Maltese Mother Thanks Gżira Restaurant For Treating Her Daughter’s Special Needs With Respect
The mother of a Maltese girl on the autism spectrum has thanked a restaurant for not only catering to her daughter’s eccentric requests but going out of the way to make the family feel safe, welcomed and comfortable.
“When you have a child with different needs, going out takes thought and planning,” Audrey Komrij Jones said as she shared photos of her experience at Paparazzi Restaurant in Manoel Island, Gżira.
“You can’t just go anywhere, and some places make it obvious that you’re not welcome there,” she continued, before breaking down the positive experience she and her daughter Saskia had.
“Others go all out to make you feel at home. They don’t look at you when your child is screaming or if she decides to run across the restaurant. They don’t get angry when she goes behind the bar to ‘steal biscuits’ and they actually tell us off for telling her off,” she said.
She explained that the restaurant provided them with a large table for six people because that’s what she wanted to feel comfortable – even though they were just a party of three.
“They gave her the desserts she wants and actually messed up their portion sizes because we asked them not to give her the standard portion and drop what they are doing when they see her hanging around near the cakes so they can serve her,” she continued, before thanking them publicly.
“Paparazzi Malta is one of these places. They don’t know just how much this means to us. So thank you.”
While many restaurants have made moves over the last few years to enable better physical access to restaurants, some eateries still need a better understanding of those with different needs, and can often leave clients feeling disappointed and disrespected.
With Paparazzi Malta leading by example, it now lies in the hands of restaurant operators to ensure staff are trained appropriately to welcome all types of families into their establishments.
Have you been to another restaurant that went out of its way to accommodate you and your loved ones? Tag them below to give them a well-deserved shout out
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