Bonkers Columbia

tony brewer

The little ones loved it will be back

C W

Was a great place to enjoy with the whole family!

JoAnn Shull

UPDATE: After receiving the business's reply, I tried calling which directed me to Bonkers. Tina, the general manager, answered the phone. I asked to speak to Terance (per the request in his message). She informed me that he doesn't work out of that location and that she was the general manager. Seeing as how this is the same manager who refused legally protected accommodations for my son in the first place, I didn't want to voice my concerns with her. I asked how I could get in contact with Terance and she hung up on me. I do not expect any change from this establishment. *** If you care about standing up against discrimination of any kind, I encourage you to not patronize this business. If you have a child with a food allergy, Bonkers does not comply with ADA laws regarding reasonable accommodations relating to food allergies. We went to Bonkers for a friend's birthday party (held at noon). My son has several food allergies and the kitchen could not safely accommodate a meal for him. Even with that, they would not allow us to bring in outside food for him to eat at the party (that the friend's family had paid for - including the party room, food, and play cards for the kids). The employees I spoke with said that it was company policy to not allow any outside food except birthday cakes for families who have rented party rooms. I understand that they want to make money and food is a big part of that. But my son couldn't eat anything there due to his allergies. Instead, we were told they had a zero tolerance policy on outside food (even though I saw an employee walking around with a Monster energy drink and there were infants/toddlers with formula/baby food). As I was trying to calmly and respectfully explain this to the employees, they interrupted me and said they were following company policy (which I get - it's not their rules). I said that their policy is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Food allergies are covered under the ADA and if a business cannot accommodate the specific allergies, the law states that they must make "reasonable accommodations" to allow the person to utilize their business. In this case, a reasonable accommodation would be to say "not outside food unless the kitchen cannot safely accommodate the food allergy." I asked to speak to a manager, who was not on site. The employee called the manager, very rudely conveyed my message to the manager, and then the manager basically said "no changes to the policy" and got off the phone because they were on vacation. So, instead of having fun with his friends, I had to have a discussion about discrimination in the parking lot with my son while he ate his lunch alone. Luckily, he is a quick eater and was able to go back in... to sit at the table doing nothing while his friends ate lunch. If it weren't for the fact that my son was at his close friend's birthday party, we would have left. My son is 6 and we have known about his allergies since he was 1. In 5 years, never have I had any business deny us bringing in food so my son could eat safely. Never had I had anyone even blink an eye much less challenge me when asking to bring in safe food for my son. I felt belittled in speaking with the employees and the company policy is in clear violation of federal law. Never will I patronize Bonkers again, unless their policy changes.

Brandon Duren

Defenitely upgraded over the passed few years but also has the price.