'I felt embarrassed after Toby Carvery refused to serve me a kid's meal - I'm 45'
Amy Jones, from Cheshire, has told how she was left embarrassed after she was refused a children's portion while visiting a Toby Carvery for her 13-year-old daughter's birthday
A mum who had undergone gastric sleeve surgery was left mortified after claiming a Toby Carvery refused to let her order a kid's meal - because she's over the age of 12.
Amy Jones, 45, visited Toby Carvery Ainsworth in Bury with her husband, Simon Jones, 58, and their 13-year-old daughter for her birthday on November 9. Amy, who owns a guinea pig rescue centre, asked for a child's portion due to her recent gastric sleeve surgery in September that left her unable to 'eat more than a couple of bites'.
However, she claims her request was denied due to a strict company policy which sets an age limit for their children's Sunday Lunch option.
Toby Carvery limits its children's Sunday Lunches to people aged 12 and younger, meaning the mum-of-two was denied the option, leaving her feeling humiliated, reports the Manchester Evening News. Instead, she ordered a £14.49 adult's vegetarian meal, hoping to take any leftovers home.
She recalled: "I said to her [the waitress] that I had had gastric surgery and I wouldn't be eating more than a couple of bites. Her response was 'no, I couldn't [order a children's portion] because there is an age restriction of 12 years old on the children's meal and they can't change this policy for anyone'.
"I then just ordered a vegetarian carvery as I was so embarrassed after having this conversation with the server. I only had about five mouthfuls of food because I was full after this. I didn't think it was any bother as I had been to Toby Carvery before and they had very kindly given me a takeaway container to take my food away.
"A different waitress came over and I asked for a takeaway container. She said she could give me a brown paper bag. I wasn't sure that would be fit for purpose as I had gravy but I said that would have to do as she wasn't offering me anything else. At that point I was starting to get quite upset as I felt quite embarrassed. I spoke to the manager and I said I could understand about the kid's meal to a certain extent but I've got leftovers as, as I've said, I only eat small amounts now.
"He said it was company policy from head office that they couldn't give out the takeaway containers anymore as people have been taking advantage and going up for seconds and filling them up from the carvery. He said if he could [give me a container], he would but he wasn't allowed and it was tough."
Amy said she was given a thin paper bag, leaving her distressed. The mum now argues that managers should have applied some "discretion" in her situation, and she has been deterred from dining out again due to the experience. Prior to her operation, 5ft 5in Amy tipped the scales at 17 stone and was a size 22, but has since shed two stone and dropped two dress sizes.
The charity volunteer officer, who took to social media to share her experience, insists the cost wasn't her concern but believes Toby Carvery should have shown more sensitivity in dealing with the matter. Amy explained: "Price isn't the issue here. I thought that in my situation they could have offered a bit of discretion. If I had had a children's meal there probably wouldn't have been much left that I wanted to take home, which would have alleviated the issue with the takeaway box and the brown bag.
"There have been so many opinions, it's been ridiculous. Some people have said that I'm coming across as entitled and I'm certainly not. Yes, I do have control of what I put on my plate, but normally my husband would help me finish meals and I assumed I would be able to take the rest away. I didn't overfill my plate anyway.
"I know surgery was my choice but I think Toby Carvery could have offered some sort of discretion. It was embarrassing. The restaurant was packed with people and I felt like I was causing them an issue. A few people commented to say they had had weight loss surgery and had no issues having a child's portion from Toby Carvery. It was my daughter's birthday and it was her choice about which restaurant she wanted to eat at."
Toby Carvery has clarified that their children's menu is exclusively for youngsters aged 12 and under, a fact representatives say is clearly stated on their menu. The chain explained that their self-serve buffet "offers the guests control of the overall portion size" and expressed regret that this wasn't properly communicated to Amy.
Amy's TikTok clip has since amassed over 18,000 views and 200 comments, with opinion sharply divided amongst users. One person wrote: "I have also had surgery and I am not as entitled as some of you seem to be. Don't go to buffets or carveries if you cannot eat them.
"Go to small plate restaurants and sharing plate restaurants or take your own Tupperware. It's not difficult and you don't have to come online being entitled about it afterward as if they did you a disservice by selling something that is meant for adult patrons to you."
Another commented: "Why do people always expect people to accommodate them? The surgery was presumably your own choice. I'd just ordered a starter." A third, taking her side, wrote: "I'd be taking that up with the head office. It's not fair treatment. Hope you're well."
A spokesperson for Toby Carvery stated: "Our children's menu is available only for children aged 12 years or under and this is clearly stated on our menu. We understand that some adult guests may prefer a slightly smaller portion.
"The main appeal of our self-serve buffet offer is that it does allow for flexibility, in that you, the guest, are able to control the overall portion size by selecting as little or as much as you like to accompany the main element of the meal. We are sorry if this wasn't explained very well at the time of your visit and sincerely hope this doesn't deter you from visiting us in the future."