Sorry, You Can't Eat At BK Because Your Baby Isn't Wearing Shoes
One Burger King manager in St. Louis, MO is really excited about the no shoes, no shirt, no service policy in his restaurant. In fact, if you bring a 6-month-old infant into his restaurant with no shoes and refuse to leave until you're finished eating, he's calling the police.
KTVI says the manager was standing next to the cashier as she ordered, and warned her that she could take her order "to go" or she could find some shoes for her baby. The woman says the baby is too young to even have shoes, but she put some socks on her in an effort to be diplomatic. This did not win over the manager, who threatened to call the police if she didn't take her shoeless baby out of the restaurant. He claimed the baby's lack of footwear was a violation of "health code."
"People had to know about this...if you're going to go to Burger King get some shoes on your baby or go somewhere else," she said. "I think they [Burger King managers] just need to understand, it's a baby. They're not going to be walking around in their dirty, nasty, feet. I feel like the policy was probably for grown adults who might walk in without shoes on. That's understandable. But, babies don't wear shoes," she told KTVI.
UPDATE: Burger King has apologized.
Restaurant Threatens To Kick Out Baby Not Wearing Shoes [KTVI via MomLogic]
(Photo:Amy the Nurse)
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Comments:
But really, weren't they doing you a favor by denying you burger king food? They might have saved your baby from a life of obesity.
<-- All derogatory statements exclude chicken fries. Those are frigin delicious.
Something tells me this manager is currently or is well on their way to being a lifer in the fast food industry.
no shirts, no shoes, no service. i'm fine with that. i'll just walk in with no pants.
@Darrone: I don't think she was getting anything for the baby, but that the baby's lack of shoes made the manager want her out.
Funny, I used to work right by that BK. Never went there. Never would. Nasty food and morons in charge. Sounds typical.
@Jesse: And can most likely give you a 20 minute rehearsed dissertation on why he's very happy about that.
I wonder if they also apply the policy to people without feet.
I would have told him to call the cops & then wait & see if they were intelligent cops or asshole cops!
I'm not too big in getting into a argument with stores.... I would be one who would quickly show my Wal-Mart receipt if that means I can continue to leave without issues.
But here - I think I would have told the manager to call the police just to see what they would do when the complaint is because of babies feet.
..... I mean it wasn't like she was trying to breast-feed the baby in the store! :-)
@ekthesy: Sitting a diapered baby on the counter is going to be way more potentially germy than standing on them, I promise you!
@Smashville: Heh good question...when I went through the last few months of foot casts and bandages, would I have been forced to buy some kind of insane clown shoe to fit over that?
Or maybe it's lucky I hate BK.
@ekthesy: even if the baby has shoes, that should violate health code, specially if they are starting to walk and those shoes have been all over the ground.
Well they do make shoes for babies. The BK manager is/was an asshat but the women should just go out and purchase a pair of shoes for the baby. Problem solved.
Corporate Propaganda: Once again proving that Common Sense can be unlearned!
There is NO HEALTH CODE for wearing shoes or not. These are usually store policies...
And here is the out come;
God forbid the lady's baby was going to roam around in the fry cooker or the burger maker.
Thanks for the outcome. I would have taken the food and STILL refused to go to BK in the future.
What an idiot move on the manager's part. Get police involved? PLEASE...
Potentially dirty baby feet are the least of your problems when you eat at Burger King.
The last time I ate at one was 6 or 7 years ago, the day I moved into my house. After several trips in the moving van, we were tired, sweaty and hungry. We stopped at a BK mainly because it was the only thing close by. The workers acted as if we were imposing on them and were doing us a favor to take our order. Then it took them 30 minutes to cook two whoppers for us (bear in mind we were in a hurry and only stopped there because it would be something "quick"). When the order finally came, it was the nastiest excuse for food I've ever tried to choke down. I felt queasy the rest of the day. Haven't been to one since, and I'll never go again.
