Applebee's sorry after tot served booze in sippy cup

[underpants]

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42541406/ns/business-consumer_news?GT1=43001

Dominic Dill-Reese went to an Applebee's outside Detroit with his parents. They ordered the 15-month-old an apple juice and he drank what he was given. But it wasn't juice in his cup, and his parents noticed something was different about Dominic.

"We took it from him and he kind of laid his head on the table and dozed off a little bit and woke up and got real happy and was saying 'bye' to people, 'hi' to people. His food came and he wouldn't eat it," mother Taylor Dill-Reese told WHEC TV.

Someone had mislabeled the Margarita mix as apple juice, according to police.

Once his parents realized what had happened they called police and took Dominic to the hospital.

The company that owns the restaurant chain said on Monday it was immediately retraining its workers nationwide. California-based DineEquity Inc, said it would also change the way it serves juice to youngsters to eliminate the chance of any mixups that could result in any more toddlers receiving mixed drinks.



Read more: MSNBC

[Lucinda]

1. Good to hear that they found out how it happened

Hope the little one is ok.

[liberal N proud]

2. This has happened at Applebee's multiple times

Not same location but at least 3 incidents.

[Adsos Letter]

3. "sorry?"

I hope there is a check attached to that "sorry."

[cstanleytech]

5. I agree they should pay 100% of any medical bills involved.

[zbdent]

4. "I'm sorry, I thought he said an 'appletini' ...

Besides, his ID was right ..."

[rasputin1952]

6. I'm no fan of Applebee's, but I give them credit for owning up to the error...

and ensuring there is a (re)training program in effect. It would be better if juices for kids were kept away from the bar. This Applebee's should pick up the hospital tab, (if they don't, it will cost them a hell of a lot more). If I were the manager, I'd have called the hospital and told them to send the bill directly to the establishment.

Fortunately, the child is OK...in the end, that is what really counts.

[TBF]

8. "Owning up to the problem" ? I dunno, looks more like

preparation to mitigate damages in the coming lawsuit.

[cstanleytech]

10. If Applebee's is willing to pay the medical bill

I dont think the parents should get much if any money in a court but thats just my opinion.

[TBF]

13. Pattern of behavior -

it's happened before - http://abcnews.go.com/US/detroit-applebees-mistakenly-serves-alcohol-child/story?id=13345868

[cstanleytech]

20. I still cannot see why that would entitle the parents of

this child to an absurd amount of money, now the states where its happened revoking all of the liquor licenses for Applebee's I could see and agree with if it can be proven to be a long pattern of behavior.

[TBF]

34. I didn't say anything about "absurd amounts of money" -

just saying that what they are doing right now is called damage control. It has happened before, they didn't do enough to prevent it, and it continues to happen.

There are definitely lawyers out there who could make a case for agregious behavior given that there's a pattern of not responding to serious events.

[rasputin1952]

16. To each his/her own...

I'd be upset, to be sure. But I'm not a litigious person. The guy who sued Snapper for losing his fingers clearing out the grass chute received medical care + $5. The jury felt he was too stupid for more, and there were various warnings on the machine, including one on the chute he was trying to clean. When it was found out he had 7 beers riding around mowing his lawn, I'm surprised it went to court at all.

[Adsos Letter]

25. Yeah, I can see your reasoning in the Snapper case...

but was there stupidity or drunkenness involved on the part of the parents? The baby? Were any warning labels ignored?

I will admit, having raised two daughters, that it was certainly careless of the parents not to have automatically checked the contents of the sipper-cup before giving it to their kid. My wife never would have allowed that.

[rasputin1952]

27. Women are much better at that than men are...

I suppose it may be genetic, but they tend to look out for thing that males don't. We look for the obvious dangers like cars careening down roads...after 9 months invested in bringing a life into this world, women tend to have far more laert senses and I learned quickly to trust what my ex told me about the kids...and she checked everything too...:)

[AngryAmish]

30. I think your snapper story is apocraphal

THere are many of these urban legends, spread by insurance companies. For example, there is the story of the guy who sued Winnebago when he put the RV in cruise control and went in back for a nap. Didn't happen. But these things spread around, like P & G is owned by satanists.

