Woman says mom left child at restaurant, too

A former restaurant worker in Scottsdale says the mother who left her toddler with a parking valet last week at Scottsdale Fashion Square frequently did similar things at Houston’s Restaurant in north Scottsdale.

Whitney Binkley, 20, a former greeter at Houston’s Restaurant in north Scottsdale, said workers and managers at Houston’s called Gardenia Zakrzewski Johansson “the crazy lady” who frequently left her child with strangers. Binkley said she recognized Johansson’s picture on a newscast as a regular customer who left her child with strangers at least three times for five to 10 minutes while she made trips to the restroom or her car.

Julian Leal, a senior service manager at Houston’s, and another restaurant employee confirmed Binkley worked there. Both confirmed the woman they believed to be Zakrzewski Johansson frequented the restaurant, but would not comment further.

Binkley said she stopped working at Houston’s in late September.

The Tribune reported Saturday another incident involving Zakrzewski Johansson leaving her child unattended in a vehicle at a north Scottsdale jewelry store while she went to a nearby Starbucks with her dog. She was arrested Monday by Scottsdale police inside a parking garage near the Neiman Marcus store at Scottsdale Fashion Square after she left the child sleeping in her 2002 black BMW, according to a police report.

Zakrzewski Johansson, 39, is under investigation by Child Protective Services on suspicion of child neglect. She has not returned repeated calls seeking comment and has not responded to visits to her home.

However, her mother, Andrea Zakrzewski, said Friday her daughter is “a great mother,” and had only nice things to say about her daughter. She added that she believes the national media attention from the first incident has “gone too far, definitely.”

Binkley said Zakrzewski Johansson asked her to watch the 2-year-old child twice in August and late September, and she held the child.

“If people think this is the only time she’s done this, they’re wrong,” Binkley said. “It’s not right. She’s a nice lady, but she’s being irresponsible. She needs to take care of her child.”

Binkley said she saw Zakrzewski Johansson leave the boy with an older woman near the counter in June 2005.

“I thought it was his grandmother,” Binkley said. “But managers and workers said, ‘Oh no. She just leaves her child with people all the time.’ I thought that was strange.”

Binkley said she believed managers questioned Zakrzewski Johansson about leaving her child with strangers, but wasn’t sure how the mother replied.

Binkley said she saw Zakrzewski Johansson about every three weeks.

Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said Zakrzewski Johansson is facing a misdemeanor charge of child neglect.

A Scottsdale City Court date has not been scheduled, according to City Prosecutor Caron Close.