A young mum is fuming after being told to “cover up or face a wall” while breastfeeding her son in a restaurant.
Outraged Lisa Dixon, 23, was at lunch with a friend when her one-year-old son Ethan become hungry so she started to feed him.
Seconds later, a waitress at Appia restaurant in Storrington, West Sussex, marched over and ordered the full-time-mum to either put her breast away or turn and face a wall – because ‘she was putting off other diners.’
But Lisa, from Pulborough, West Sussex, felt she was dismissively told off by a rude waitress while feeding baby Ethan.
She said: “It was the first time I have been in there. I am really angry. How dare someone ask me to cover my son’s head up to eat?
“There was literally just us and another couple in the restaurant.
“If my son needs feeding then my son needs to eat.
“The waitress just came up and said you can’t breastfeed unless you either cover up or you sit and face the wall away from customers.
“I just got up, gave my friend £20 to pay for my lunch and walked out.”
Owner Alfredo Paradiso admitted she was asked to “cover up” but denied she was told to face a wall, and said women are not stopped from breastfeeding in his restaurant.
He said: “I have got nothing against mothers breastfeeding their babies as long as they are discreet and they cover themselves up.
“I said to my wife to go tell her to cover herself up because there were other people in the restaurant.
“All my wife asked her to do was cover everything up because her breast was fully out in the open.
“We thought this was the best thing to do.
“She was here with her friend and there was no-one here at the time but when other people came in my wife said can you cover up or turn the other way?
“It is not like we stopped her breastfeeding her baby. All my wife asked her was to be discreet and cover it up.”
Alfredo said there had been no complaint from the other customers in the restaurant, but that it had been his decision.
He said: “I have got to look after my business.
“If you went out for a meal the last thing you would want to see is someone with their breasts out feeding their baby.
“I said ‘do feed the baby, I am not going to stop you but please try and be discreet for other customers.’
“If I am wrong I am wrong, but I can’t see anything wrong to say please cover yourself up while you are breastfeeding your baby.
“You have got to show decency to other people in the restaurant.”
