Parent Who Took Their Child To A Birthday Party Says They Were Forced To Pay For The Food Provided

A parent was surprised after they arrived at a birthday party for their child’s friend and was asked to fork over money for party services.

After the parent took to TikTok to share the situation with others, they sparked a conversation about birthday party etiquette, and whether or not it is appropriate to charge guests.

The parent was expected to pay $10 at the birthday party for the ‘mandatory’ pizza buffet.

In a TikTok video posted by user @bougiewhitetrash, the parent claimed that when they took their child to a birthday party at Conroe’s Incredible Pizza Company, all parents were required to pay $10 for food served at the “mandatory” pizza buffet.

The parent included photos of the buffet, which contained banana pudding, tuna salad, apple cobbler, pizza, and other undisclosed food items. “Took my kid to a birthday party. Adults had to pay $9.99 each since the pizza buffet is mandatory,” they wrote in the text overlay of the video.

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Most of the food depicted appeared unappetizing and inedible, especially the apple cobbler which looked as if it was just crackers soaked in mushed apples and butter.

“I wondered since it appeared to be radioactive that if I ate some I might become a superhero. I didn’t test that theory,” the parent admitted in the comments section.

The parent revealed that even though they were forced to pay $10 for the buffet, they settled to just eat saltine crackers instead.

Apparently, it got even worse than the apple cobbler, as the parent said that they forgot to include a photo of the “hotdog station” that was also available at the buffet.

Other TikTok users were disgusted by the food that was being served at the party, and even more shocked that parents had to pay $10 for it.

“That’s disgusting, just have a pizza party at home next time,” one user suggested. “I was just there Saturday for a birthday party and was so confused as to why I had to pay! I didn’t eat either!” another user shared.

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Although the food served was undeniably inedible and possibly radioactive, others argued that it was appropriate for parents to be charged for food at children’s birthday parties.

“This is gross, but it's pretty normal for parents to have to pay for their own food at a kid's party like this. The host just covers all the kids,” one user commented. “You're there for the kids, not yourself, get over it,” another user wrote.

According to party etiquette experts, the general rule of thumb is that the party host should pay for their guests and provide food at a party. However, it can get tricky when you are a parent hosting your child’s birthday party and parents decide to stay, especially if you are on a budget.

Although there are exceptions to birthday party rules and standards, if you are hosting a party and you expect parents or other party guests to pay for their food themselves, it is best to let them know in advance.

It is especially important to let them know if the food choices, like the ones demonstrated in this video, may not suit everyone’s pallets.

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Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.