Applebee's serves a 5 year old a Long Island Ice Tea

[lillygator]

I don't believe it either.

exactly.....wonder what was the entire order of drinks for the table?

 

[summerrluvv]

Second, if it was a LIIT, the kid surely would have said, "hey mom, this tastes funny". A 5 year old knows what apple juice is supposed to taste like. Without any further details, my bet goes to false story.

I know my son and I know he would drink anything put in front of him without questioning it. The kid drinks rice milk and thinks it tastes good, enough said LOL.

 

[N.Bailey]

I'm not sure i believe it either. I know LIIT are strong but would he really have glazed eyes and be giggly after two sips?

I kind of agree with you after finding out he only had 2 sips, but the why would the manager acknowledge that he knew it was a Long Island Ice Tea? Of course that's the mother's version as Applebees refuses to comment.

I don't think this one will go to court either. Applebees is going to pay to keep it as quiet as possible.

IMO, this does not reflect on them as a company, but rather a few employees that should not have been there in the 1st place if they'd pull something like this.

Edit: If the mother took that cup of Long Island Ice Tea and had it tested, IMO, it's over for Applebees. That's exactly what I would have done, but the articles make no mention of that whatsoever.

 

[Beth76]

I'm not sure i believe it either. I know LIIT are strong but would he really have glazed eyes and be giggly after two sips?

I don't think so. My husband gave my then 3yo son a sip of his wine and my son tipped the cup and he got a pretty big gulp. This was before dinner. It wasn't until after dinner that my son started giggling and falling off the chair. So after two sips, he'd still be acting normal. I think anyway.

 

[summerrluvv]

I'm not sure i believe it either. I know LIIT are strong but would he really have glazed eyes and be giggly after two sips?

Taken from the FDA site:

"Alcohol can cause drunkenness as well as serious poisoning leading to seizures, coma, and even death in young children. Children are more sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol than are adults, and it doesn't take much alcohol to produce such effects. "

 

[summerrluvv]

I don't think so. My husband gave my then 3yo son a sip of his wine and my son tipped the cup and he got a pretty big gulp. This was before dinner. It wasn't until after dinner that my son started giggling and falling off the chair. So after two sips, he'd still be acting normal. I think anyway.

I believe there is a much greater alcohol content in a long island iced tea than a sip of wine. I'm a lightweight when it comes to drinking and I'm drunk from half of a LIIT.

 

[DisneyGirl]

The lawyer sued in federal court. When you file suit in federal court for diversity jurisdiction (jurisdiction arising from the fact the parties reside in two different states, instead of a federal question (e.g., antitrust)), the threshold amount you have to sue for is $75,000, so that's where the amount came from.

 

[golfgal]

Who's to say that the parents didn't "switch" the drinks to try to get some money because we know all parent are perfect and wouldn't do something like that to their children for a couple bucks.


About the McDonalds thing, I don't care how hot the coffee is YOU DON"T PUT A HOT LIQUID BETWEEN YOUR LEGS WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING A CAR! I understand that she was seriously injured but she was STUPID! Where in the heck is her responsibility in this. Guess what folks, COFFEE IS HOT!

 

[laura001]

I believe she deserves something, also some answers and proof to make sure they are taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. $75,000.00 is CRAZY!

 

[Nancy]

I was also wondering about a 5 yr old drinking that. That is one strong drink. I don't know a 5 yr old that wouldn't turn his/her nose up at it and say YUCK.

I can't even tolerate drinking it and I love to drink!

 

[Aidensmom]

There is something wrong with this story.

Applebees (as do most places) serves kid's drinks in a plastic cup with a lid and straw. If my son was served in a regular glass, I would have found that strange and would have tasted it just to make sure it wasn't regular iced tea, as I don't let him have caffiene.

If it was served in the plastic cup, there is no way that was an accident. And if someone INTENTIONALLY served my 5 year old alcohol, not only would I be suing, but I would make sure they spent a good amount of time in jail.

 

[drakethib]

I'm shocked so many are saying no big deal. If it were my 5 year old child, I'd be absolutely livid! I wouldn't care if was accidental or purposely done. IMO, accidents like that should not happen and if the employees are that careless, I don't think they should be working around alcohol.

I just can't even wrap my brain around the thought that this could have happened accidentally though. How do you get alcohol into a sippy cup? How does that happen if not intentional?

I have no comment on the fact that they're talking a lawsuit. I'll defer to the jurors to decide that one.

I would not be happy with the deal if it were my child and I would definetly let the manager know what happened and probably chew some butt, but to sue for $75,000? Come on. We have enough BS cases in court already.

Again, I am not saying this is ok, but I think there is a great deal or over reaction to this.

I still don't know if I believe it to be 100% true anyways.

