A Texas mother is threatening to sue a restaurant after she alleged she was asked to leave while breastfeeding her infant son on Father's Day. Aura McCullough stated she and her husband were celebrating their first Father's Day at Nowhere Bar in Celina, approximately 40 miles north of Dallas, when she was asked to leave.
McCullough claimed in a social media video that a staff member approached her and said she could not breastfeed with her "breasts exposed for prolonged periods of time" without a cover. She refused to cover her five-month-old son, stating she does not carry covers and that Texas law permits breastfeeding in public spaces where she is otherwise permitted to be.
According to McCullough, the staff member initially stated a manager was watching cameras and deemed her actions unacceptable. When McCullough asked to speak to the manager, she was reportedly told the employee she was speaking with was the manager. After canceling her order and asking for the bill, McCullough stated the owner offered to pay for her meal but still asked the family to leave.
"That was extremely humiliating and demoralizing," McCullough said, adding that the incident "ruined my family's first Father's Day, and they shamed a mother for trying to feed her baby."
Nowhere Bar issued a video response, with one of the owners, who identified herself as Katie, stating that breastfeeding is not prohibited at the establishment. "We have never asked anybody to stop breastfeeding, we have never asked anybody to leave because they were breastfeeding and that has not and will not ever be our policy," Katie said. She added that breastfeeding mothers are welcome at the restaurant.
Katie rejected McCullough's claim that the bar was monitoring cameras during the incident. She explained that the situation arose after a "young employee" felt "uncomfortable" and sought assistance from management. "From there, a miscommunication occurred and escalated beyond what anyone intended," Katie stated, while reiterating the responsibility to support employees.
The restaurant owner offered an apology to McCullough and her family, but McCullough found the apology insufficient, calling it "s***" in a social media comment. She has requested a personal apology from the owners and has also asked to see video footage of the alleged incident. If these demands are not met, McCullough plans to file a complaint against the restaurant.
McCullough also questioned the restaurant's response, pointing to a previous "dad bod contest" it hosted and asking if the "young employee" felt uncomfortable during that event. She has continued to address the incident on social media, defending her right to breastfeed publicly.