Sunday, June 17, 2007

Restaurant serves margarita to toddler

Associated PressPublished
June 17, 2007

ANTIOCH, Calif. -- Kim Mayorga was confused when her 2-year-old started making funny faces and pushing away the apple juice he had ordered at Applebee's.
The explanation came when she opened the lid of the sippy cup and was hit by the smell of tequila and triple sec.
The restaurant staff accidentally gave Julian Mayorga a margarita Monday. He grew drowsy and started vomiting a few hours later and was rushed to the hospital.
"I wasn't going to make a big deal about it," the mother told the Contra Costa Times on Thursday, "but then he got sick."
The apple juice and margarita mix were stored in identical plastic bottles, and the manager mistakenly grabbed the margarita container to pour the boy's drink, said Randy Tei, vice president for Apple Bay East Inc., which owns the franchise restaurant and nine other Applebee's in the San Francisco Bay area.
The Mayorgas will be reimbursed for medical bills, and Tei said the franchise group's restaurants will no longer serve apple juice and margaritas in similar containers.
The serving appeared to have been accidental, Antioch Police Lt. Pat Welch said. Mayorga said her son is now doing fine.She said the company has been very apologetic.

Restaurant Association Sues City Over Calorie Counts

June 16, 2007
Some restaurant owners are fighting City Hall over a new rule that would force them list calories on their menu boards.
The New York State Restaurant Association filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday trying to get a judge to dump the regulation.
Set to take effect July 1st, the rule would require calorie counts to appear in the same type size as the item and price.
It applies only to restaurants that serve standardized portions and have already been making calorie information available since March.
But the NYSRA argues the regulation violates its members' First Amendment rights, and that it unfairly punishes those who have been trying to make nutrition facts available.
The Health Department says it just wants restaurants to display the information where it will be seen.

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