Texas coffee shop sees breastfeeding backlash
AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) – A coffee shop in South Austin, Texas is dealing with a backlash on social media after a customer posted a review on Facebook stating the business doesn’t welcome nursing mothers.
On Wednesday morning, Stephanie Barlow Scott posted a glaring review on Stouthaus Coffee’s Facebook page and within a few hours, hundreds of comments and reviews flooded Stouthaus’ page criticizing them on their nursing policy.
Scott said on Wednesday morning, she and a friend – along with their babies – went to Stouthaus Coffee to catch up over some breakfast.
Scott has a 4-month-old and her friend, Amberly Worley, has an 8-month-old.
“(Worley) was nursing him and was pretty discrete,” said Scott. “A lady came over with a towel and asked ‘if she wanted to cover up?’ and my friend said ‘No, am I making you uncomfortable?’”
According to Scott, the lady – who was the business owner – said she wasn’t uncomfortable but that some of the men in the shop might have been.
Sandy Hughes, owner of Stouthaus Coffee, tells WISH-TV’s sister station, KXAN News the comment from the original poster was misconstrued.
“We have breastfeeding mothers in here all the time and I was a breastfeeding mother myself,” explained Hughes. “I have mothers who have been in before and have never had to use a cover up but this occasion was different. In this particular case, the customer was breastfeeding but occasionally the breastfeeding wasn’t happening and she was fully exposed.”
“He’s 8 months old, so he was off-and-on the breast, but his head was right there so there was coverage,” said Scott. “In any case, I didn’t think that was relevant.”
After Scott and her friend left the coffee shop, Scott took to the company’s Facebook page to write the review. Six hours later, she’s amazed with the outpouring of support.
“It’s wonderful that people are supporting it. I thought I would get some nasty comments on the review but I hadn’t seen any of it,” said Scott.
While most of the comments have been supportive, she does think the business is getting some really harsh feedback. “I feel like some people are being really mean to Stouthaus Coffee. I’m sure they didn’t intend for all of this to happen,” said Scott.