S’porean Single Mum Denied Mother’s Day Promo Because “Father Is Missing”

“Thank you, Manhattan Fish Market, for reminding me that my family isn’t complete. Not by choice.”

On 5 June, Mellissa from Singapore posted a Facebook post about her experience at The Manhattan FISH MARKET Singapore Changi T1 outlet.

According to Mellissa, her family was planning to have a meal before her mother’s flight, and it sparked their interests when they saw a promotion titled, “A Date With Mum — All she needs is a meal with family“.

Source: facebook

Her mum would be entitled to get a free fish and chips as long as Melissa or another family member orders one main dish. We assume it’s a Mother’s Day campaign since it runs from 11 May to 16 June 2019.

But things took a sour turn when they enquired about this promotion because the staff responded with this:

“You’re not entitled to this because your family is not complete. The father is missing.”

Shocked upon hearing the response from the restaurant staff, Mellissa and her family were left speechless. This experience reminded her mother that she was at fault “for not maintaining her marriage so that the family can be complete”.

The “criteria” for this campaign wasn’t inclusive enough for the mums who are divorced, widowed, and even mums with same-sex partners. She raised a string of questions like:

“How is Mom any less deserving just because Dad wasn’t there? Can’t Mom be Dad as well?”

“How about families who have lost their Mom or Dad to illness, or any other circumstances? Would it make their family any less complete, worthy, or deserving? How about families with 2 mommies or 2 daddies? Or children who are brought up by grandparents because they lost their parents?”

Although Mellissa was disappointed by the staff’s response, she didn’t intend to blame them but to question the management team.

The Manhattan Fish Market Singapore responded to Mellissa’s post by Facebook messaging her, and they have apologised about the offensive comment. Here’s a screenshot of the conversation:

Source: facebook

Appalled upon reading her post, netizens supported Mellissa by pointing out the restaurant’s insensitivity.

Source: facebook

It was indeed a disappointing experience for Mellissa and her family. We hope that the people who are in charge of marketing campaigns can be more careful and inclusive.

Also read: Woman Dies After Preparing Home-Cooked Food For Son Who Never Came Back For Mother’s Day