A Kansas mother, Cassie Berrios, has spoken out after a restaurant part-owner kissed her two-year-old daughter and blew out her birthday candle without permission during a family celebration. Berrios said John Arnold, an equity holder at Stearman Bar & Grill in the Wichita area, approached the toddler unprompted, put his arm around her and attempted to kiss her on the lips, only kissing her cheek after the child turned away. The incident has caused outrage online after Berrios shared video and details on Facebook, raising concerns about inappropriate contact with children by strangers in public settings.

Berrios said a relative wiped the child's cheek and that she confronted Arnold, telling him not to kiss other people's children, but he allegedly tried again and swore at her before leaving with a female companion who did not intervene. She claimed staff told her Arnold had not been drinking heavily, despite appearing intoxicated. The restaurant's parent company, A&M Management Group, which operates several venues including Deano's Grill & Tapworks and Morgan's Steakhouse, issued a public apology on Facebook, calling it an "unpleasant interaction" and stressing it did not reflect on its roughly 400 other employees. The Daily Mail said it had contacted both Berrios and Arnold for comment.