Dad Says He’s Planning A Peaceful 50-Person Stroller Protest After Restaurant Bans Strollers
Restaurants banning kids isn’t anything new, nor is it particularly unpopular for some parents who would like a meal away from unruly screaming as well. But when father Jason Desroches, his wife Andrea Chilcott, and their 16-month-old daughter were asked to leave Flips, a breakfast restaurant in Canada, because he had a stroller, he was incensed. Flips reportedly has a strict no-strollers policy due to insurance purposes, which means a “peaceful” protest with all of his mom and dad stroller friends is in order.
The Sun reports that strollers are a no no in the restaurant due to space, but the manager is initially very roundabout in conveying this:
”We can refuse any patrons, our lawyer said, for any reason whatsoever,” [the manager, Bill] said. ”It’s not a public place.”
In a follow-up phone call, the manager said Flips allows for seeing guide dogs and wheelchairs ”because that’s common sense,” but for safety reasons, bans skateboards, rollerblades, and baby strollers.
”Our place is extremely small,” Bill said. ”We’re fair. We’ve had people on rollerblades come in here, falling down on tables and next thing you know, lawsuits. We don’t have anyone ever make a big stink (over the rules).”
Jason says that this no-strollers policy is not posted anywhere, which is a major pain in his breakfast consumption. According to Toronto human rights lawyer Selwyn Pieters, this could also be considered discriminatory:
”All establishments in Ontario that provide a service is covered under the [Ontario Human Rights Code],” Pieters said. ”As long as it’s not an adult-only establishment, and they’re just discriminating because they don’t like the idea of strollers in there or children disturbing other customers having supper ”” that could be a case of discrimination. These establishments ought to take measures to accommodate families to the point of undue hardship.”
Naturally, Jason is planning to hit up all his parent friends to take down the man STROLLER STYLE:
“We’re probably going to show up with a stroller just to spite these people. I have like 50 friends with children in strollers and we’re going to go in one by one to be turned away and then we’ll just block the place for like an hour. A peaceful protest, that’s it, that’s all. Nonviolent.”
Oh, and he and his wife are threatening legal action, too, to appropriately complement that “nonviolent” stroller protest. I need photos of this.
(photo: briberry)