 

[N.Bailey]

I would not be happy with the deal and I would definetly let the manager know what happened, but to sue for $75,000? Come on. We have enough BS cases in court already.

Again, I am not saying this is ok, but I think there is a great deal or over reaction to this.

I believe the reason for seeking $75,000 has already been answered. Unless we find out this mother did this intentionally though, I do believe the family deserves something. Not so much due to damages. There don't seem to be any actually, but that still does not give an employee the right to decide when it's acceptable to hand a 5 year old anything with alcohol in it. No one will ever convince me this was accidental. Accidental would be delivering the wrong drinks to the wrong table.

The only question left in my mind is, did the mother intentionally put alcohol in her son's drink, or was it the waiter? IMO, one or the other belongs in at least jail and maybe even prison!

The restaurant (according to the links) has taken responsibility and they don't appear to have returned calls to the mother (prolly legal advice?) and I'm sure that PO'd the mom pretty bad and helped convince her to pursue the legal venues available to her. Applebees has issued no statements that we're aware of, but they should have sucked up to this mother big time instead of blowing her off. That of course is the mother's version (I assume anyway), so it may not be totally accurate either.

 

[DawnCt1]

I have yet to go to a restaurant where they have sippy cups??!!! Cups with lids and a straw yes.....


but really what is the big deal? Definitely not worth $75k....

You mean you haven't gone into restaurants with young children and have them served in a child cup complete with kiddie designs and a special curly straw, meant specifically for kids??? An adult would have never been served any beverage in such a thing. Ground Round, Friendly's, are just a couple of places that come to mind that have kid cups. Whatever was done, had to be deliberate. A Long Island Ice tea is almost all liquor with a splash of Coke. Alcohol in a toddler or a young child can be lethal. Maybe it isn't worth $75K. Maybe its worth more!

 

[lillygator]

You mean you haven't gone into restaurants with young children and have them served in a child cup complete with kiddie designs and a special curly straw, meant specifically for kids??? An adult would have never been served any beverage in such a thing. Ground Round, Friendly's, are just a couple of places that come to mind that have kid cups. Whatever was done, had to be deliberate. A Long Island Ice tea is almost all liquor with a splash of Coke. Alcohol in a toddler or a young child can be lethal. Maybe it isn't worth $75K. Maybe its worth more!

a cup with a lid and straw and a sippy cup are two different things, a sippy cup introduces a child to drinking, it usually has a mouthpiece type thing to drink out of which has a controlled flow of the liquid.

Of course, most all restaurants provide a plastic cup with a lid and straw but I have never been to one with a sippy cup. We have taken our own sippy cups and ordered water/milk/juice and put our own in.

 

[MamaLema]

**** happens. I wish I got $75K everytime it happened to me.

I'm having a hard time believing the kid drank more than one sip. There are four shots of different liquors in a Long Island Ice Tea. And the 5 year old liked it enough to keep drinking it after one sip?????

Very well said

 

[cardaway]

Maybe I missed it if somebody pointed this out, but are the parents blind? No way a LIIT looks anything like apple juice. If it did, that isn't apple juice I would want anybody drinking.

Mistake by the server or the parents pulling a scam. No way it's worth anything but the manager picking up the check that day.

 

[DawnCt1]

Maybe I missed it if somebody pointed this out, but are the parents blind? No way a LIIT looks anything like apple juice. If it did, that isn't apple juice I would want anybody drinking.

Mistake by the server or the parents pulling a scam. No way it's worth anything but the manager picking up the check that day.

Kiddie cups are usually opaque so how would the parents see the color of the liquid. I have always been surprised how "unalcoholic" LIIT's taste. Furthermore young children seem to have a tolerance for the taste of alcohol. Most toddlers like the taste of beer. (YUCK). Would you agree that if it were a Long Island Ice Tea put by server in a kid's cup, that it couldn't have been a mistake?
You do realize that management is responsible for the mistakes or acts of servers? You do realize that the amount of alcohol in a LIIT could be potentially lethal for a young child? If you were accidently served antifreeze instead of a lime rickey, would a manager comping your bill satisfy you?

 

[cardaway]

Kiddie cups are usually opaque so how would the parents see the color of the liquid.

Maybe I missed it, where is the proof that it was in a "kiddie cup"? If it was, that more than anything would make me doubt the parents. No bartender would put that in a kiddie cup.

 

[DawnCt1]

Maybe I missed it, where is the proof that it was in a "kiddie cup"? If it was, that more than anything would make me doubt the parents. No bartender would put that in a kiddie cup.

No "responsible" parent would put that in a kiddie cup but I heard specifically on the news the other day that it was in a kiddie cup. It will be up to the courts to decide. Again, I think that Applebee's will accept culpability in this case and it will be settled out of court.