Mom sues Applebee's for serving her 5-year-old son a Long Island Ice Tea

by J.D. Griffioen (Subscribe to J.D. Griffioen's posts) Jan 9th 2006 2:35PM

I hate Applebee's. I hate everything about Applebee's, what the company represents ("neighborhood" restaurants in strip malls?), the food they serve, and in particular I hate Applebee's because my parents insist we go there every time I come home. I always say, "Isn't there some local restaurateur whose place of business we could support, preferably not something in Target's parking lot?" And my mom says, "But I just love their Chinese chicken salad." To which I respond by saying something about how the Chinese don't eat chicken salads.

Well, you can imagine my delight when I read the story about the Applebee's Neighborhood Bar and Grill™ in Battery Park City, New York that is being sued for $75,000 by a woman who claims the friendly neighborhood bar and grille served to her 5-year-old child a delicious concoction of white rum, gin, vodka, triple sec, Coke and sweet-and-sour mix instead of the apple juice she ordered. The mother, Cynthia Pereles, claims her son's eyes became glazed over an dhe started laughing uncontrollably. "When you're looking at your 5-year-old and you're asking him, quiet down Seth, sit still and you see that mentally and physically he cannot comply with what you're asking him to do because he is under the influence," Pereles said without finishing her sentence. I'll finish it for her, "you'd best sue the cheesy wall-decor off your local neighborhood Applebee's and show me the money."

Comments (28)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

James 3-09-2006 @ 4:25PM

To that person that wants more mexican restaurants, I say go to mexico. This is AMERICA and nothing is better than good old fashion american cooking like that at applebees.

I HATE MEXICAN RESTAURANTS..THEY STINK!!!

AT LEASE PEOPLE AT APPLEBEES SPEAK DAMN ENGLISH.

MORE AMAERICAN RESTAURANTS LESS MEXICANS.

Ben 12-13-2008 @ 7:36PM

I just went there tonight and I HATE IT ! My mom took me for my birthday. To here demise I just sat there txting while they (mom and dad) ate. I swear the food always smells so bad like it was sitting on a septic tank over flowing in July in the HEAT of Texas. People that work there are usually Air-Headed college students that have nothing else on there minds but where is the next party and how many customers can they sleep with. You can never get good service there because the waitress can not here you over the loud music. I will say I was wanting a home cooked dinner. That is always better and and usually better for your health as you know what is IN IT! I am sure my Mother knows that I do not like the establishment because every time she wants to go and I have to go with her I never order anything. Tonight my father asked me and he noticed the trend of events (thank God someone in my family has not lost it).

Chuck 2-21-2010 @ 1:41AM

As a prior employee of Applebee's, this mistake happens more often than people think. It is against company policy for employees to drink while on the clock. In some states it is against the law. Most likely, the bartender put his own Long Island in a kid's cup to hide it from management. The bartender also probably left it on the service rail, and the waiter was in a hurry, saw the kid's cup, and ran it to the table. The real person that should be fired is the bartender. As a rule, no alcohol should ever go into a kid's cup, and the person who controls the alcohol is the bartender.
Is it worth $75K? I'm sure mom will settle out of court for a few hundred in gift cards.

Jenny 1-09-2006 @ 2:43PM

I hate Applebee's too. Mostly I hate them because I've been there a couple of times with a friend in a wheelchair, and their layout is such that you can sit at the tables around the bar (too high for a wheelchair) or you can try to get the wheelchair up two stairs to the regular tables. It is the least ADA friendly restaurant I've ever seen. And then there is the food.

So that's a funny story, though I'm sure it wasn't funny for the mom. Hope she gets a good settlement.

Jeff 4-19-2009 @ 9:59AM

I made a grave error by going to the Crapplebees in Jacksonville, florida regency square location. First off the place was like a walk in freezer, we asked the server 3 times then the manager to turn it off, the freezing air never was turned off the whole hour we stayed. next the margaritas i ordered were horrible tasting and had zero alcohol, rot gut at its finest.
Then we ordered the $20 deal and got spinach dip which came out with a pube on the dish. Disgusting!!! No silverware or napkins were brought to the table till after we had received the entrees. Now the Riblets are some kind of unidentifiable meat, I figure its possum back or some kind of very small forest-dwelling wallabies also known as pademelons (genus Thylogale)!!!!!!!!!! And since i am not used to eating such a creature i was up all night burping and passing gas! No i say to anyone asking me to go to Applebees, neigh i mean,NEVER AGAIN!! Please avoid that place like your life depends on it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ann Adams 1-09-2006 @ 4:40PM

I've been there once and I don't like it either. Overpriced for families, much too noisy, the seats are way too high for we vertically challenged folk and here, at least, the service isn't great.

Ours sits closer to Walmart than Target.

Missy 1-09-2006 @ 5:50PM

Gosh, I just don't like Applebee's because of the crappy, overpriced food. Don't get me started on the service.

What I don't understand is that these places are so McDonald's-ized (e.g. everything is so streamlined and assembly line like) and yet, the orders still get messed up, the food still gets over or undercooked, the service is bad, etc. There would've been no Applebee's 50 years ago and the service and quality of food for your real neighborhood diner was probably unparalleled (although it may have been a heart attack on a plate...but that's a good thing!).

