disability, therefore the restaurant didn't need to accommodate it.

The carers also didn't need to occupy seats if they weren't dining - presumably they could stand, perch, kneel or crouch, since they are working and not simply having a lunchbreak.

If they'd booked two tables for 7 and the carers accepted they would have to stand, there wouldn't have been a problem - or, if the carers must sit, two tables of 6 and two tables of 8.

Wouldn't it have been discrimination if they had said 'no none eating customers at all'? But they have said 'no large groups in peak times'.
It is hard to find somewhere to eat as a large group when it is busy, I've done it a few times myself and many places don't like it so I'm not sure their stance was due to disability. The original group without carers would have had the same response as a 14. But it certainly would have been the kinder option to try and accommodate them. Sometimes flexibility is better. I'm sorry your daughters friends trip didn't work out OP.

My friend just messaged me about this having seen my posts about it on FB. She said that she has just phoned Pizza Hut and asked to book for 14 people for the same time on a Saturday (in the next 2 weeks) and was told no problem.

of course they did.

wouldn't you after getting all that grief in the papers.

plus maybe it was a bigger one or its busy periods are different times.

fact is it was policy. nothing to do with being disabled. people have taken the disabled part of the story and run with it fir maximum effect.

but- dealing with the public isn't black and white . it's impossible to operate and stick to policies at all times. god know s when I worked in catering I turned a blind eye to all sorts of things because it was just pointless to be so pedantic and you always remember when people went above and beyond in order to be helpful or fit you in or resolve a situation.

I do think between the carers and the restaurant a solution coukd have easily been found. like splitting the tables.

given the customers that turn up to restaurants and demands that are made and rudeness etc. 28 appreciative people even with half not eating (bet they would have bought drinks though) is a better option than 14 extra rude arse holes or messy sods they could have had instead.

ultimately it would t have killed them to do it. regardless of any disabilities. who knows how many bookings that part could have brought.

if people get away with spending all day in pubs ordering one bowl.of chips to get round the food/kid rule amd making them last hours. then this could have been done

if 12 or 3 is food enough fir then.its good enough fir others to come back then too if it's gull.

11 or 3

good enough

apologies for typos

This was a different branch. It was not for disabled people this time. If the negative press helps them to change their attitude and educate themselves about these sorts of situations then that is good (even though I generally abhor the Daily Mail. It's the most hypocritical publication known to mankind)

Try ringing every restaurant in the area and try to book for 28 people time and see how many restaurants accept your booking. Then tell them only half will be eating
I doubt you will find a single place
I don't think its anything tondo with disability, its to do with economics

Exactly. And they were willing to open early at 11am to accommodate the group. By the time they ate it would have been close to 11.30. That's only half an hour earlier than lunch-time and I really can't see the problem with eating at a slightly different time. In fact when I had a Saturday job many moons ago we had lunchbreaks starting at 11.30, 12.30 or 1.30. Lunch isn't set at 1pm or whatever. If the kids have a certain routine, they're being taken out of it in any event going out for a meal so the time really isn't that important.

If you are in a big group you often have to compromise, eg at Christmas if you want to go out for a works lunch you often have to eat at 12 or 2, but not at 1.

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exactly. .ot was a bigger branch.

they may have their own polices set in line with their surroundings. business having regular lunches or a big touristy area that frequently has coaches of people turning up etc

it means NOTHING in the scheme of this senario.

How do you know it was a bigger branch? It seems that some people are deliberately adversarial from what I can see. In any case, the Worcester branch is not small.

I think that the original restaurant could easily have made a concession in that particular case. It is not as if they were proposing to eat there every day.

Again and again people keep on saying it's about the number of people and not the fact that they are disabled. But the point is that severely disabled children need organisations to make more effort in their particular case if they are able to do 'normal' things. And that means realising that they should disregard their policy for someone less able to participate in a standard activity with standard conditions than most people.

I don't run New Hope but Jean is a very reasonable person and I'm sure she will have had a reason why the outing needed to be accommodated at lunch time.

Yes when I had a Saturday job I used to have my lunch at 11 o clock too. WTF does that have to do with this completely unrelated situation?

I have said they should have done it.

but I do think you are trying to make out its something that it's not.

different branches may have different rules. due to their local surroundings and regular customer base or staff levels or even the abilities of the chefs or size/layout of buildings.

getting a booking in one doesn't necessarily mean you could book in another

we will never know now.

but I think there's a good chance that of the booking had been split it would have been a different story.

I absolutely think they could have done this.

but I don't think this had anything to do with the kids being disabled.

nor do I think a branch accepting a booking fir 14 people is proof of any thing.

How anyone can still claim it's not discrimination when kids without carers would be allowed in at that time as they would only be a group of 14, as proved by OP'a friend is beyond me.

yes the carers would need seats.
have you ever tried it? it kills your back

different branch!!!!

their busy periods would be different their staffing might be different.

the town could be one where a large amount of elderly live whi take advantage of the early bird specials meaning 1-2 is quieter and 11-12 is the busy part.

if local businesses regularly hold lunches or they have a high number of parties booked then they will be staffed better amd more used to it etc

u cannot use what happened in one branch as proof of what another did.

there's a big difference between 14 and 28 too. it's double the people for starters.

try calling for a booking of 14 with 7 carers and 7 eating and see what happens.

fwiw where I worked wheb they took Xmas dinner bookings they struggled.
food didn't make it out together food was cold etc

sone just can't cop with organising it or arranging seating etc