Playing it safe – restaurant managers in the South on play area rules
"We also always have a manager close by to the play area. No parent needs to worry here about their children not being supervised.”
ON Sunday March 19, a heated argument took place between two parents in Texamo Spur Restaurant, The Glen Shopping Centre, resulting in a video of the heated argument which went viral on social media.
Following this incident the RECORD did some investigating to find out how other popular family restaurants manage their play areas and what procedures are in place to deal with volatile situations between customers.
FUN TIME: Part of the safe play area.
The RECORD spoke to Breeze Meyer, partner of Calisto’s in Gillview, concerning their child play area, “We always have a member of staff watching the children’s play area, even if there’s only one child playing there. If we are busy there’s usually two staff members in attendance. The play area is never left unattended. We’ve even had compliments about how our child care staff interact with the children. We also always have a manager close by the play area. No parent needs to worry here about their children not being supervised.”
When asked how a similar situation, should it arise, would be handled at Calisto’s, he said, “We’ve never had a problem like this but if it did happen I’d hope the parent would ask a manager to sort it out in a fair, unbiased and amicable manner.”
CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS OUR CONCERN: Luigi Furnarello (manager).
The Fahrenheit Seafood and Grill at the Lemon Tree Shopping Centre in Alberton was also approached and asked they how they handle their play area following the Spur incident.
General Manager at The Fahrenheit, Tracey Van Niekerk spoke to the RECORD openly saying their open-plan play area is safely structured so parents do not have to worry. With three child minders who are trained to take care of children, this is why there have been no incidents since the restaurant was opened last year in November. “There are two floor managers who are constantly on the floor and the three child minders are all at work at our busiest times which is from Thursday to Monday. On the quieter days they alternate shifts as the play area is not as busy. We understand that children argue and most of them argue over the scooters in the play area. The child minders know that they are allowed to intervene,” said Van Niekerk.
RULES: No children over 15.
She went on to explain that they are lucky because most customers who are welcomed in the store all know each other and the children are all respectful little ones who know how to respect property and other children.
“The atmosphere is happy and vibey, and parents come to enjoy the night out with family and friends. Parents know that they do not have to worry about their children as they can constantly see and keep an eye on them. The child minders learn the children and parents by name and they are there to take the children off the parents’ hands for a little while,” said Van Niekerk.
As the manager can’t be present 24/7, Van Niekerk advised that they manage, equip and empower the staff to take control of situations, should one ever arise.
WELCOME: Play time for children.
READ: BREAKING NEWS: Parent dispute over alleged child bullying at The Glen Spur
COMMENTS
According to Spur Corporation, they would like to issue an unequivocal apology to Lebohang Mabuya and her family for the incident that took place at the Texamo Spur at The Glen Shopping Centre in Johannesburg on Sunday March 19.
“We have reviewed our CCTV footage of the incident and can confirm that Ms Mabuya’s version of events is accurate; the footage shows that her child was grabbed by the male customer in an aggressive manner and his actions are unacceptable.
“We affirm our decision to ban the male customer from our stores; physical aggression towards our customers, particularly against women and children, will not be tolerated. We acknowledge that the staff and management of the store did not sufficiently assist Ms Mabuya. We have addressed this with the store management and we are reviewing our internal procedures to ensure that restaurant staff are better equipped to manage an incident such as this. We also recognize that Ms Mabuya apologised in recent media statements for her inappropriate language used in this incident.”
Says Pierre van Tonder; “We will be talking to Ms Mabuya directly, at her convenience, and will apologise for what she and her family experienced. We will also offer her and her family trauma counselling and any other support where we can. I would like to again make it very clear that as an organisation we do not condone any forms of violence against women or children, irrespective of the circumstances. As an organisation we have learnt a valuable lesson and it is my priority at this stage to ensure that should something like this happen again, our staff will be sufficiently prepared.”
Glen Maboe, General Manager of The Glen Shopping Centre, was also asked for comment: “On Sunday evening, March 19, security personnel responded to a panic alert from the Texamo Spur restaurant where an altercation between two customers occurred. As a family orientated centre, we condemn all violent acts.”
What are your views on children’s play areas? Email: juliem@caxton.co.za
NOTE: The RECORD approached the Spur at The Glen requesting the video footage from prior to the incident and from the play area. Both requests were denied by a Spur employee. The store was called at around 08:30 on Friday, March 24, asking for more insight into the story. The employee clearly stated that the footage cannot be released as there are strict communication orders. When the RECORD called a second time asking for that to be put in writing, this request was also denied. According to the employee only the media statement is allowed to be released.
WATCH: Spur releases CCTV footage of altercation:
Also Read:
Friendship Picnic teaches children to share
Children treated to a day of fun
For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also email our offices on cvdwalt@caxton.co.za, juliem@caxton.co.za or luckyt@caxton.co.za
Add us on WhatsApp today! Alberton Record: 060 644 5264 Comaro Chronicle: 079 427 8074 and Southern Courier: 079 404 5789.
