Restaurant snub left a nasty taste
A YOUNG mum has criticised a restaurant which she said asked her to pay £4.95 to take her eight-month-old baby in with her.
Toni Ellam went to Minh's Oriental Buffet Restaurant in Hanley and says she was told she had to pay the full price of the all-you-can-eat buffet for her daughter Brodie even though she was not eating.
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FOOD FIGHT: Toni Ellam with her daughter Brodie. Toni is angry at the way she was treated at Minh's Oriental Buffet Restaurant.
The 21-year-old and her friend Laura Sparkes, who had her 15-month-old son Lewis with her, decided to call into the Albion Street venue after taking their children to see Santa on November 18. The mother-of-one of Stanton Road, Meir, said: "When we went in they asked us if we wanted a highchair and said it would be £4.95 for each baby.
"I told them that the babies were too young to eat the Chinese food so it would just be for two adults. They said we would still have to pay for each baby.
"I was so angry. I told them it was not our fault we had children and it would cost them nothing to let two babies sit with us.
"We even offered to let the two babies sit on our laps but they refused. I could understand if they were busy. But there was not many people in and it is a big restaurant. I felt it was discrimination.
"We left as we thought it was disgusting. It would have cost us nearly £10 more just to take two babies in with us. That is the same price as two adult meals."
Miss Ellam, who worked at the Car Phone Warehouse in Longton before starting her maternity leave, said she would not be returning to Minh's restaurant in future.
She said: "I don't even have to pay for my daughter to go to places like a wacky warehouse, firework shows, farms or zoos because she is under one."
Miss Sparkes of Waterside Drive, Newstead, said she thought the restaurant was being unfair on young mums who were surviving on tight budgets.
The 20-year-old said: "I could understand if Lewis was old enough to eat. But he might just have had a chip or two off my plate and that's it."
Mr Flint, aged 21, who works as a telecanvasser, said he thought the way his partner had been treated was "disgusting".
He added: "It really is just not on."
No-one at Minh's Oriental Buffet Restaurant was available for comment.
106 Comments
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by Dave, Heron X
Wednesday, November 25 2009, 10:58AM
“Just finished catching up on the comments.
Well done The Sentinel.
What was the story again?”
by claire, crewe
Wednesday, November 25 2009, 9:29AM
“amy, abbey hulton " My little boy is 1 and has been on solids for quite some time now" - that's normal! Maybe this is what the restaurant was trying to point out when trying to charge for a toddler who was actually going to comsume some food. Children of the age of 15 months should be eating the same foods as anybody else sitting in a restaurant - if he;s not eating solids that is not the restaurant owner's problem”
by Ashleigh Noakes, Ball Green
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 8:55PM
“For the people who seem to have nothing better to do than abuse people on here. If you read the story properly you would obviously see didn¿t feed her little boy chips as they did not eat in there anyway. And people who think one chip is going to make your child obese needs to get there facts right. Like I have already said it¿s not possible to cook food constantly for your children because how would you get to spend time with them and the odd treat is fine it¿s not like there ramming junk food down their babies¿ throats.
So before you start criticising there parenting skills you need to look at your own. Toni and Laura are bringing their children up in the best way they possibly can, this is not a story of parenting abilities its is one of discrimination.”
by Warren, Meir
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 8:31PM
“Laura.... Patheitc loser, right then, I eat in good restrants when I got for something to eat, I don't like kids around me, thats all. Just remember, you are the one walking out of a fill your plate, all you can scoff bargen joint.”
by Amy, Abbey Hulton
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 6:26PM
“I cant believe some of the comments that I have read on here. My little boy is 1 and has been on solids for quite some time now, the people on here that are saying we should not take our babies out to resturants are ompletely pathetic. As mothers we are encouraged by our health visitors and doctors to introduce as many new foods to our kids as possible and also to let them eat what we do. Who out of all of you does not eat chips? As long as they are part of a varied diet then they are fine. I think a few of you should ask your parents what they used to feed you when you were little and I can garruntee no matter how much they tried they didnt give you salad and veg every night. I openly admit to giving my little boy chips, he loves them and for you on here that know me you will know my little boy is far from obese. Laura you are a great mum and well done for openly admitting it and Toni no offence but if you think that when your daughter hits toddler age that you think she is going to have everything healthy then you need to think again. All this stuff as someone mentioned on TV about kids being healthy and eating healthy foods yeah its good but that is aimed at people who only feed kids junk food. I have also worked in the resturant trade in hanley city centre and to be honest minhs should be grateful they are getting custom with their reputation and being so outside the main centre I am surprised if they have any busy lunchtime services in the week at all. If we all li ed in this ideal world then yeah ok all kids would be healthy and we would all be working and everything would be fine and dandy but we dont. I think quite a few of you need to wake up.”