JONESBORO, Ark. – Both the franchise owner and the corporate office of Cici’s Pizza have responded to allegations by a breastfeeding mother that she was asked to leave, following an exclusive NEA Report.
The franchisee statement reads as follows:
“As franchise owner of this Cici’s restaurant and long-time resident of Jonesboro, I take special care to ensure that our team treats all of our guests with great courtesy and respect. Following my initial investigation, I am convinced that the management team went to great lengths to address all of our guests’ concerns and to manage the situation as professionally as possible. I want to emphasize that at no time was any guest asked to leave the restaurant or treated with disrespect.”
The corporate Cici’s statement said this:
“Our highest priority is to treat all of our guests with respect, and to provide good food and great service every day. Since this is a franchised location, we are following up with the franchisee. We will continue to monitor this matter closely.”
Both Sierra and Dakota Brewer, the breastfeeding mother and her husband, said they were shocked by the statement and said the franchisee statement was not true.
“Wow,” Duncan said. “I don’t think they handled it as they should have, at all, considering we still haven’t even heard anything back from them.”
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By Stan Morris | Twitter | e-mail | Facebook
I hope they’re joking. That is sick!! I don’t think they have any idea the amount of business they’re going to lose over this, not to mention the lawsuit that’s headed their way! Cici’s, you are absolutely despicable!! Not to mention your food is terrible and always has been! ??
I’m all for breastfeeding, but she needs to cover herself in public. Pump before she goes out or something. I wouldn’t want my children seeing it. Especially when we’re trying to eat. She should have respect for other people, but obviously her parents didn’t teach her any of that. Stupidest thing I’ve heard about this week!
This is what happens when one person thinks that their “right” is superior to everyone else’s rights. Yes, it is not a crime for a mother to breastfeed in public, nor should it be. But that doesn’t mean that the feeding mother should not also consider others in the area. It is not illegal for me to do many things in public, but most I choose not to do or do in such a way as to be the least intrusive as possible out of respect for the general public. There are feeding-safe shawls and other options available to mothers who true intent is just to feed their child in peace. Of course, if the goal is to start a battle, then that’s a different issue.
Also, for those that think CiCi’s did something wrong or worthy of suit, any business has the right to conduct its business in the way it sees fit. And even though CiCi’s claims that the mother was not asked to leave, it had every right to ask her to leave in the first place. Breastfeeding mothers are not a protected class and, as such, the business can ask her to leave the establishment for any reason. If she refused to leave, she would be tresspassing.