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Drink Mix-Up Leaves Another Child ‘Drunk’ at Popular Restaurant

It’s happened again. Another toddler has gotten drunk at a popular restaurant chain after an employee accidentally gave the young boy sangria — a mixture of fruit juice and white wine — instead of orange juice. Previously it happened at an Applebee’s in Michigan. This time it happened at an Olive Garden in Florida:

While the previous case involved the boy waving and talking to walls, this case was slightly more subdued. In Florida, the toddler was simply acting unruly, not mumbling to inanimate objects. Still, the boy was taken to the hospital.

Fox 35 reports:

Jill Van Heest took her two and half year old son Nikolai to dinner at the Olive Garden on Highway 98 in Lakeland on March 31st.

The boy ordered orange juice and his mom says he drank most of what was in his child’s plastic cup when a waiter came to the table.

“We‘re eating our meals when the waiter came over and said there’s been a mistake, I need to get you a new one and took the glass and kind of scurried away,” Van Heest said.

She asked him what was in the cup and was told Tropical Sangria, a mixed drink of orange juice, pineapple juice and white wine.

Van Heest spoke to the restaurant manager. “He was very sympathetic, very apologetic, but no real explanation as to how it happened, just that it was a mistake,” she said.

The mother says Niko was acting strangely and misbehaving throughout the dinner. “He was visibly drunk. His eyes were dilated, they were red. He was now getting loud.”

She decided to take him to the Emergency Room and Lakeland Regional Medical Center to get checked out. Doctors there told her they couldn‘t immediately determine how much alcohol was in the boy’s system. The gave him an I.V. of fluids and released him after a couple hours.

Olive Garden issued a statement apologizing for the incident. The employee responsible has been fired, and the mother has hired an attorney.

(H/T: Gawker)

Comments (95)

1 2 3
  • mom4times
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:19am

    Thank God, we don’t go out much anyway. And not to make fun of what happened to the previous case where the kid was waving and talking to walls; but my son does that a lot….He is 3 and he will go up to the fridge and kiss it…no apparent reason. He will kiss family members on the knee…says hello to everyone in a store. I guess he’s just a comedian. Really doesn’t sound all that unusual behavior for a toddler but I will now be the taste tester as well as the garbage can if we go out anywhere

    Report Post » mom4times  
  • getoutofmyhome
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:14am

    I just want to let you all in on something… I was an Olive Garden employee. With that said…
    #1) ALL kids cups are CLEAR. Tropical Sangria is similar in color but DEFINATLY not the color of OJ. The server NEVER should’ve brought it to the table.
    #2) The bartender has ALL the juice behind the bar. Bartenders are NEVER allowed to put ANY alcoholic beverage into a kids cup. (Why wasn’t the BARTENDER also fired?)
    #3) The Sangria mixtures are so diluted with 2 parts fruit juice to 1 part wine.
    #4) Again, THE COLOR, why didn‘t the mother notice that it didn’t look like OJ? Seriously, just by looking at it in the CLEAR cup one has to question why it does’t look right.

    Look, all I’m saying is, the bartender was WRONG in putting alcohol in a kids cup, the server was WRONG for bringing it out, the mother was WRONG for not questioning its color. Let’s take some personal responsibility here, there were 3 “adults” responsible for this mistake… NOT the entire Olive Garden chain, which is the one that will be sued. What a shame for the youth we are raising, they think everyone else is to blame for a MISTAKE and SOMEONE WILL PAY!

    Report Post »  
  • N1GHT
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:09am

    Do you know how many kids hit their parents adult beverage every year? I say arrest the parents for reckless endangerment…..HAHA this story is not even news worthy….

    Report Post » N1GHT  
  • SheepleShearer
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:44am

    Those of you who think you are very funny with your snarky and snide not-so-fresh comments, can you read? Try reading the article. The child was served TROPICAL sangria. As explained CLEARLY in the article, TROPICAL sangria is a mixture of orange juice, pineapple juice, and WHITE wine. This mixture is most obviously not the usual RED of the RED sangria. So, therefore, the boy’s drink would not have been that obvious to his mother, because it obviously looked like orange juice. How many of YOU always sniff or taste your child’s drinks before they drink them when YOU eat out?

    Watch what you say when others are experiencing peril. Your day will come and few will give a rip because of your stinking attitudes.

    Walk a mile in the shoes of a mother who has had this experience or keep your words to yourself. Follow the old adage: “If you’ve got nothing nice to say, say NOTHING at all.” The world would be a much kinder place if you kept your nasty comments to yourselves.