[LisaL]

12. I am not sure how much credit they deserve, considering

police was called to investigate.

[rasputin1952]

15. I didn't read of any citations being written...

I'd call the cops as well...especially since I'd want a report.

[Moonwalk]

7. Let that be a lesson to all parents--don't force your kid to drink--

--what doesn't taste right to him. I mean, if they had to "order" him to drink the apple juice, that kinda implies that he wasn't into drinking it. Maybe he knew it wasn't right, and maybe they should have checked to see if there wasn't something wrong with it first? Juice can be outdated and taste bad. Just sayin'.

[niyad]

9. no, read the line more carefully--they ordered the apple juice and the child drank it

[LisaL]

11. The parents did not force the kid to drink anything.

The kid drank it on his own. When you go to the restaurant, you order things. That is what meant by "ordering." The parents ordered apple juice for the kid, they did not order the kid to drink the apple juice.

[Missy Vixen]

14. Am I the only one who wonders why they just don't carry juice boxes?

It would seem much easier. Shelf-stable, tamper-proof, the juice inside the box is exactly what one just ordered off the menu... Considering the fact this is the third time it's happened at an Applebee's, it might be worth the investment of a few more dollars as well.

[rasputin1952]

17. I thought the same thing when I initially was reading the story...

seems sensible to me...:hi:

[boppers]

18. Juice boxes cost more, and waste packaging.

Not a very environmentally option.

[Missy Vixen]

23. May not be an especially "environmental" option

but it'll save Applebee's the very expensive civil suit they will face when this incident happens again...

Moral of the story: Do not order juice for a child at Applebee's. Bring your own.

[Bill McBlueState]

19. A number of people were boldly calling BS on this story earlier

Seems true, though.

[Devil_Fish]

21. Sorry they didn't salt the rim.... NT

[Endangered Specie]

22. Applebuzz

[Frank Cannon]

24. Could have sworn this was some "mouse in the beer bottle" scam.

How on Earth does something like this even happen? It's absolutely crazy.

[joshcryer]

26. That was my initial thought, too, but I waited to see the outcome.

Appears Applebees is admitting to error. Hopefully there will be no long term developmental effects for the child.

[Frank Cannon]

29. After they're born, little kids' brains are pretty resilient to single incidents like this.

More so than adults, at least.

But I still cannot conceive of a scenario where something like this can happen "by accident", unless whoever prepares the beverages is insane or perhaps the stupidest person on Earth.

[AngryAmish]

32. HOw many kids survived their mothers getting much drunker than this in utero?

Everyone over thirty years old actually.

[AngryAmish]

31. I'll have twelve, no twenty four Elsinor beers....

and I believe there will be no charge.

[Frank Cannon]

37. Beauty, eh! I was hoping someone would get the reference.

Good day, eh.

[AngryAmish]

39. Take off, you hoser!

no goal, no goal, he was in the crease!

[JVS]

40. We gave this beer to a cop, eh, and he puked!

[babydollhead]

28. At a different restaurant, I ordered ginger ale for my 4 year old...

they gave her Sprite mixed with Pepsi. I couldn't believe it!

[yellowcanine]

33. Does anyone else see irony in the fact that "Applebees" screwed up on "apple juice"?

But to the issue at hand - why not stock juices in single serving juice boxes or cups? Would eliminate problem of mislabeled containers, wasting unused juice, and be safer in terms of possible contamination.

[WatsonT]

35. It's kind of funny

people really overreact to this sort of thing.

Yes they screwed up, big time, but it's the kind of thing that happens in the real world. Not some pernicious attack on our nations youth.

[brendan120678]

36. Since when does Margarita Mix have alcohol in it?

Accidentally poring Margarita Mix instead of Apple juice, okay - accidents happen sometimes. Pitchers are mislabeled.
But I still don't see how one can "accidentally" add tequila to a child's cup. Why would someone add tequila to apple juice?

[Frank Cannon]

38. When it's in a baby's sippy cup, apparently.

:shrug: