A grandmother has described how her granddaughter's day out was ruined following a trip to their local KFC restaurant.
Anne Deegan Hunt, 61, from Southport, took Leila to their local KFC on Eastbank Street on Saturday accompanied by Leila's carer. Leila, 9, has learning disabilities and autism and can become stressed by loud noises, such as the music that was being played in the restaurant.
Upon entering the restaurant, the grandmother was unable to calm down poor Leila who had climbed onto a table and was shouting for the music to be stopped. Anne requested an employee to turn the music off who had to ask his manager but the manager refused.
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Anne told the Liverpool Echo : "Leila had managed to get on to a table and was screaming for the music to be turned down. The whole shop could hear her. I explained she was autistic and asked the employee at the counter if he could turn the music off. He told me he would have to talk to the manager."
Leil had began to hit herself in the stomach while Anne was waiting for the music to be stopped. She said: "Anne had started punching her stomach. She has a Stoma had so she was at risk of causing serious harm to herself."
The employee informed Anne that the manager would not turn off the music or at least turn it down. "The employee was really understating and he apologised but the manager didn't even come out to see what was going on," she added.
Leila suffers from social anxiety and has Goldenhar syndrome - a rare congenital disease that leads to the incomplete development of the ear, nose, or lip - so she struggles to find activities that she enjoys doing. Her grandmother said: "Because of her autism she has built up anxiety about going out and she only enjoys doing certain things. I was more upset for Leila because that's one of the few thigs that she likes to do."
Anne eventually managed to get Leila off the table but had no choice but to leave said: "I don't think turning the music off would have spoiled anybody's dining experience. It's probably more distressing to watch a child in that state.
"As they wouldn't turn the music off the situation was just getting worse. I was left feeling distraught and Leila's disability wasn't accommodated at all."
A KFC spokesperson said: "We’re really sorry we didn’t get this one right. We want our restaurants to be a welcoming place for everyone, and we’ve followed up with the team to ensure it doesn’t happen again. We’d like to make it up to the family and would love for them to get in touch with our Care Squad to give us the chance."
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