8.10.10

Lets play the shame game - Baobab Cafe, Newtown


A dear friend of mine sent me an email the other day ranting and raving over the treatment Jessica, a buddy of hers got when lunching in Baobab Cafe a week or so ago. Having read it and growing understandably more grizzly with each sentence, I got in touch with Jessica to get the full story and here it is, straight from the horses (I use the word horse figuratively, of course) mouth:

I went into Baobab last Friday morning with my 7 month old daughter Ava to meet two friends from my Mothers Network Group and their daughters aged 4.5 months and 8 months. We grabbed a table and moved our buggies out of the way so they weren't blocking any of the other tables or the aisles. The owner immediately came up and said that as the cafe was small our buggies were rather a pain and could we move them outside. All three of us were using them at the time so clearly we couldn't and moved them well out of the way instead.

My daughter Ava started having a little cry so I picked her up, gave her a cuddle and put her dummy in. She cried for about 2 minutes and the owner came over again and the resulting conversation went something like this (not word for word of course, but you get the gist) ....
Owner: You're really going to have to leave. Your baby has been crying for ages and people are leaving because of you. Everyone is staring at you. If your baby is crying you need to take her out of the cafe. You can take her for a walk and come back if you want but you can't stay here, you're annoying the other patrons.
Me: We'll leave, but we won't be coming back... ever!
Owner: I have a baby too you know, but you can't just let them cry in a cafe. It's very irresponsible and it's causing the other people to leave. You need to take the baby away now.
Me: OK that's fine, you can stop now. You've said more than enough and we're leaving.
Owner: Irresponsible blah blah blah, annoying other patrons blah blah blah.

And so we left. On the way out I apologised to the two tables next to us for disturbing them and both said they hadn't been disturbed in the slightest! I was really upset and was in tears by the time we got outside, it was sad because I used to go there all the time and know the staff well who are all really lovely - they always said hello to Ava and she always had a smile for them! Good food, good coffee, good staff. Shame about the owner....

Needless to say, I most definitely won't be blessing them with my patronage. I understand the buggy thing, or would if they were blocking the way of passing waiters. I also understand the crying thing, but not when bubs has been crying for all of two minutes and it's not bothering the other patrons. 

Does this mean that when the woman at the table next to me is shrieking with laughter to the point my ears are bleeding I can complain and you'll ask her to leave? Or when the straggly haired hippies sitting outside puffing away on their fags are blowing their smoke through the doors and windows right into my face I can have a whinge and you'll ask them to get out? I think you'll find the answer is no. Even if I asked, they wouldn't be shown the door. So why then, when no one even complains about an innocent crying baby is this Mama asked to leave? Unfair, I say, and unjust. The worst thing is, Jessica (offended mother) left a wee note of displeasure on Baobab's Facebook page which was promptly deleted. Ashamed, much?

Post Script: Have a read of me eating my words after bagging Baobab, naughty naughty!

12 comments:

  1. can she post to the Undercover bloggers and WOMF? That is just disgusting behavious - especially from an owner!

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  2. I tweeted this - I have around 1400 followers on my @MrsLPikon account ^__^

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  3. @Le'Essience - go you! Thank you, much appreciated. I must get myself onto this Twitter thingumy ;)

    @Kahlia - please do! I know, I was so upset when I heard about it - hideous behaviour, not happy!

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  4. A very tired new mum is trying to keep her foul mouthed tirade under control......owner of cafe = dickhead!

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  5. Makes me want to go there with my baby and see what happens. Especially if i start breastfeeding there!

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  6. Hi, I linked your blog to mine. You can find the post here http://mummyzilla.blogspot.com/2010/10/breastfeeding.html I was complementary!

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  7. This is AWFUL! I am going to tweet this and recommend you send this post on to 'The Undercover Bloggers' - http://theundercoverbloggers.blogspot.com/
    Poor you! Just terrible - I almost felt like crying reading this post as I know that's what I would have done in your shoes. What a horrible man - and it worries me that he is a father!

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  8. Wow that's really awful :( definitely post on undercover bloggers
    http://theundercoverbloggers.blogspot.com/

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  9. Thanks ladies, will definitely post to Undercover Bloggers - had no idea they existed!

    @Torz - funny you should say that, it made me want to do the exact same thing!

    @Mummyzilla - thank you! Will take a look now....

    @Sarah - thanks for tweeting (must get myself one of these Twitter accounts) - it wasn't actually me but a friend of a friend. I felt like crying too, I live just up the road from the cafe and wanted to march right on down there and give her a piece of my mind!

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  10. Thanks for posting this. I was Jess's friend with the 4.5 month old baby and I can vouch that she gave an accurate view of the incident. I also want to say that I am hugely proud of her for standing up for us and telling the owner what she thought of her. Go Jess!!

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  11. @Meryl - no worries, as soon as I read it I knew other mamas needed to know! I was absolutely appalled. You guys obviously handled it really well which says a lot, what a shame you had to go through it at all!

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  12. Hey Caitlin! Jessica just emailed me with this story as well. so I will MOST DEFINITELY post this on Undercover Bloggers!
    Thanks for the heads up.
    Great story BTW.
    Luv Simone
    :)

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Leave me some sugar!