    Report Post »  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:36am

    Tonight on Hardball with Chris Matthews:
    Are extreme Republican budget cuts driving children to drink?

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • NC
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:36am

    It’s obvious which of the previous posters read the article, and who is posting for the sake of posting.

    The child was supposed to get orange juice, The Olive Garden “Tropical Sangria, a mixed drink of orange juice, pineapple juice and white wine.” was put in the child’s cup. It’s apparent the colors are similar.

    Why didn’t the hospital pull some blood to check for alcohol. The article states “Doctors there told her they couldn‘t immediately determine how much alcohol was in the boy’s system” Maybe they should have taken the child to the local police station..

    Since the staff came and took the drink away, I’m thinking just a coincidence. I’m hoping Olive Garden fights this suit and no damage was done to the child.

    NC (wondering how long till the third incident happens)

    Report Post » NC  
    • SheepleShearer
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:50am

      NC, thank you for your intelligent post. Someone needed to point out to the smart asses here that they need to READ the article (or maybe they cannot read?). This is not an open mic comedy session here, yet this is what some *small* minds have used this forum for. Indeed, intelligence levels in America have fallen to an extreme low, as exemplified in the idiot comments posted here despite the article showing the ERROR of their stupid comments. Talk about ignoring the facts to shove nasty comments into other’s faces. “Don’t confuse ME with the facts, my mind is already made up.” Yeah, for shame.

      Report Post »  
  • SIHKS1120
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:08am

    i wonder if they left the waiter a little TIPsy………..lo

    Report Post »  
  • Al J Zira
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:02am

    So the kid grows up and kills 14 people on a shooting spree. And what do the lawyers do? They blame an incident in an Olive Garden from when he was 2 saying he turned to a life of alchohol abuse that led to a path of violence.

    Report Post » Al J Zira  
  • Mustangrider
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:55am

    This is garbage we all know what happened here, a copycat parent looking to make a quick buck. Orange juice and sangria aren’t even the same color, are we supposed to believe the parents didn’t notice the difference when it was brought to their child at the same table? BS

    Report Post »  
  • dadsrootbeer
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:54am

    Not buying it.

    Report Post » dadsrootbeer  
  • Kitsune
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:54am

    OK, the restaurant employees are doing this on purpose. They’re like the “Noodles Guy” and think it‘s unfair that they don’t have control of how restaurants are run, so they’re purposely screwing up in order to get the restaurants they work at sued.

    Restaurant workers of the world unite, apparently -.-

    Report Post »  
  • parlayer
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:50am

    Did he get charged for an alcoholic bev???

    Report Post »  
  • ANR2007
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:50am

    This scares the hell out of me i have a young toddler myself and to think now i have to be careful and anytime i go out i will be checking his Drink. I dont live far from Lakeland where this happened and it makes me wonder. I tell you what if that happened to me child i wouldnt be going to work the next day cause id own the damn place id sue the hell out of Olive Garden and the person who did it. Put my child in danger that will be the last thing you do. And on that note i dont get it why these places have the bartenders making the drinks for the tables anyways they should only be making for the bar and for beverages intended with alchohol not your regular drink order. Just a thought

    Report Post »  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:35am

    This story is a lie. No man, or boy, or any male would ever eat at the Olive Garden. It‘s a woman’s place.

    Report Post »  
  • conservativemom99
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:29am

    Does no one utilize the nose in the middle of their face any more? Alcoholic drinks SMELL like alcohol.

    Report Post » conservativemom99  
  • football lady
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:19am

    When did she hire a lawyer, before she left to go to the restaurant? Wonder what she had been surfing on the internet before this happened. Sounds fishy to me.

    Report Post »  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:07am

    Any excuse for 5 minutes of fame….. even sacrificing your child…..

    These parents and restaurant workers, vote, guys.

    The little kids will be too messed up to vote, but… oh, wait. That’s the plan of the left, right?

    Report Post »  
  • GreenSicko
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:04am

    Time for a baby drink Czar!

    Report Post » GreenSicko  
  • MacGirl
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:00am

    did the parents not smell alcohol? Did they think it was strange it was dark purple instead of orange? Were they absent?

    Report Post » MacGirl  
    • demint.disciple
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:18am

      Quick fix for all of this crap…. Mother tastes drink before giving to baby… makes too much sense right ? they’d rather get a lawyer..

      Report Post » one years food ration like glenn says  
    • hennypennyhag
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:35am

      @demint.disciple, that would require common sense. It is much better to wait until the kid is drunk to figure out something is wrong, that makes for a much better payday.

