Texas Family Kicked Out of Applebee's, Given Notice of Criminal Trespassing
A Texas family wanting to enjoy dinner at a local Applebee's was left stunned when asked to leave because of the children's active behavior. The restaurant has since apologized for the incident, but the family is still in shock over the ordeal.
Eli and Katy Gau and his two children, 3-year-old Ryan and 1-year-old Ethan, were out at the restaurant when the children got a little rowdy.
"They're kind of active," Eli told KHOU 11 News. "They act like children. They're not adults."
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When Ryan wandered away from the table, Eli got up and brought him back, which is when the trouble started.
"I went and grabbed him," Eli explained. "As I was grabbing him and coming back, the manager was walking to me."
The manager explained that the children were being too disruptive and asked the family to leave. He explained that he had already called the authorities, who then met the Gau family as they exited the restaurant. A Harris County Sheriff's Deputy gave them a notice for criminal trespassing.
"I feel disrespected," the children's mother, Lillian Maliti said. "This has never happened in my life."
An Applebee's spokesperson has apologized profusely for the incident and admitted that the manager had mishandled the situation. The restaurant bills itself as "family friendly" and invited the Gau family back for dinner, free of charge.
"Our franchise owner-operator has apologized to the Guest and invited the party back into their restaurant to demonstrate the standard of service each of our Guests deserve to receive during the visit," a statement from the company notes. "As a brand, our focus is and must always be providing the best possible experience for all of our Guests at all times. When a disruption in our restaurants affects any of our Guests, it is the manager's responsibility to step in to resolve the situation."
"It is exceedingly rare that a situation requires the assistance of law enforcement, and our franchisee is using this instance as a teaching moment to better manage future disruptions in their restaurants," the statement concluded.
The Gau family will not be back, though, according to Eli.
"I feel heartbroken. I feel very sad," he explained.
