Refused to heat Baby Food!

McChubbin

Just giving a small bit of info as a waitress.
The main reason cafes and restraunts are reluctant to heat up baby food is not just down to health and safety or risks of cross-contamination. Nine times out of ten, the microwaves used in most establishments are of the industrial strenght variety and completly unsuitable to use in the manner of a regular one.

I found this out the hard way whilst working in M&S-baby bottles will explode in the microwaves due to the higher concentration of heat used to zap panninis and the like.

Yes, it's a nuisance not being able to heat up food for a screaming toddler but sometimes, it's inevitable. On the plus side, my old workplace used to offer "baby bowls" (little dinky bowls of carrots, mash and gravy mixed into a child-friendly paste) for about €3 in place of heating so it'd be good to ask about the child policies beforehand.

amdublin

Why should a restaurant have to heat baby food???

Like they offer certain things and anything they don't offer, they don't offer.

This thread is so pointless. It is as pointless as saying "I went into BB Muffins and I wanted a bowl of stew to eat and they said they don't do that. Boo hoo me, I wanted my stew so they should do stew for me".

They don't heat baby food.

It's not that difficult to understand

llester

To be fair to the OP, it doesn't take much for the restaurant to offer you a bowl of water, or an alternative. And it doesn't take much to be courteous to a customer.

And as for the dangers of hot water, they give boiling water out for tea.

seahorse

I can't for the life of me understand why the parent of a child who needs hot food due to a medical condition wouldn't simply bring out a heated flask full of the stuff. It's not rocket science and it's a lot more dependable and responsible than expecting strangers to take responsibility for catering to your childs needs.

Joey the lips

Ask for a pot of hot water. They wont refuse this. Then carry the baby food in a bottle as it fits in the pot.

We do it all the time... Problem solved....

However in mac donalds you need to ask for a cup of hot water and an empty coke holder as they dont do tea pots.

For legal reasons I cannot see why they refuse it if they put up a notice saying its done at the parent gardieans riskbut obv thems is the times we live in....

ash23

Ah yes, I've come across this before in my years of waitressing!

Ok, where I worked they wouldn't heat the bottle or food in the microwave in case it was over heated and the client sued when the kid got burned and also, we weren't allowed to bring food from outside into the kitchen.


On the bowl of water thing, well, ever carried a bowl of boiling hot water from one side of a busy cafe to the other with small kids running around and people acting like you can walk through them? I hated carrying soup but at least it's less likely to spill because of consistency.

Also, tea pots have lids and coffee cups are usually narrow. Too narrow to fit a babies bottle or a jar of food.
Aswell, have you ever popped a jar into a full cup of boiling water? It displaces the boiling water. Durrr.

Some places wised up to people looking for pots of hot water and sitting for hours over numerous cups of tea but only paying for one. Or the ones who bring in their own tea bag...and yes, that does happen!!!!



Read this and it might give some idea as to why public places are not as willing to "help" with unusual requests. The world has gone so PC and at fear of being sued that we now have to warn customers that tea or coffee is hot.

cbyrd

: in any business they will usually do they're best to facilitate customers... this is how business works.. there's always the exception. whenever i go out to eat i usually have to get a menu altered, it's called a food intolerance, and just like food allergies most restaurants and cafes are happy to accomodate and make an exception if they can and have enough notice, as this does not compromise their insurance.
just like pubs frown on you bringing in your own drink, cafe's and restaurants do likewise. babyfood or not
I would not expect anyone to put they're business or job at risk to facilitate me and my child. it is my responsibility to feed my kids just as it is the cafe's responsibility to serve me with food! They are not responsible for moods, manners pms, headaches or earthquakes

you don't pay for manners anymore that's optional!!:rolleyes:

it is sadly one of the casualty's of the celtic tiger. another casualty is our tendancy to sue for everything, this is the end result. So the moral of the story is if you can feed your child before you leave home do if not bring food or snacks that don't need to be heated.

Dudess

It's nothing to do with the world going PC or people not having manners nowadays, it's just OTT insurance policy, which I'm sure a business would prefer not to have to implement - as has been said, such companies would like to facilitate customers as best they can.

Nevyn

cbyrd if you have a problem with any post report them rather then accusing posters of 'bitching'.

chocgirl

Dudess wrote: »

It's nothing to do with the world going PC or people not having manners nowadays, it's just OTT insurance policy, which I'm sure a business would prefer not to have to implement - as has been said, such companies would like to facilitate customers as best they can.

I agree with this in regard to the insurance companies but the reason the insurance companies are so OTT is that customers and the general public are so quick to sue. The same people that complain about practices like this are often the first to claim when it's to their advantage.

Del2005

Joey the lips wrote: »

For legal reasons I cannot see why they refuse it if they put up a notice saying its done at the parent gardieans riskbut obv thems is the times we live in....

Because they aren't worth the paper/metal they are printed on. Same as the signs in car parks saying cars are parked at owners risk are BS.

Joey the lips

Del2005 wrote: »

Because they aren't worth the paper/metal they are printed on. Same as the signs in car parks saying cars are parked at owners risk are BS.

i dont think your right about carparks. Have you a link?

Dublin_Gunner

OP as a parent myself I can understand how frustrating this can be - it used to be fairly easy to get somewhere to facilitate warming baby food, not any more unfortunately.

I do however have to understand why these eateries take their policies to those levels.


In future:

Boiling water in thermos flask + baby food = problem solved.

I've realised in recent years that the human race are becoming a lot less dependable than they used to be, so I don't rely on anyone doing anything for me these days.

Del2005

Joey the lips wrote: »

i dont think your right about carparks. Have you a link?

On a phone so can't really search. But you can't be absolved of your duty of care by puttin a sign up. There've been a good few threads on the Legal and Consumer forums about them. Once you provide a service you have a duty to care for your customers and their property.

Joey the lips

Del2005 wrote: »

On a phone so can't really search. But you can't be absolved of your duty of care by puttin a sign up. There've been a good few threads on the Legal and Consumer forums about them. Once you provide a service you have a duty to care for your customers and their property.

That is not explaining. I understand duty of care perfectly. However if Mary smith is traveling through a car park with little mikey and his hurley and mikey decides to take the mirror out on the merc how is the supermarket resonsable for that.... Its not.

a duty of care is defined actually as first do no harm its why baby food is in the spotlight insurence companies say do nothing and you cannot be sued. Likewise a supermarket carpark sign is really refering to things like trollies. However this responsability is diminished by the fact that trollies are lockable

I would love more info as i cant see it.

Del2005

Joey the lips wrote: »

That is not explaining. I understand duty of care perfectly. However if Mary smith is traveling through a car park with little mikey and his hurley and mikey decides to take the mirror out on the merc how is the supermarket resonsable for that.... Its not.

a duty of care is defined actually as first do no harm its why baby food is in the spotlight insurence companies say do nothing and you cannot be sued. Likewise a supermarket carpark sign is really refering to things like trollies. However this responsability is diminished by the fact that trollies are lockable

I would love more info as i cant see it.

Form the legal forum.

Liability can be denied on anything, leaving aside personal injury which isnt as simple as putting up a sign,

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055403865&highlight=liabilty+signs