      Report Post » hennypennyhag  
    • Silver Lining
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:12am

      Not defending it, but it is stated in the story that it was a tropical sangria, made with white wine – it would probably be just as orange as plain orange juice. Still sounds fishy to me, though…

      Report Post »  
  • smak
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:59am

    It‘s Bush’s fault.
    They must be Obama/Democrat voters.

    Report Post »  
  • EP46
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:59am

    @PSYCHOSIS
    New use for ‘zombie kids’ ???
    No problem…use your child, or ‘rent’ one…go to a restaurant where a ‘friend’ works…get the toddler a ‘drink’…get a lawyer and receive instant fame. No different than the people who use their children in protests, let them carry signs and dress them up like blood covered zombies. A certain group within our society will always use the weakest …be it children or the poor or minorities. I am not saying these two mix-ups were deliberate, just saying you can create a ‘crisis’ anytime you want one….especially if you use children.

    Report Post »  
  • Roor rips 860
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:56am

    thats why they work in a resturant, get a real job you bums.

    Report Post » Roor rips 860  
    • RockstarRepublic
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:10pm

      Actually, waiters and bartenders make quite a bit of money. It can be a very good job that doesnt require too many hours a day. I am talking upwards of $200-300 in tips&wages for only 5-6 hours of work. Not all will make that much, as it depends on the venue, but it can be a pretty lucrative job. Not worth the long term though.

      That said, the problem really is that the “BAR” is being used for everything drink related and since the bar is mostly alcohol, and how hectic that bar can be, tons of mistakes can happen.

      Report Post » RockstarRepublic  
  • Beachplum
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:52am

    copy cat…. how stupid can you be…orange juice is orange! Sangria is NOT orange

    Report Post » Beachplum  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:47am

    i wish this could happen to me………….i dont want to pay the jacked up price for the drink lol

    Report Post » Psychosis  
  • BrerRabbit
    Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:46am

    ‘hired an attorney’….haaaa…the American way!

    Report Post »  
    • joe conservative
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:52am

      Strange how this has happened twice in the past week. How do you accidentaly put booze into a childs cup? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uzsXdMLS4 I hope our society isn’t so messed up that this is being done on purpose.

      Report Post » joe conservative  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:59am

      Not good for the kid. How do you think the other patron felt when he got his glass of wine and it turned out to be chocolate milk.

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • BIGJAYINPA
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:59am

      This is one way to deal with the unruly little heathen at the next table. “Give that noisy little brat one of what I’m having”. I really hate it when “parents” bring untrained children out to eat in a public establishment. Now that we’ve done away with “smoking” sections can we have “no kids” sections?

      BIGJAYINPA  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:05am

      Something strange is really going on lately; first it is a series of fights breaking out in fast food restraunts, and now infants being given booze in two seperate restraunts. Coincidences I understand, yet I do find it strange.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Cemoto78
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:21am

      Somebody needs to do this in the congressional cafeteria, maybe a little drunk during budget talks will liven things up a little and we will see a couple of fights break out, Barney Franks will be trolling for a date, and Anthony Wiener will cozy up to Nancy Pelosi for a one night stand. All this happens after they pass huge spending cuts, enact tax reform doing away with all these crazy deductions for the special interests, and put tariffs on Chinese goods.

      Report Post » Cemoto78  
    • demint.disciple
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:08am

      @joe conservative.. umm yes, it is ….

      Report Post » one years food ration like glenn says  
    • demint.disciple
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:13am

      What?? no libs screaming foul about the cheese puff balls in the kitchen at 3:20 ….???? Thats not a healthy choice mommy for your little boy.. Better get mooshell on the family and find out whats going on.. mmmmm I smell something fishy about ALL of this alcohol in the juicy cup crap..

      Report Post » one years food ration like glenn says  
    • demint.disciple
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:15am

      uumm rather at 1:50….

      Report Post » one years food ration like glenn says  
    • GODSAMERICA
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:36am

      What gets me is the hospital told them they couldn’t determine exactly how much alcohol was in his system. So the secret for alcoholics is to drink Tropical Sangria, that way the police could never prove they were drunk. Or perhaps for some reason the hospital didn’t want to let the parents know what the alcohol level was.

      Report Post » GODSAMERICA  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:37am

      Unfortunately, young children who ingest alcohol can die from alcohol poisoning as their bodies are not really equipped to break down the alcohol. Of course, there are kids who do drink it and live to tell about it, but there is always that danger lurking in the back.

