Let this be a warning to people with rowdy kids; you may want to stay away from Applebee's because they have no quarrels about putting you out of their establishment. Huffington Post reports:
A family of four in Katy, Texas went to Applebee's for dinner on a Sunday night. The 3-year-old and 1-year-old boys were apparently too "active" to be at the restaurant, though.
The oldest boy wandered away from the table, prompting Eli Gau, the boy's father, to grab him. As Gau was doing so, a manager approached him, claiming the children were making too much noise, according to CBS affiliate KHOU 11 of Houston Texas.
The manager kicked the family out of the restaurant and called the authorities. As the family walked outside, they were met by a Harris County Sheriff's Deputy, who gave them a notice warning them of criminal trespassing.
“I feel disrespected,” wife and mother Lillian Maliti told KHOU 11.
Consumerist clarifies that not only did the restaurant phone the police, but the family did as well, saying they felt threatened by the manager's actions. The police emphasized that no arrests or warnings were made, and that the paper given to the family was not a warning but rather an information card that provides a reference number for the case.
Gau emphasized that his kids' behavior is normal for their ages. “They act like children. They're not adults," he told KHOU 11. And according to this funny infographic about dining out with kids, he's right.
An Applebee's spokesperson apologized for the incident and offered the family a free dinner. The company issued an official statement, explaining that the franchise owner-operator has apologized to the guests and that the franchisee is "using this instance as a teaching moment to better manage future disruptions in their restaurants."
