A Restaurant Has Banned A Toddler With No Arms For Eating With His Feet

Now, normally, if you're eating your meal with your feet, we'd understand that a restaurant would have something to say about it.

But when the diner in question is a three-year-old who was born without arms, you've got a clear case of discrimination.

William Bancroft, from Arkansas in the U.S. has adapted well to a life without arms, and uses his feet for most everyday tasks.

KMOV

His mother has now accused a local restaurant of discrimination after they banned her son because he was eating with his feet.

The staff at the local IHOP pancake restaurant told the family that William could not sit on the table, because it violated some health department rules.

The manager also didn't want him to touch the syrup dispensers with his feet, but how else is a kid supposed to top his pancakes, IHOP?!

William's mother, Alexis, is understandably upset about the whole situation. It must be tough for such a little LAD to have his confidence knocked when he's already been dealt a crap lot in life.

She had taken William to the bathroom to wash his feet before they sat down for breakfast - just like most parents would wash their kid's hands. And seeing as most three-year-old boys are constantly rummaging in mud and bugs, we don't see that this is any worse than a normal toddler's hands.

But the restaurant claimed staff hadn't seen this take place, and apparently treated the young boy so badly that other customers were upset by the scene.

Speaking to Newsweek, Alexis said: "I asked her, 'Do you ask all your customers if they've washed their hands before they touch the syrup dispensers first?'.

"Everybody was staring at us and everything. They were going to give us our food, but we decided to leave because of the way he was treated. He was discriminated against for not having arms."

The manager of the IHOP has now apologised to the family, both while they were still at the restaurant and again via a Facebook message.

The company has issued a statement, saying it "[does] not tolerate actions that are or allude to discrimination of any type." They have also promised to retrain its staff.

Alexis has never experienced this sort of treatment at any other restaurant in the area - most people are just amazed at what her little LAD can do.

Topics: America, World News, united states, USA, US

Daisy Jackson

Daisy Jackson is a freelance writer, who has previously worked at Shortlist Media and Trinity Mirror. She has written about the Manchester terror attacks and appeared on BBC Five live to discuss the aftermath, as well as interviewing an orthopaedic surgeon in Syria.