The AP is reporting that the “No shoes, no shirt, no service” signs commonly found in fast food and other restaurants may have been enforced a little too strictly at a St. Louis Burger King.

The article says that Jennifer Frederich, along with her mother and her infant daughter stopped at Burger King on Sunday. The baby was not wearing shoes, her mom figuring that her little baby feet were exempt from the rule.

But workers asked the family to leave because the shoeless baby was violating a health code. In fact, there is no such policy in that county.

The restaurant eventually apologized to the family.

As a mom of two, I know that baby shoelessness is a common occurrence - at least with my kids. Even my toddler daughter, who is known to kick off her shoes the minute she is strapped into her car seat, sometimes is brought into restaurants or stores sans shoes, either because she is asleep or because we just don't feel like fighting her about it - but never sets her bare feet down on the floor (shudder).

Perhaps if the young baby was walking on the floor it might have been grounds for a health code violation, but to require babies to wear shoes is a bit extreme. Heck, our seven month old son doesn't even own shoes!

What do you think? Did they take it too far at this restaurant?

Teresa Shaw is a freelance writer based in Ann Arbor. Contact her at teresawrites (at) yahoo (dot) com or visit her Web site, Think Inside the Icebox.

Photo: Lisa Fanucchi