An Australian mother's attempt to call out a restaurant for asking her to leave over her toddler’s behavior has backfired, with many accusing her of being “entitled” and ignoring basic safety standards.
Renèe Barendregt, an Australian mom vacationing on the Gold Coast with her almost two-year-old son, Ziggy, was asked to leave the Lemongrass Thai on Tedder Avenue after her son failed to remain seated during dinner.
The clip, uploaded yesterday (April 21), details how the restaurant was unable to provide the toddler with a high chair, an issue that escalated once Ziggy started playing with a pot plant close to their table.
“If you can't sit down the whole time, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave,” a waiter said.
A mother’s attempt to publicly shame a restaurant for kicking her and her son out backfired, with netizens labeling her “entitled”
Image credits: renee.barendregt
Barendregt and her son headed back to their hotel, where the shocked mother recorded the now-viral TikTok, hoping to win viewers' sympathy and teach the restaurant a lesson along the way.
The mother shared the difficulties she and her son faced before booking a seat at the establishment.
Image credits: renee.barendregt
“Maybe they would have thought twice if they realized that I was out all morning chasing him, trying to do something fun for him,” she said.
“Maybe he would have thought twice if he knew that I had been waiting for him to wake up so we could go out for dinner as a family.”
Image credits: reneebarendregt
Visibly upset, Barendregt explained how the incident had turned an already “hard” trip into a depressing experience.
“You just don't know where people are out or what they’re doing at that moment and just something like that can just be really upsetting,” she said, lamenting the hostility some establishments have towards children.
Among the replies were waitresses who explained that carrying hot food while dodging kids is a safety hazard
Image credits: reneebarendregt
Far from receiving sympathy or causing outrage against the restaurant, the mother’s video elicited an avalanche of critical comments, ranging from informative feedback to insults and claims that she was, in their opinion, “yet another entitled Karen.”
“Unpopular opinion? Your kids need to be able to stay at the table to take them to a restaurant. If they haven’t mastered that yet, they are not ready to go to a restaurant,” one user wrote.
One viewer, claiming to be a former waitress, explained how a child's inability to remain in their seat is not a minor annoyance but a serious safety hazard that could put both the child and others in danger.
“Did you bring him coloring books, etc, at all?” the waitress asked. “It’s not up to us to dodge your kid when working.”
“If he is not able to stay seated, don’t bring him to the restaurant,” another wrote. “Go to restaurants with play areas for children or so.”
The restaurant issued a statement explaining that the mother left on her own after feeling offended
Image credits: renee.barendregt
A representative of the restaurant—the restaurant’s owner’s child—addressed the controversy in an interview with local media. According to them, it wasn’t a matter of the kid being loud or annoying other customers but of safety.
Image credits: reneebarendregt
“At this time, there were customers and takeaways walking in and out of the restaurant; it started to get busy,” they said. “We believe this could’ve caused a safety hazard to everyone. So my father went up to the mother and asked her if she could please sit her child down.”
“My father then informed her of the situation, warning that our restaurant serves very hot items which could cause harm to the child.”
Image credits: reneebarendregt
The representative offered a slightly different version of events, stating that it was the mother who threatened with leaving the establishment, feeling offended at their request of having her son seated.
“Our restaurant is child-friendly. Whether child or adult, we always take the safety of our customers and staff seriously. Our restaurant is very, very small, the entrance is narrow, and there is not much space to move around,” the statement added.
Despite the backlash she received, Barendregt remained firm and accused the restaurant of treating them unfairly
In a follow-up TikTok posted on April 22, Renèe addressed the backlash. “I just cannot believe how many made-up narratives there are in the comment section,” she said. “My son was at arm’s reach away from me, not harming anyone.”
Image credits: renee.barendregt
She doubled down on her belief that the restaurant wasn’t fair in how it handled the situation. “We were not treated fairly… I still wholeheartedly stand by what I said.”
Her comment section, however, didn’t budge, with users standing firmly on the side of the restaurant.
“I just cannot believe you think you’re in the right. I’m definitely checking that restaurant out now. Control your kid, babe.”
"Safety hazard." People took the restaurant's side, arguing the toddler put himself and others in danger