How in the hell does one mistake a long island iced tea for a friggin' apple juice?! You've gotta be real smart to do that...

Phil 1-09-2006 @ 6:04PM

Wow, I kinda like Applebee's so I guess I'm in the minority, but I guess I would think twice about going to a restaurant that served a drink like that to a 5 year old! :-) Yeah, the waiter screwed up, but maybe mom had a cold, 'cause that's about the only way she couldn't have smelled a Long Island iced tea across a table with all that alcohol in it!

meg 1-09-2006 @ 7:57PM

I could never smell a drink from across atable, especially if I'm dealing wiht kids. And I HATE Applebee's. The food is gross and decor is dumb. Luckily there are literally hundreds, if not a thousand restaurants within a 10 mile radius of my home so I never have to there.

I hope she wins enough money to put them out of business! Wishful thinking...

Phil 1-10-2006 @ 1:00AM

LOL Then you haven't smelled a good Long Island :-) Yeah, the waiter would need to lose his job over this, but trying to put the restaurant out of business? Don't think so. Yeah, there needs to be definite accountability on the part of the restaurant, but if I was the parent, I'd feel pretty stupid not noticing that there might be something wrong with the huge glass being given to my child. Assuming they made the drink right, a Long Island Iced Tea looks nothing like apple juice.

Jerry 1-10-2006 @ 12:30PM

How about a $75,000 fine for the delinquent mother keeping her 5 year old out till 10pm and taking him to a resteraunt where he was "acting up" (and annoying the hell out of other patrons, I'm sure. Drunk from 2 "sips" of a LI Iced Tea? Bull! What does her kid weigh. 2 1/2 pounds?? His eyes were glazed over bcause his mother was likely making as ass of herself in public. By the way, I don't like Applebees food, but like stupid people even less!

L. 1-10-2006 @ 1:54PM

Huh? Is it a crime to take kids out past their bedtime? I`ve taken my kids out after midnight, when they were jetlagged.

I Googled this story to find out more -- apparently, the waiter served it to him in a kiddie cup. It doesn`t sound like an innocent mistake to me. It sounds like the waiter spiked the kid`s drink.

d_odds 1-10-2006 @ 3:03PM

Not to defend Applebees, but this story sounds about as true as the Wendy's/finger-in-the-chili story. Maybe the wait staff (waiter and bartender) are stupid enough to consciously do something like this, but that's really pushing it. My first take is that Mom is trying to cash in at Applebee's expense.

Drk 1-10-2006 @ 3:26PM

TO the person who made the statement about the mother smelling the drnk, first klet the record show the cup was covered, 2ndly isn't the waiters/waitress job to ensure the right drinks ae being served before they hand them iver to the customer. lastly why isn't the person who prepared the drink being named, the waiter delivered not prepared it.

Jason 1-10-2006 @ 4:49PM

Anyone check this out with Snopes? (http://www.snopes.com/) Sounds like the makings of a good Urban Legend.

Scott Larson 1-11-2006 @ 10:04AM

I used to work at Applebee's about 3 years ago. The waiters are running around with their heads cut off half the time. The bartender is the one making the drink, even the apple juice. So it's really the bartender's fault. The waiter see's the cup after the bartender tells them their drink is ready. The waiter too much in a hurry, gives the child the drink, then they run off to get 300 napkins for some idiot that nocked their drink over.

Also, at my store, the service is extremely regulated. You have secret shoppers that can fire you on the spot if you mess up too much. So, people are really trying to do the best they can as fast as they can.

mike 1-11-2006 @ 10:08AM

I think its stupid to sue a place over this... Was the kid severly hurt and or killed? NO he wasnt. If this really did happen the person made a mistake, Applebee's admited to the mistake and appologized and the person was fired from what I heard. This should be enough an appology. This is the reason why so many lawyers are getting rich off stupid things like this. There are way to many sue happy people out there!!!!!!

Scott 1-11-2006 @ 2:30PM

I agree entirely with mike in response #13 - this is a funny story you tell your family later, certainly not a reason to sue. Someone made a mistake with no ramifications whatsoever - get over it. Our society has become so incredibly litigious that everything is someone else's fault and they deserve to pay for it.

Put yourself in their place. How would you like it if you were that server who made the mistake, and someone sued your company for $75,000 because of it? The humiliation and embarrassment of having made the mistake and being fired is enough. By the way, if your response to that question is something like "I wouldn't have made the mistake", then take a step back, open your mind, and consider it again. Everyone screws up. Everyone.

lee 1-12-2006 @ 1:46AM

First off the child told his mom it tasted funny, i think if my son said something wasn't right i think i would smell or taste it not make him drink it and order another one???? And also to leave the store not say anything to anyone and sue a few weeks later sounds really serious. A long island ice tea is hard for me to drink i really seriously hope a 5 year old would know that it wasn't apple juice. And applebee's is just serving what every other place in the world is serving and with so many locations they must be doing something RIGHT!

Kris 1-12-2006 @ 2:36PM

There was a stupid mistake! If a 5 yr old spoke up with a concern it sounds like the parent dropped the ball. How much did this kid drink? Applebees may not be the greatest place, but people have jobs and no one is perfect. When a child is young, parents should pay attention to their child's food and I guess even more so with their drink to make sure is not sour milk or alcohol!

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