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!

I'm not trying to make out anything.

I am merely trying to enable people to understand that severely disabled children are a challenge to accommodate anywhere, espcecially in public places but that does not mean they should be kept at home or that people should say 'don't expect special treatment because you're disabled' The children all have very differing disabilities. But the fact it is a challenge and will cause an organisation more hassle is not, IMO a justifiable defence for them to not bother and cite 'policy' as the reason.

I've already posted on another thread in the last week which is still going on now to say to people arguing that caring for a disabled child is just what you do as with a NT child are wrong. Because you cannot even compare the two things.

It was a different branch, Fanjo.

I haven't said ant of those things.

customers are customers. think disabled people re the only ones who need adaptations? course not. I've had to make loads of adaptation. fir people.and it was never a problem.for me and I have argued with chefs accordingly.

the only point I'm trying to get you to see is that different branches may have different limits due to a whole variety of reasons.

are incompetent staff useless management or out dated policies an excuse fir discrimination? course not.

but without working there or even visiting there it's going to be hard to know exactly what reasons were behind it.

I agree with your point about that Giles. I've been there a few times myself though and it is not a small place by any means. There is a table on a raised area of floor where I think the children and carers could have been seated quite easily.

Do people who feel Pizza Hut changed their position because of negative press think that they will now relax that policy for everyone? Because I would think that if it was about policy then they would have felt that enforcing it when my friend called would have proven as much.

Who knows.

I think they will for a while in case anyone decides to go to the papers and moan about it ruining their wedding that they couldn't have the hen night there etc

but in all honesty even with space, there still needs to be the staff.

a party if 28 could well take up all the staff that head office decide they can have based on the figured turned in every week.

we had a.large party at a pizza hut fwiw. big branch.

total disaster.and it was practically empty

Your friend didn't want to seat 28 people. Different branch, different numbers. Can't be compared.

Well, personally I would have chosen a different place but I guess that's kind of irrelevant.

Riders it can certainly be compared - if 14 children who don't need hands on supervision can eat at lunchtime then the same should be made possible for people who need a carer. It's about creating a level playing field for disadvantaged people who have considerable limitations. I really don't understand what is so hard to grasp about that. To me it would seem that they could have accommodated it.

I agree that staffing is a separate issue. But they could have pre-ordered as someone else said. The children probably wouldn't tolerate a long drawn out session in there so they would have been efficient in helping them finish in a reasonable time.

I agree that staffing is a separate issue. But they could have pre-ordered as someone else said. The children probably wouldn't tolerate a long drawn out session in there so they would have been efficient in helping them finish in a reasonable time

well that is very true. unless of course it's policy to not to do that

But that's the trouble with sone of these large companies.

they take online and phone pizza orders. good chance though that pre ordering food wouldn't be allowed.

all these kind if places, they aren't Michelin starred establishments with well trained experienced staff.ita a minimum wage job that between everything being pre prepared/frozen and bought in and the high turnover of staff the chances of people thinking of that or having the knowledge or training to be able to arrange it are slim.

managers aren't always on hand. people go from newbies to deputy managers in short spaces of time etc.

what makes perfect sense and seems logical to people still seems to have huge instructions in the way

obstructions

What I mean is there's no need to even be able to cook in a place like pizza hut. it's all just a case of remembering rations and timings for the microwave and working according to a photo with the presentation.

Is your friend really taking a group of 14 children to Pizza hut on their own? That's brave if it's not an organised party!

My DD's done Pizza Express a couple of times for parties - they hold them before the restaurant opens and they each get to "make" their own pizza, which is then cooked. They don't get the option of anything else off the menu. Actually she's done similar as a school trip, which I was a bit about.

The children probably wouldn't tolerate a long drawn out session in there - booking as a large group at peak time may have been something of a pyrrhic victory then.

It's a shame they couldn't reach a compromise with smaller groups, a different day or pre-ordering food. I think once you've gone to the press you've pretty much forced their hand.

Riders it can certainly be compared - if 14 children who don't need hands on supervision can eat at lunchtime then the same should be made possible for people who need a carer.

They will take up twice as much room - can't you see that? There are many better battles to be fought than this where a lot of people don't think PH were unreasonable in the first place.

Yes, thank you I can see that it would take up more room that's not the point. If you read my earlier posts you will see the point I make about severely disabled children being far more challenging to accommodate than those who are not. That does not mean that it's ok for organisations not to bother to try to accommodate them.

'A lot of people don't think PH were unreasonable in the first place'

That does not mean they are right. It means that there is a general failure of people to understand (or even care) about the challenges disabled people face every day because it doesn't affect them. And this kind of issue is the tip of the iceberg. There are indeed, more time consuming battles to engage with. Which is why people should try to understand and empathise with little things that would make life easier and more enjoyable for disabled people and their carers.

My own family have really had to reassess their selfish perspective on life when they thought disability was something that affects other people, not them and they had little tolerance etc. Since I had my daughter, you would not believe how differently they see things.

Gardening - no she didn't really want to take 14 kids to PH, she was just seein what the response would be.

Yes and I expect since the story broke they have all had a ton of calls.

I'd take it with a pinch of salt as regards to proof

Well it's not really about proof is it? As you say there are so many variables. Perhaps a different branch would have handled it differently. Who knows?

I think for future trips it would be a sensible idea to do a bit more research. send out some emails.

hopefully they will then find somewhere accommodating. where tables aren't shoved to get her but actual space made and a reasonable selection of food available that still ensures that it is reasonably quick and trouble free fir both the venue and the children

I do think that 14 is a large party with ir without carers so I would be wary anyway of somewhere that just agreed to it no questions asked. for starters you don't want to be telling half a party that their friend just ordered the last burger..

pre ordering, should be an option. they do it for mothers days and parties and Xmas so makes sense to do it here so they cab make sure the food is ordered in.

of course that may mean paying a deposit though

Why couldn't the carers order a couple of large pizzas to share between them?

Because Pizza Hut pizzas are vile ?

Because they were there to enable others to eat?

Total non story. Local management stick to policy as per their job description, when escalated a concession is made.

It's click bait as far as I can see.

Agreed.

At least at once the DM are trying to direct outrage in favour of disabled kids rather then the other way around though I suppose. ( they all have BMWs for ADHD which is just naughty behaviour anyway)

At once? For once