It’s a feud that is going viral with every parent and non-parent weighing in on who was right and who was wrong.
A family of three went to a local cafe in the city of Portland, Maine in the US. As they were enjoying their breakfast, their daughter became upset and the owner and chef yelled at the two-year-old to be quiet.
Both sides have told their story to the local Portland news site WCSH6.
Darla Neugebauer, owner and chef of Marcy’s Diner, tells WCSH6 that the parents ordered three full size pancakes for their two-year-old. In the interview, she is shocked at why parents would insist on ordering such a big meal for their child. When the order came out, Neugebauer says that instead of giving the child her pancakes, the parents put the plate out of reach of the child. Causing her to scream and cry.
Neugebauer says that she asked the parents to leave due to the noise their child was making. But they refused. Eventually, it got too much for Neugebauer who was concerned for her staff and 75 other patrons. She says she slammed her palms on the counter between the kitchen and cafe and said, “This needs to stop” while looking at the child. She says the child stopped crying, the mum said in shock, “Are you screaming at my child?” and then the parents left.
The version of events is a little different from mum, Tara Carson. Carson says that her daughter was crying for about 10 minutes. Nothing out of the normal, according to her. That's when the owner, Neugebauer, screamed in the child's face to "shut the hell up".
When Carson confronted Neugebauer, "Are you really yelling at a child right now?", Carson says Neugebauer said, "Yes, I am. She (the two-year-old) needs to shut the hell up and go".
Carson says she then turned to her two-year-old whose "eyes were full of fear" and explained to her that she was raising her not to act like Neugebauer.
Watch the full interview here and post continues after the video (yes there's even more to this story).
Carson took to Facebook to complain about Marcy's Diner.
In a post that has since been deleted, she wrote:
I had the worst experience at this establishment. The owner is an absolute lunatic and screamed in the face of my almost 2 year old child bc she was crying. Who in their right mind would behave like this unless you are deranged. You have a problem with a child crying then you are not suitable to run a business. If it bothered you so much you should have spoken to me and not traumatised my child by screaming in her face. May karma bit you in the a@@.
Neugebauer replied to the comment on Facebook:
It all started because YOUR PARTY NEEDED 3 full size pancakes for this 2 year old! 3 f****** pancakes at Marcy's! I believe right there should have told me you were ignorant! The waitress even told you there was an issue with 3 full size pancakes from marcy's! But no! You want them for yup a ******* child! Whatever!! I have a very small space both on my grill and in my diner! So it takes a moment! So when things get busy we wait! After your 4th attempt to shut her up I asked you to pack up either your rotten child or take the so important pancakes and go.....but NNNOOOOOOOO you just sit there and let your ******* screaming kid go! and piss off my staff and my patrons! **** you! And guess what? She shut the **** up after I yelled from 5 feet away! I was in your stupid husband's face I was in! the without any balls! I have a business to run and yes I am ******* crazy and you are lucky I didn't get really ******* nuts because being physical is not something I cower from....male or female.
Your lesson today. Not everyone thinks you and you family are all that! At least noone at Marcy's Diner!
Wowsers.
While the Facebook post has been deleted off Marcy's Diner's Facebook page, the page continues to receive heated opinions from parents and non-parents on the subject of who was right and who was wrong.
In one camp, you have people saying that the parents were terrible parents. That they should've done more to keep their child quiet and not let it escalate to such a level.
In another camp, people are furious that Neugebauer or anyone feels they have a right to yell at a child. Screaming, crying children are part of the world, they say, and if you can't handle one crying, then you shouldn't own a business.
In the final camp, people are cheering on Neugebauer, saying they hate it when a child cries in a restaurant. They fully support Marcy's Diner and say they will eat there from now on because they know it will at least be a peaceful meal.
Neugebauer was asked if she regrets yelling. She says she doesn't feel sorry for her actions, they led to a good outcome for herself, her staff and her patrons - the child stopped crying. But she does think she possibly had poor judgement in how she ended up handling the situation.
Carson says the whole situation made her feel helpless as a mum to protect her child from crazy people like Neugebauer. She also says that the most upsetting part of this is the attack on her parenting skills, when she is just trying to do her best.
Who do you think did the wrong thing?