@coan_net: Actually, there's laws that say you're able to breastfeed anywhere you want (Even in Missouri). There was a big uproar a few months ago when a lady was told she couldn't breastfeed in a Babies-R-Us.
Some pediatricians recommend that your baby not wear shoes until at least 15 months of age. Others feel that a child should start to wear shoes as soon as they're walking.
This is why a 6 month old doesn't own shoes.
@Triterion: I think that was sarcasm on the part of coan net, as the breastfeeding in public issue is one that has been discussed here and elsewhere on the web at length.
@Geekmom: They also make high heels for babies, which is just wrong, but apparently BK manager-approved.
Learn it, know it, live it.
....this is burger king we are talking about right?
A fast food joint that sells burgers and fries and watered down soft drinks?
There not some fancy restaurant or something why do they care about shirts or shoes?
I thought all they care about is shoving as much overpriced cheap food onto anyone that goes in.
in the middle of a depression you think they would be glad for any business been thrown there way.
@Hobz: From that article:
"Frederich told FOX 2 she didn't think all this was necessary; she hoped no one would lose their job over it; still, she appreciated Burger King's response."
That is a refreshing response. How sad is it that I'm surprised this didn't turn into a multi-million dollar lawsuit about 1st amendment rights being violated or something.
@Darrone: i agree, why are you bringing your baby to a burger king anyway, the kid either can't or shouldn't eat anything from there as it is, and if you're breast feeding you're just getting that junk into your body and therefore into theirs. take your baby, go home, and make a freaking sandwich
@NotYou007: yes, because we as Americans are not learning right now that we need to stop our riduculous spending. And shoes on a baby are generally ridiculous, especially when purchased to appease a manager at a fast food restaurant. I say that as a BK-loving mom of a 6-month-old shoeless baby.
@DarkJayson: Why does it being a fast food place have anything to do with putting some damn clothes on? Local convience stores and pizza shops also have these kinds of policies. Should they too ignore them for fear of the recession?
What if that store is doing just dandy and the recession isn't effecting it at all? What then?
The quality/price of the food should haven othing to do with the cleanliness and safety of the customers.
@dmolavi:
I dare you! It would be interesting to see what they would say ( I would advise wearing boxer shorts and not plain underwear, though ).
Disclaimer: Neither Nascar24Dude nor the human operating under the consumerist screen name "Nascar24Dude" shall accept any criminal or civil liability resulting from said dare, including liability resulting from dmolavi or the human operating under that name being arrested, charged, or convicted with tresspassing, indecent exposure, or similar criminal or civil offenses. The screen name dmolavi and the human operating under him acknowledges, affirms, and declares that, if he/she chooses to act on said dare, he/she does so of a free will and without provocation from the person of another.
Ok, he really should've given it up when she put the socks on. I mean, c'mon. :/
@Homerjay. Good and good for you.:
I'd give Chick-fil-a an exception to that rule. Almost every experience I've ever had a Chick-fil-a was pleasant and the employees are far better than anything else out there.
I was going to joke with the cashier the other day about my baby's bare feet when I was checking out right under the "no shirt, no shoes" sign, but now I'm glad I didn't! LOL
@UrIt: Maybe the were running errands and wouldn't be home for a while and needed food? Maybe the mother isn't breastfeeding? Maybe you need to mind your own damn business and let people raise their kids as they see fit as long as it isn't negatively affecting you? God, it's not like she took the kid to a bar, threw back a few, and then hopped up on the bar to breastfeed.
He knows what I know as a restaurant manager: viruses and bacteria heroically leap from the feet directly into food as far away as 5 yards.
@NotYou007: Are you volunteering to pay for useless shoes that the baby doesn't need and shouldn't be wearing just to please some assbag? No? Then shut up.
Once the socks went on, that would certainly have been good enough for me if I was managing that store. Babies don't have shoes, indeed, but I have seen parents "stand" their babies on counters, and if said babies are shoeless, that could definitely violate health codes.
Manager: overofficious, mother: not really understanding both sides of the issue.