The Gardens cafe - NOT baby friendly

[StraferJack]

What Otta said times 10

Similar to the House of Tippler and their "no children" policy - it appears to the outsider like they could do with the business but it's great that you can find a place aimed at more adults

Come on, as parents we don't exactly want for places to go do we? We might want more, but basically the vast majority of local business looks after us, we can deal with the gardens not doing so

All that said.. the points about service and general air of indifference from the staff remain true. My complaints about the place would start with that - when they fix that I'll go back more often

[QueenMab]

Personally I think it would be better if some places specifically stated "no children", and had done with it. I have a baby but don't really want to go to places where there isn't the space and/or the staff and customers don't want kids there. I wouldn't be offended or feel discriminated against. I do remember life before kids, and caf?s full of screaming, snot-faced kids really aren't that attractive for people who just want to go and have a quiet lunch somewhere. Perhaps The Gardens just needs to take the plunge and say, sorry no babies/children etc. Or as someone else said, just have a notice which says, please park your pram out the back.

[Otta]

I have just become a QueenMab fan! (not that I wasn't a fan before)

[Saffron]

QueenMab, the community cafe at the top of Telegraph Hill (opposite the park), used to have "Quiet Fridays", where they asked patrons not to bring children, though tiny babies would be fine. The rest of the time, the cafe was very child-friendly. I haven't been there recently, so I don't know if this is still running. Anyone know if this is still the case?

[lousmith]

Our new coffee shop in East Dulwich is child-friendly - there's a small room at the back where kids can hang out. We don't have much space for buggies inside but you are welcome to park them outside the front of the shop where they are easy to keep an eye on. Have a look on our Facebook page for details of a parent and baby event this Thursday daytime. We'll be running more of these on different weekdays and weekends soon.

http://www.facebook.com/CapturedOnTheRye

[Gidget]

I like the Dish and have been in there a few times. Great food. But what it the etiquette for a screaming at the top of its lungs baby? Isn't it usual to take the child outside and walk it up and down and not just sit shushing it to the detriment of all the other patrons.

They have a play area in the corner which is away from the tables. Fantastic. But there was someone in there recently who let her child play very noisily with plastic items for a long period of time right at a table in eating area, and the noise was extremely irritating. They were being dropped on the floor and the table and made a very loud noise as the cups made contact with the hard surfaces.

[nubby'smums]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Going back to the original post, the op wanted to

> have lunch with her friends. What the hell's the

> problem with that?

>

>

> There is no problem, and fortunately she had a

> nice lunch with her friends and had a great time.

>

>

> They were using the cafe for what it's for. Is it

> acceptable for a cafe to say "no mums for lunch

> here"? How about if it said "no gays, we are

> Christians", "no black people, our customers are

> mostly white", "no smelly oldies"?

>

>

> But they never said "no mums for lunch here", lets

> all just stop making up scenarios. How the hell

> have you made the leap from an issue with buggies

> to comparing that with real discrimination against

> gays or black people!?!?

>

> If you read the OP again, it was actually a staff

> member who they origionally had their problem

> with. They then "challenged" the staff member, and

> we have no idea what tone that was done in. The

> manager then came and stuck up for his staff

> member. We have no idea how the OP and her party

> were acting, so lets just stop talking about

> discrimination and comparing this to real

> discrimination like homophobia or racism.

We are actually gay, so it could well be homophobia too! Jus sayin...

[Otta]

You couldn't make it up.

[Pickle]

I think this thread is a bit extreme. While I feel for the original poster, and agree it shouldn't have happened, I really don't think this cafe is as anti-babies/kids as is being made out.

I was there today with my baby, and was very surprised that the place was empty at 10:30am. I've been there with larger noisy groups and never felt unwelcome. A group of Mums with small babies arrived as I was leaving and appeared to be getting service with a smile.

Playing devil's advocate, I think if you enter a cafe with a smile on your face and willing to treat the staff with respect, most of the time you get the same treatment back. This doesn't just apply to parents, it applies to everyone. When I said thank you to the man emptying my recycling bin yesterday he told me I had made his day, as most of the time he gets people scowling at him for blocking the pavement/road etc.

Anyway, I like the Gardens. I've said before that sometimes service can be slow (it wasn't today, but I was the only one there!), but the space is nice and the coffee is good.

[Otta]

No no Pickle, you're being far too sensible for this forum.

Clearly they are a bunch of baby hating, child hating, woman hating, homophobic scumbags. Probably racist too.

I hear they actually EAT babies!

[Pickle]

Ha ha Otta, you could be right. In fact I read it on the East Dulwich Forum, so it MUST be true.

;-)

[Bursty]

Just thought I would say that I went to the Gardens yesterday (with some trepidation after reading this thread) with my NCT group, who are all just about to pop. Although we haven't had our babies yet (so buggies etc aren't an issue) staff were very welcoming and helpful about moving tables to accommodate us. There were loads of parents and grandparents in there with babies / young children who all appeared to be being treated fine. Like Pickle, we arrived at 10:30 and the cafe was very quiet. Maybe it just depends on how busy / fraught they are when you get there?

[caz6868]

your the best!

perhaps you should have a cafe,you have got your head screwed on.lol

[itowill]

I've been to The Gardens both with my son and without. The service and attitude has been terrible everytime so will now always go to Homemade where the food is better, the staff smiley and everyone (staff and customers) are as accommodating as possible.

[rgracieg]

Awful place. Staff are rude they hate kids don't go there!

[sillywoman]

Hmmm, I was in there on Wednesday afternoon with a group of 6 Mums and small babies - I think they all had prams? Anyway suffice to say we took up a lot of space.

They were really very nice to us (a member of our group commented that perhaps they'd been reading this thread) & I never once felt we weren't welcome or were in the way. I often meet friends with babies in there and the service is usualy surly for sure, but I've not encountered active rudeness, and never yet been asked to move a pram outside - though I am often there 'with pram'.

I didn't see roast baby on that days menu board either ;)

[Otta]

It's an under the counter thing, you have to wink and ask for today's specials.

[sillywoman]

Aha, and I thought the gentleman at the next table had something in his eye . . .