My experience at Olive Garden

[vinalex0581]

Last Saturday my SO and I went to Olive Garden with our 7 month old son to celebrate our friend's sisters' birthday.

We got there and all of use sat down.

About 1/2 into it my son started getting hungry.

I went out to a waitress and said that I need to breastfeed is there a place where i can?

She said maybe the bathroom.

I just looked at her blankly.

She said that she would go get a manager.

A nice hostess came out instead and I explained to her if there was a place where i could breastfeed my son.

There was an empty table in the corner and I sat in the corner to breastfeed.

Being a Saturday evening, Olive Garden was so busy that the waiting time was 45 minutes. But that hostess seem to have understood and seem to have related because she said to my son, enjoy your food.

So she made the other customers wait to be seated so i could take 20 minutes to feed my son.

I thought that was very thoughtful of her to do and I've never experienced anything wonderful like that before.

When i was done i let her know so she could sit the other customers.

I thanked her and told her how much i appreciate what she did for us.

she said no problem.

maybe i should have tipped her?

maybe i should do something else to show her that i appreciate her?

but i don't know her name.

or maybe i should just appreciate it and let it go?

what would you have done to show that you appreciated what she did?

[potgieter]

That is really kind of her!!! Big chuckle at the waitress response "maybe the bathroom" haha okay ill do that after you take your lunch break in the bathroom :) I get it though, im guessing she was young?
Really really nice of the hostess, I would call and ask to speak to the manager and give them a sparkling review.... these are things that our country needs!!! 

[K8wizzo]

I would have thanked her and possibly left a tip on the table.  I've never left the table to nurse, but when my oldest was a baby we had the road trip from h*ll and what usually takes 6-7 hrs took 11 1/2 hrs.  He had an ear infection and just screamed the entire time.  We were exhausted and stopped at a rest stop for the seventh or eighth time that day to try to get him to take a bottle and some medicine (he was FF by that point).  A very nice waitress let us sit in a section that was already closed for the night so it would be quiet and brought us some iced tea at no charge.  We left her a nice note and a big tip when we left.

[gdiamante]

Quoting vinalex0581:

Last Saturday my SO and I went to Olive Garden with our 7 month old son to celebrate our friend's sisters' birthday.

We got there and all of use sat down.

About 1/2 into it my son started getting hungry.

I went out to a waitress and said that I need to breastfeed is there a place where i can?

Why not nurse right where you were? Most of us would have done precisely that.

She said maybe the bathroom.

I just looked at her blankly.

Good for you.

She said that she would go get a manager.

A nice hostess came out instead and I explained to her if there was a place where i could breastfeed my son.

There was an empty table in the corner and I sat in the corner to breastfeed.

Being a Saturday evening, Olive Garden was so busy that the waiting time was 45 minutes. But that hostess seem to have understood and seem to have related because she said to my son, enjoy your food.

So she made the other customers wait to be seated so i could take 20 minutes to feed my son.

I thought that was very thoughtful of her to do and I've never experienced anything wonderful like that before.

When i was done i let her know so she could sit the other customers.

I thanked her and told her how much i appreciate what she did for us.

she said no problem.

maybe i should have tipped her?

maybe i should do something else to show her that i appreciate her?

but i don't know her name.

or maybe i should just appreciate it and let it go?

what would you have done to show that you appreciated what she did?

I'd have done precisely what you did. You were fine. You can send a note to the restaurant if you want. Good on you for not letting yourself be shunted to a bathroom and good on her for accomodating you!

I wouldn't have bothered asking for a separate place, though. I'd have nursed at the table with the family. Did it many times, in fact. Even when eating with chopsticks!

[MissMia22]

Exactly this! Call management and tell them what a superb host they have and also let them know that unless the staff eats in the bathroom it is completely inappropriate to suggest a mom bf in there. Then also call corporate and let them know that there is a hostess at x location that is beyond fantastic! :)

Quoting potgieter:

That is really kind of her!!! Big chuckle at the waitress response "maybe the bathroom" haha okay ill do that after you take your lunch break in the bathroom :) I get it though, im guessing she was young?
Really really nice of the hostess, I would call and ask to speak to the manager and give them a sparkling review.... these are things that our country needs!!! 

[Plus-size-mommy]

Why didn't you just nurse at the table you were at? No offense but the waiting time was already 45 minutes, as a customer I would have been pretty irritated if my family was kept waiting even longer because someone didn't just nurse at their table. That was great of the waitress but really wasn't fair to the other customers, I'm sure they had hungry kids too. Again I'm not trying to be a bitch, just stating my opinion.

[ceckyl]

I agree with this. And the waitress probably assumed you wanted somewhere private to nurse, since you went out of your meal and way to ask, and the only private room they probably had was the bathroom. I wouldn't be offended. It's not like she came up to you at your table and told you to leave.

Quoting Plus-size-mommy:

Why didn't you just nurse at the table you were at? No offense but the waiting time was already 45 minutes, as a customer I would have been pretty irritated if my family was kept waiting even longer because someone didn't just nurse at their table. That was great of the waitress but really wasn't fair to the other customers, I'm sure they had hungry kids too. Again I'm not trying to be a bitch, just stating my opinion.

[melindabelcher]

I agree.

Although I do find it rude that you allowed ppl to wait extra time for you to feed your child.
You could have fed at your table or in the waiting area, your car etc

Quoting ceckyl:

I agree with this. And the waitress probably assumed you wanted somewhere private to nurse, since you went out of your meal and way to ask, and the only private room they probably had was the bathroom. I wouldn't be offended. It's not like she came up to you at your table and told you to leave.

Quoting Plus-size-mommy:

Why didn't you just nurse at the table you were at? No offense but the waiting time was already 45 minutes, as a customer I would have been pretty irritated if my family was kept waiting even longer because someone didn't just nurse at their table. That was great of the waitress but really wasn't fair to the other customers, I'm sure they had hungry kids too. Again I'm not trying to be a bitch, just stating my opinion.

[mamabens]

I don't know because I would have never asked for another place to feed my child, I would've done it where I was. Maybe a small tip would have been ok....

[Mrsfarr]

Maybe go back and see if the same hostess is in and get her name... At the very least, you could tell her manager how amazing she was.

[mamabens]

Yeah I agree.....

Quoting Plus-size-mommy:

Why didn't you just nurse at the table you were at? No offense but the waiting time was already 45 minutes, as a customer I would have been pretty irritated if my family was kept waiting even longer because someone didn't just nurse at their table. That was great of the waitress but really wasn't fair to the other customers, I'm sure they had hungry kids too. Again I'm not trying to be a bitch, just stating my opinion.