I wonder why this type of thing only seems to happen at chains and not small, mom-and-pop joints? ( Actually, theory unlocked .)
Perhaps the chain instances are a bit more high-profile- children have gotten accidentally sauced at locations of Olive Garden , Chili’s and Applebee’s scattered around the US, and now an Outback Steakhouse has been accused of inadvertently helping a toddler get their drink on.The fourth known incident of way, way, way, way way underage drinking, occurred at an Ohio Outback Steakhouse.
Unlike the prior incidents, this one doesn’t seem to involve a kid-sized cocktail, but rather those small samples provided to waiting diners until their table become available. Diner Kelly Kerwin describes the incident- which in fairness to the restaurant, seems like a simple and rather harmless scenario:
“My sister asked if there was alcohol in them and she said no and so we all took one and the kids had a couple… I couldn’t believe it… I thought they were serving alcohol-free samples and I called over the manager and before I said anything to him my first question [was] ‘Is there alcohol in these?’ and he said ‘Yes.’”
Kerwin says that the manager apologized profusely, and even offered to make a donation to her sister’s church. But when she called to follow up, the manager went back on the offer and referred Kerwin to the chain’s legal department. The chain addressed the incident in a statement, reading in part:
“We sincerely regret this mistake and we have terminated the server’s employment.”
Do you think this was an honest mistake? Should someone lose their job for it?
[via Consumerist]
