Olive Garden and Other Chains Change Drink Policies After Drunk Toddler Incidents

Looks like several human-error incidents at multiple casual dining locations during the month of March and into early April have prompted Olive Garden, Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday to reevaluate their drink policies. The latest of which, a mixup at a Michigan Applebee’s Grill & Bar led a 15-month-old’s cup to be accidentally filled with alcohol instead of apple juice. According to reports, Applebee’s management will no longer serve juice from bottles from behind the bar, instead will crack open single-serve portions table-side.

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This incident seemed to concern more people than usual, due in large part to a March 31st incident at an Olive Garden location in Lakeland, Florida less than a month apart. This separate mishap involved a 2-year-old boy being served an alcoholic sangria instead of orange juice. The mixup led to the young boy’s eyes turning red, dilating and acting up, landing him in the hospital, but released a couple hours later with no mention of lasting effects. [HuffingtonPost]

In response, Olive Garden will now be mixing their Sangria to order, instead of in batches as before. The accidents at both Applebee’s and Olive Garden have also caught the attention of the 900-unit Ruby Tuesday chain. All servers, bartenders and managers at Ruby Tuesdays will be required to watch a video “about the chain’s beverage procedures and order accuracy before their shifts start.” [NRN]