But wait…. as the family and their rambunctious kids packed up to leave the restaurant, they were met outside by the local Sherriff’s department, who promptly served them with a criminal trespassing warrant after being notified by management.
[FLASHBACK: WTF?!? All Black People Asked To Leave NJ Walmart… ]
The parents are speaking out to the media and say they feel totally disrespected, while Applebee’s corporate has already issued an apology for the incident.
On one hand, I’m sure the manager felt that other paying guests deserved peace and quiet while enjoying their meal…. but on the other hand, did he go too far in notifying the cops?
Read more of the details about the incident below…
The incident reportedly prompted a fast moving chain of events: calls to the police, outcry from the family, explanation from the eatery chain, and an online debate about what constitutes inappropriate restaurant behavior.
“I feel disrespected,” Lillian Maliti, mother of 3-year-old Ryan and 1-year-old Ethan, told KHOU News in Houston on Wednesday. “This has never happened in my life.”
Maliti?s husband Eli Gau told the news station that his young kids are ?active,? and that they ?act like children.” He added, ?I feel heartbroken. I feel very sad.?
A second call to authorities was made six minutes later, when Gau called to report that he and his family had been kicked out of the restaurant and that they felt ?threatened.?
An officer met the family out in the parking lot, but initially did not file any charges, citations, or warnings, they were subsequently served with a criminal trespass notice when the manager decided he no longer wanted them to return to the location.
After the parent’s went to the media, Applebee?s corporate office issued the following statement about the situation in Katy, Texas:
“Our franchise owner-operator has apologized to the guest and invited the party back into their restaurant to demonstrate the standard of service each of our guests deserve to receive during every visit.?
?As a brand, our focus is and must always be providing the best possible experience for all of our guests at all times. When a disruption in our restaurants affects any of our guests, it is the manager’s responsibility to step in to resolve the situation. It is exceedingly rare that a situation requires the assistance of law enforcement, and our franchisee is using this instance as a teaching moment to better manage future disruptions in their restaurants.?
Randal Smith, a local Applebee?s patron who claimed to have been present that night, actually defended the restaurant through comments posted online, stating:
?This child was not wandering around…. he was running around the restaurant screaming at guests as they tried to enjoy their meals. The whole time they were in the building.?
?Then the parents raised hell in front of the whole restaurant. This is funny to me since I witnessed the whole thing. Haha crazy people will do anything for attention/money.?
Another local resident, Shahira Mandy, wrote,
?I go to this establishment all the time and for these people to say they’re racist is far from the truth. Their children were out of hand, the mom was probably embarrassed, and why do you have your kids out that late at night? I have only seen Applebee’s call the police [in] extreme situations.
I believe management did the right thing [in] asking that woman and her ill-mannered children to leave. Race has nothing to do with bad parenting.?
Anyone with children knows that they can sometimes be restless or unruly while dining out, but where should restaurants draw the line?
Did the manager go too far or should the parent’s have controlled their kids better?