- Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times
- Grant Achatz’s tweet about bringing a baby to Alinea touched a nerve on social media, but the chef points out, “as many of us who have children, me included, realize, you have a very small window in which little ones behave themselves.”
Maybe we shouldn’t expect a news story inspired by a tweet to go very far beyond the tweet in terms of informational content.
But on the other hand, it’s been said this couple had already paid for their meals, and Alinea doesn’t refund. So when the babysitter backed out at the last minute, what were they to do? Eat the cost? Some Alinea diners are made of more money than others.
Had this situation come up before? Did Alinea have a policy that covered it? Could Alinea legally have sent the couple home but kept their money? Wouldn’t that have been a lawsuit waiting to happen, and the worst publicity in the world?
Late Wednesday afternoon Achatz called me and answered my questions.
This was not the first time an infant had crossed the threshold of Alinea, Achatz told me. There have been other infants, and there have been breastfeeding mothers. But this baby’s disruption was unprecedented, he said, because the adults refused to take responsibility for its behavior.
Achatz has heard from all four of the other tables in the room. They sent e-mails letting him know their evening was less than ideal. But he hasn’t heard from the fifth table. Tell me who they are and I’ll call them, I told him. “I can’t do that,” Achatz replied. He wouldn’t even say if they were from out of town.
