GLEN BURNIE, Md. – A Maryland woman said she was shocked after an Outback Steakhouse manager told her family to leave after getting a complaint about her 4-year-old son, who has special needs.
Amanda Braun says her son Killian was born with childhood apraxia of speech, which makes it hard for him to communicate.
“He is a very energetic kid with much to say, however when he speaks his words are unclear,” Braun said. “A man approached our table about 5 minutes after our food was brought out and introduced himself as the manager.”
Braun said the manager asked how their meals were and informed them that another diner had complained about the noises Killian was making.
“He said that he was very uncomfortable coming to our table to tell us that, but unfortunately we needed to finish our meals and leave,” Braun wrote.
Braun told WJLA there was some noise, but it wasn’t constant.
“Our son stayed with us in our booth,” she told WJLA. “There weren’t many people around us as we were seated in the very back of the restaurant to accommodate our party size.”
The Maryland mother said the experience left her in “total shock.”
“As an apology he gave us a $20 outback credit to use at a later date. But needless to say there isn’t going to be a later date.”
The parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, did not immediately respond to questions about Braun’s post, but a spokeswoman did tell the Washington Post the company apologized for what happened.