Parents Let Their Toddler Use A Travel Potty In A Restaurant And Diners Were Disgusted
A customer posted on social media about the cringey encounter.
As if parents having to defend bringing kids in restaurants at all wasn’t hard enough, a U.K. couple just made it that much harder. A restaurant-goer posted on their local NextDoor page claiming their lunch was ruined when they had to watch a toddler to relieve themselves in a travel potty in the dining area.
The incident allegedly took place at the Cacciari Asia restaurant in south Kensington, west London, according to the Daily Mail.
They wrote on the neighborhood social media website: “We went there for lunch today, and while having our meal, a couple sitting nearby pulled out a potty for their kid to use right in front of other customers.”
The post also implied that the child had defecated in the potty. However, the restaurant claims otherwise.
A source at the restaurant came to the defense of the parents, saying the incident was being investigated and insisting the customer who posted online about the incident had overreacted. He noted that the toddler only urinated and was far away from other guests.
“The toddler only urinated into the potty. The table was at least 3m away. I do think the diner overreacted. The child was about two years old and was with his pregnant mother,” he said.
The disgusted diner also said in their post that waiters had been aware of what was happening and did nothing to stop the parents from allowing their kid to relieve themselves in the middle of the restaurant.
The post continued, “They were not asked by the waiting staff or restaurant manager to take the kid to the toilet. We found this such a put off as this wasn't overwhelmingly respectful to fellow diners or a display of respect of hygiene in a public dining space.”
Other NextDoor users chimed in on the customer’s complaint, agreeing that the display was distasteful.
One wrote, “This should be reported to Environmental Health immediately. If the parents have no common sense or respect for other diners, the restaurant staff should have intervened immediately and frankly ejected the inconsiderate patrons.”
While most of the comments on the post expressed disgust by the potty incident, some did express sympathy for the parents.
One wrote, “It's called potty training ... come on the kid had to go ... parents may have thought it was just a pee needed.”
A spokesman for Kensington and Chelsea council told the Daily Mail: “We can confirm that we have had a complaint and we will be investigating further.”
Yes, potty training kids can be stressful when most public bathrooms are not kid-friendly and you can’t stay at home forever. However, the idea of a child going to the bathroom just a few tables over while people try to enjoy their Cobb salad and side of fries is definitely a cause for complaint at the very least.