      And, Joe, I’m with you wondering about how the “mix-up” occurred. Usually alcoholic drinks have to be prepared at either a service bar or a full sit down bar. In our state, they are not mixed or served from the kitchen – ever. No beer, no wine, no sangria – zip, zilch, nada.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
    • SheepleShearer
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:55am

      If the mother pursues a suit, hopefully it will be for the physical and emotional duress of her son. My two year old is horribly terrified of needles, as most toddlers are. Her little boy had to endure needless painful blood draws, yet she was told they could not determine her son’s blood alcohol level? Something is not right about that. The medical authorities that cared for the child in Detroit were able to check his alcohol level. There is possibly more here than is being reported. Don‘t judge when you don’t know the whole story. It’s her child, not anyone else’s.

      Report Post »  
    • The Big Pickle
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:13am

      Looks like a copy cat crime. Needless to say, some lawyer in shining armor will show up to start a multi-million dollar class action law suit against this national chain restaurant.

      Report Post » The Big Pickle  
    • Josephus1
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:21am

      I‘ll bet it’s one of two things:
      1) Either the kids in the kitchen thought it would be funny (which is pretty sick)
      or
      2) The English language is an issue with the folks in the back.

       
    • TheBees
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:52am

      Yes, those three magic word “hired an attorney”! I do believe in coincedences but JOE CONSERVATIVE, I feel our country has declined that there are those evil people out there that get a thrill out of doing things like this, and I think this was just a copycat. The employee should not only have been fired but charged with child endangerment!

      Report Post »  
    • walkwithme1966
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:16pm

      Unbelievable that 2 different restaurant make the same mistake – something is wrong with their bar set up – this should never happen especially for 2 major restaurant chains that are now so open for law suits!
      http://maboulette.wordpress.com

      Report Post » walkwithme1966  
    • Rapunzel
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:16pm

      @Joe, Taquoshi and Josephus…
      My theory (for both recent cases) is that a server had fixed him/herself an alcoholic beverage in a kid’s cup, and delivered the wrong cup.

      Report Post » Rapunzel  
    • calamari12
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:34pm

      ok, here’s the thing. you cannot ACCIDENTALLY give alcohol to a child in one of these restaurants. They have special cups for children. And alcohol is packaged completely different from non-alcoholic drinks. These people deserve to be fired and sued. It may not be the restaurant’s fault entirely unless nothing is done to these people. these children could DIE!!

      Report Post »  
    • Bloody Sam
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:52pm

      “He was visibly drunk. His eyes were dilated, they were red. He was now getting loud.”

      The parents need to keep an eye on this kid as he grows up. He sounds like he‘ll be one of those ’obnoxious drunk’ types when he gets to be an adult.

      I keed, I keed.

      Report Post » Bloody Sam  
    • USAMama
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 2:29pm

      My husband is Executive Chef at a restaurant and my brother is a bar tender. I have waitress experience also, the only way I could see this happening is if an employee was drinking on the job and trying to hide it in a childs cup, then left the cup sitting somewhere where the waiter/ waitress accidentally picked it up and took it to a table. Thats the only way I could see this happening.

      Report Post » USAMama  
    • Bob Holland
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:10pm

      Firing the employee isn’t enough. All the medical bills should be paid for by the establishment as well as a small offer for the time and worry these parents were subjected to. This should have been offered by the establishment. Here is my idea of a small offer. Free meals for a year. Say up to 25 or what ever they think is fair. But letting them go without any consolation besides an apology is just bad business. I’m a business owner myself and they never would have left without it. This may have avoided the lawyers and a suit.

      Report Post »  
    • BecksTheMan
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:20pm

      B-I-N-G-O! “Con” On Down! Your the next Lawsuit Lottery Winner!!! I can see the headlines now. Lady wins 2.4 million dollars in Olive Garden Toddler Served Alcohol Case. The lady wins, the attorney wins the rest of society loses in higher prices to eat out. I for one have about had my fill of all these lawsuits where there will not be any permanent damages and could have been settled easily out of court with a sincere apology and a few free meal coupons.

      Report Post »  
    • jackal2026
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:21pm

      only for money! she should be ashamed of herself for being a part of the gimme society. this restaurant will now go out of business and people will lose their jobs because some kid in the back acted like a jerk. traumatized? is this kid traumatized when he gets the mandatory physical needed to go to public school? wow! maybe another lawsuit and more free money! shes a dirty pig!

      Report Post »  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on April 13, 2011 at 4:22pm

      My theory (for both recent cases) is that a server had fixed him/herself an alcoholic beverage in a kid’s cup, and delivered the wrong cup.

      ****************************************

      Don’t know about the rest of your states, but I seriously would wonder how a regular waiter/waitress would be allowed to pour alcohol from service bar, never mind into a kid’s cup. Unless of course, it was actually the beverage/bartender who was drinking on the job.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
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