‘Press for champagne’ restaurant barred my breastfeeding friend
Q A close friend of mine recently had a baby and I booked her and a group of our friends into a nice restaurant for her first night out since becoming a mum. I made an online booking at Bob Bob Ricard in London, which is famous for its “press for champagne” buttons on tables. We had vouchers for the place and thought it would be a lovely treat.
As much as she would have loved a night of freedom, my friend is exclusively breastfeeding and told me she felt she had no option but to bring the baby with her to the restaurant. So to be on the safe side I phoned Bob Bob Ricard to check she would be OK to bring the newborn baby along. I was told that no, thanks to its strict policy of no children aged under 15, it was not welcome.
I tried to explain that my friend physically couldn’t leave her baby at home as she had no other way to feed it. I was shocked to be told: “This restaurant is not appropriate for someone with that close a bond with their baby.”
Bob Bob Ricard is basically saying my friend cannot dine there because she is breastfeeding. My friend feels really upset at this exclusionary policy and I am extremely angry on her behalf. I’m not looking for compensation – I just want to know how such a policy can be allowed in this day and age.
– MD, via email
A I have to tell you that this treatment of your breastfeeding friend wasn’t just grossly unfair, it was potentially unlawful.
The Equality Act 2010 states that businesses must not discriminate against a woman because she is breastfeeding a child. By treating her differently from other, non-breastfeeding guests by excluding her from the venue, it appears Bob Bob Ricard may have (I presume obliviously) been in breach of the Act. I phoned Bob Bob Ricard right away to ask what on earth it was playing at. I was informed that the restaurant was a “very glamorous” venue. I wasn’t sure why this was relevant to your complaint, as breastfeeding women can and should be welcomed into glamorous venues just like everyone else.
In a bid to maintain its upmarket and sophisticated vibe, the restaurant has a strict no-children policy. It said the venue wasn’t an appropriate place for young children to be running around in, which I can completely understand, and so can you. However, on this occasion I don’t think it was right to use this policy to refuse entry to your friend and her helpless newborn baby.
So was Bob Bob Ricard familiar with the Equality Act 2010 and the special protection it offers breastfeeding women, I asked? The restaurant was aware of the Act, I was told, but it said it had understood from you simply that “a child” would be attending with your group, which would have been in breach of its no-children policy. It claimed not to be aware that the inquiry was for a breastfeeding mother and her newborn baby. However, you say you had an eightminute telephone conversation with the restaurant during which you spoke with two members of staff and you couldn’t have been clearer about the situation regarding your breastfeeding friend.
You sent me a call log to back this up along with contemporaneous notes you had made on your phone detailing things that were said. These included the deeply ill-judged comment about the restaurant not being suitable for your friend because of the “close bond” she had with her baby.
Despite differences in recollections, the good news is that following the escalation of your complaint the managing director of Bob Bob Ricard has vowed that it will not exclude breastfeeding mothers in future. Well, thank goodness for that.
In the grand scheme of the fight against discrimination towards new mothers this is a small victory, but to your friend, who you say took a real knock to her confidence from this episode, it means the world.
Even though you have now been told your group is welcome to dine at Bob Bob Ricard, you will be taking your friend elsewhere because this whole fiasco has left a bitter taste.
Jeremiah Kofi-Sam, managing director of Bob Bob Ricard, said: “A reservations inquiry was made to Bob Bob Ricard asking about bringing a child into the restaurant.
“As is clearly stated on our website, it is our policy not to allow any children under the age of 15 into our restaurants, since the environment is busy and low-lit and has an offering more suitable for adults.
“There was no mention of a breastfeeding infant in that inquiry. Our reservations and reception staff are aware of the Equality Act 2010 and would not prevent a breastfeeding mother from visiting the restaurant.
“We will ensure that our staff training manuals are fully updated to reemphasise all points in that Act. I apologise that there was a misunderstanding with this booking inquiry.”