If you fail to persuade a girl to eat something, it removes all the food options. The location you were at must not have had any other options, so it likely triggered that inability to afford scene in error. I'll get it to check for these conditions and give you the option to just chat with a girl as a backup.
I'll also do a thorough check of all the persuasion calculations to check for errors. It's possible to have a relatively high hose feed persuade chance as this uses a hoseTolerance stat that you can build up in girls through repeated hose feedings or auto feeder use.
I can take another look at the hose feeding mechanics too to make them less frustrating.