14 DAY TRIAL // Parents taking their kids to a New York restaurant for brunch on Sunday are furious over having them get drunk. The kids were ordered orange juice, but got mimosas instead.
The DeRoos describe taking their three daughters to the Bazil Restaurant in Rochester, New York. Their youngest girl is 2 years old, while the oldest is only seven years old.
Jeremy DeRoo recalls one of his daughters complaining about the unusual taste of the orange juice.
Her mother tasted it for her, but wrote off the odd taste as one belonging to a brand that they hadn't tried before. She gave the kids the OK to keep drinking the beverage.
Soon, other parents having their kids in the restaurant were saying the same thing, and one of them recognized the taste. They were being served mimosa cocktails instead of plain orange juice.
The waitress was alerted and she immediately offered apologies. All the children were brought milk instead, but not before the alcohol could take effect.
DeRoo tells WHAM-TV that the girls displayed signs of getting drunk that day. "Not wanting to get up," they would lie around all day.
"They pretty much just didn't want to do anything that they normally would do," he says. He also complains about the manager being absent, instead of coming to their table and apologizing.
"That's not good enough for us as parents, for having kids drunk and sleeping all day. [..] It's not fair. And these little kids shouldn't have had any alcohol, period," DeRoo reiterates.
Owner Danny Daniele explains that it was all a labeling issue with containers in the kitchen, as it was the first brunch ever offered at the Bazil.
He didn't know about the incident when it happened, but sent an apologetic email as soon as he found out. He also offered the family a refund.
"Our family's been in the restaurant business for well over 30 years and this is the first time I could remember anything like this possibly happening," Daniele explains.