Kids meals priced by weight
Categories: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Eating & nutrition, In the news, Mealtime
The management of the Oulton Hall Hotel near Leads in the UK have an odd sense of humor. They thought they would have a 'bit of fun' and make parents pay for their children's Sunday dinner based on weight. Not the weight of the food the child consumes, but the weight of the child. A kid who weighs 5st (70 pounds) would be charged £5, with the price increasing along with the weight of the child.
Child obesity expert Professor Paul Gateley isn't laughing and believes the public weigh-ins would be humiliating for a child . "What child wants to be pulled on to scales and judged? The undoubted outcome is that they will feel bad. It's especially likely to upset girls, who tend to become aware of their weight as early as seven."
Oulton Hall spokesman Nigel Massey thinks Gateley just needs to get over it. "There will no doubt be people who say it's not politically correct and have a grumble about it. Well, frankly they should get a life and stop being so miserable." Ah, that 'screw you' attitude is so refreshing in the hospitality industry.
Massey goes on to say that the pay-as-you-weigh program is entirely voluntary and was conceived as a way to help parents save a bit of money when dining out. If a child declines to be weighed, the regular kid's meal price of £11.25 will be charged, which is half of the adult meal.
I am not all that great with math and less so when it involves converting weights and monies, but it does seem like this would be a good deal for parents with young and small children. But the program is open to kids as old as 15. Do you think think Professor Gateley is being overly sensitive? Or should he, as Massey suggests, stop being so miserable?
Child obesity expert Professor Paul Gateley isn't laughing and believes the public weigh-ins would be humiliating for a child . "What child wants to be pulled on to scales and judged? The undoubted outcome is that they will feel bad. It's especially likely to upset girls, who tend to become aware of their weight as early as seven."
Oulton Hall spokesman Nigel Massey thinks Gateley just needs to get over it. "There will no doubt be people who say it's not politically correct and have a grumble about it. Well, frankly they should get a life and stop being so miserable." Ah, that 'screw you' attitude is so refreshing in the hospitality industry.
Massey goes on to say that the pay-as-you-weigh program is entirely voluntary and was conceived as a way to help parents save a bit of money when dining out. If a child declines to be weighed, the regular kid's meal price of £11.25 will be charged, which is half of the adult meal.
I am not all that great with math and less so when it involves converting weights and monies, but it does seem like this would be a good deal for parents with young and small children. But the program is open to kids as old as 15. Do you think think Professor Gateley is being overly sensitive? Or should he, as Massey suggests, stop being so miserable?
Recent Posts
- Weekend Fun and Games (7/03/2009)
- Kids and Extracurriculars - When Do You Let Them Quit? (7/03/2009)
- Twitter Follow Friday on ParentDish! (7/03/2009)
- Lush Lashes (7/03/2009)
- Abigail Breslin Makes $13 a Week (7/03/2009)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul Cyopick 8-28-2008 @ 1:08PM
I took my 8 and twin 5 year old's strawberry picking in the spring. They should have weighed the kids before and after picking, and charged me the difference.
Hey, a bit of embarrassment might be just what is needed to trim a few people down.
Reply
Mary 8-28-2008 @ 1:16PM
A private business can do whatever it likes. If people don't like it, then they can take their business elsewhere.
Reply
Nancy 8-28-2008 @ 1:58PM
A restaurant in southern Calif does the same thing. If you have a small (young) child you make out like a bandit! If the kids don't want to get on the scale there's no pressure - the parents just pay a little more. My son is always ready to hop on the scale but I have seen kids there that just say no and the matter is dropped.
Reply
Jillian 8-28-2008 @ 2:01PM
When I was a kid there was a restaurant that did "Pay-What-You-Weigh" for kids...not only did it save my parents money, but I liked going because it made that restaurant special, something different than everywhere else.
So...I don't see anything wrong with it. If a kid is overweight and the parents are concerned about embarrasment, just don't go to that restaurant.
Reply
Tamyu 8-28-2008 @ 7:39PM
The biggest problem I see with this is that a lot of times, the weight of the child gives no reflection of how much they`re going to eat.
Sure it would be a great money saver for children who are very light - my son is underweight but eats a frightening amount - it`s simply more depressing for parents whose children are larger but eat very little.
They really should charge by the weight of the meal itself. That would alleviate all of the problems - those who eat more pay more.
Reply