how does one mistake a sippy cup for a Margarita glass??

Toddler Mistakenly Served Alcohol at Applebee's
15-month-old's blood alcohol level was .10

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WJBK) - A big scare for an Oak Park family, their toddler was accidentally served alcohol in a kids meal at Applebee's. After a few swigs from his sippy cup, the 15-month-old boy needed a ride to the hospital. Taylor Dill-Reese says her son started acting strangely after drinking what she thought was apple juice. So, she tasted it and discovered the cup contained an alcoholic margarita mix.

Click on the video player to hear what else the mother told Fox 2's Simon Shaykhet.

The incident allegedly happened at 4:30pm Friday at the Applebee's on 14 Mile Rd. After being checked out by doctors, the family learned the boy's blood alcohol level was .10 -- over the legal limit for an adult driver.

"Nobody at the table ordered alcoholic drinks," said Dill-Reese. "So, he definitely shouldn't have received one."

The mom says a manager apologized to the family but didn't know what else to do. Thankfully the child is okay after being checked out at the hospital. Applebee's issued a statement calling the incident "unacceptable" and promised to work with local authorities and even conduct their own investigation.

What a mess. I feel sorry for the parents. Somebody's going to get fired and jail time.

Noone at the table ordered alchohol and the parents didnt smell it in the cup or on the babies breath?

I smell a scam...

tinaz said:

Noone at the table ordered alchohol and the parents didnt smell it in the cup or on the babies breath?

I smell a scam...

That was no accident.

I have a hard time imagining an infant sucking down alcohol like it's apple juice. Most infants I'd imagine would refuse to drink it.

Why can't this ever happen to me when I go to Applebee's?

it's happened before http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19252488

I guess Applebee's still keeps their apple juice and alcohol in similar looking containers (on a busy night, with less than brilliant staff....)

as for the parents ~ since the kid's cup is covered, you can't smell the alcohol unless you take off the cover/lid (and it's not likely to smell alcohol on a kids' breath if they don't talk much to begin with and/or aren't sitting right next to you.. food also might cover up the smell)

One of the ppl on facebook that commented on the story said it happened to him too in California at a diff. restaurant.. he said they had a nasty waitress who made a crack about the kid in Spanish (not realizing the father spoke Spanish).. when she brought their 18 mo old his drink, he screamed when he tasted it - when dad tasted it, it was alcohol so they complained to the manager, who didn't believe them, and left w/o paying

SaraWright10 said:

Why can't this ever happen to me when I go to Applebee's?

bring your own sippee cup!

I know it's not supposed to be funny, since the child could've died. But you gotta admit, the thought of a child getting high is just a little friggin' hilarious!!!

I feel so guilty and horrible for laughing at this, though...

note to self: order apple the juice.

I don't know how...but I have a feeling johnart is behind this.

Genesia said:

I don't know how...but I have a feeling johnart is behind this.

he's a good boy now.. gave up that devil water....

ZombieKitten said:

SaraWright10 said:

Why can't this ever happen to me when I go to Applebee's?

bring your own sippee cup!

gooood idea

Wow I'm surprised.

Babies are usually mean drunks.

PositivityNYC said:

Genesia said:

I don't know how...but I have a feeling johnart is behind this.

he's a good boy now.. gave up that devil water....

Ok let's not get carried away and take it so far as I'm all goody and pure all of a sudden. I'm wayyyyy from SciFi marathons and 2 inch "high" heels.

johnart said:

Wow I'm surprised.

Babies are usually mean drunks.

Genesia said:

johnart said:

Wow I'm surprised.

Babies are usually mean drunks.

Egggggggggggsaktly!~

johnart said:

PositivityNYC said:

he's a good boy now.. gave up that devil water....

Ok let's not get carried away and take it so far as I'm all goody and pure all of a sudden. I'm wayyyyy from SciFi marathons and 2 inch "high" heels.

:gasp:

Genesia said:

johnart said:

Wow I'm surprised.

Babies are usually mean drunks.

I forgot about her

SUPRMAN said:

I have a hard time imagining an infant sucking down alcohol like it's apple juice. Most infants I'd imagine would refuse to drink it.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Genesia said:

johnart said:

Wow I'm surprised.

Babies are usually mean drunks.

Bye bye Applebee's and take the time to learn a thing or two about customer service while you're unemployed. Bastards.

unbelievable Someone needs to get fired

SoulAlive said:

unbelievable Someone needs to get fired

the last time this happened with Applebee's, in 2007, they said it happened b/c the apple juice and whatever alcohol product were stored in similar looking containers and kept together in the kitchen --- they should have switched the apple juice container to something different for all locations..

at least then if it happens again, it's more likely malicious then just stupid human error..

I hope this one (only 15 months) is ok; he's a lot younger than the one in '07 (that boy was 2 yrs old)

Genesia said:

johnart said:

Wow I'm surprised.

Babies are usually mean drunks.

You are a gem!!!!

http://www2.tbo.com/conte...eland-oliv

Toddler mistakenly served sangria at Lakeland, FL Olive Garden

JASON BEHNKEN/STAFF

Nikolai VanHeest was served tropical sangria instead of orange juice in a plastic cup while at a Olive Garden on March 31.

By HOWARD ALTMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 13, 2011

Updated: 10:01 pm

The company that owns the Olive Garden restaurant chain has apologized and changed its policy on the way some drinks are served after a 2-year-old Lakeland boy was accidentally served sangria.

Nikolai VanHeest had nearly finished the drink in the green plastic Olive Garden cup, said his mother, when a waiter came over with a panicked look on his face.

She had ordered orange juice for her son, but the waiter told her the cup contained tropical sangria, said the boy's mother, Jill VanHeest. Sangria contains wine and fruit juices.

Moments later, a manager came over and apologized. VanHeest said no one offered to call an ambulance so she and her mother rushed the boy to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where she says he was treated for alcohol poisoning.

The incident occurred March 31. When she hadn't heard from managers at The Olive Garden restaurant on North Florida Avenue in Lakeland, she contacted an attorney, who reached out to the media.

On Wednesday, nearly two weeks later, Darden Restaurants, the Orlando-based company that owns Olive Garden, apologized for the incident and changed its policy on the way drinks are served.

"This was an extremely regrettable accident caused by the failure of an employee to follow our strict operating procedures," the company said in a statement. "We take this situation very seriously, and we are especially grateful that the child involved was not seriously harmed. We have absolutely no tolerance for failure to follow our operating procedures and we took swift, appropriate action to deal with this situation. Further, to prevent this situation from happening again, we will no longer prepare containers of Sangria in advance. It will be prepared from scratch when ordered, as is the case with all other alcoholic beverages."

VanHeest says Olive Garden's efforts to change their procedures are positive, but it doesn't change the frustrating event that happened to her.

This was the second recent incident of a restaurant chain serving a child alcohol. An Applebee's Restaurant in Michigan also accidently served a child a drink containing alcohol.

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, VanHeest said she had not decided what action, if any, to take. After watching her child "drunk" in the hospital – "he took one of the plastic chairs at the hospital and started riding it around like a horse," -- and seeing him suffer while nurses attempted to insert IVs, VanHeest said she doesn't want to see any other parent go through the same thing.

"How disorganized does a bar need to be to serve children alcohol?" VanHeest asked.

finally!
~ they should have done it when the first toddler in 2007 got served alcohol, but... better late than never