An Ellesmere Port dad has taught his children the valuable lesson of patience by taking them for lunch at the Harvester on Stanney Oaks. The children had to wait over 90 minutes between entering the restaurant and getting their food, with only the salad bar to keep them sustained.
Thirty-eight-year-old Thomas Mooney, from Cromwell Road, Ellesmere Port, wanted to teach his children a valuable lesson in life. Rather than read them a story, or tell them a fable, he thought a practical lesson would have the most impact on his three young children.
Despite the protestations of his wife, Deborah, Mr Mooney insisted on taking the children to the Harvester, claiming:
If they don’t learn patience at the Harvester, they never will.
The Mooney family entered the Harvester at 12:27 on Wednesday, last week, and were immediately shown to their table. Mr Mooney initially thought his lesson of patience would backfire horribly. Luckily, he was not disappointed.
They were seated and given menus, but didn’t see the waitress again for another 13 minutes. When the waitress, who chose not to be named, returned to their table she only took their drinks orders, before disappearing again for another eight minutes. She came back with some empty glasses for them to fill themselves.
Thomas Mooney commented:
The lesson was going well. The kids were going crazy wondering what was going on. Why did she take so long to come back with empty glasses? Brilliant!
The family had been in the Stanney Oaks restaurant for 37 minutes before their food order was even taken, and the children were unleashed upon the salad bar. Despite the children’s initial excitement, they soon realised the salad bar only had salad and they returned to their colouring, fighting and complaining they were hungry – but this time equipped with salad to throw at each other.
It was 92 minutes after entering the restaurant that the Mooney family finally received their food.
Mr Mooney was delighted that his lesson in patience had been a success, but Mrs Mooney wasn’t so impressed.
He’s a dick. The kids were starving and I’m the idiot who has to calm them down. We’re never coming here again.
