I work in a café. One of our dishes is a cheese and tomato pasta, which is loaded with cheese and tomato. A family (parents, son, and daughter) comes in and the mum very loudly announces:
Mother: “My son is allergic to cheese and tomato and must not have anything that has been in contact with them.”
Waiter: “Okay, we understand.”
They write this down and make everyone else aware of the allergy. The family orders food, including this pasta dish. The food is brought out and given out. When it comes to the pasta:
Waiter: “Who is the pasta for?”
The mum points to the son and the waiter is taken aback.
Waiter: “We are unable to give this to your son as it has cheese and tomato in it.”
The waiter takes the dish back to the kitchen and explains the situation, saying the mum will be coming up to order something else. The mum comes up to the till, not to reorder food, but to demand the manager, who is called over.
Mother: “You’ve stolen my son’s food and you’re refusing to give it back!”
Manager: “Madam, we can’t give this dish to your son as you have said he is allergic to cheese and tomato, and this dish is predominantly that.”
Mother: “I paid for that dish, and that is what my son wants! It’s pasta; he can have pasta.”
Manager: “Yes, but it’s also covered in cheese and tomatoes, two things you said your child is allergic to and can’t come into contact with.”
Mother: “But it’s pasta! He’s allowed pasta!”
Manager: “But he’s not allowed cheese and tomato.”
This goes on for a few minutes with the mum not backing down. We offer to make a dairy-free cheese option, minus the tomatoes, but the mum wants the tomatoes added, which we refuse. The manager has had enough of this.
Manager: “Madam, I have refunded your entire table. Please leave.”
Mother: “Seriously?! I’m going to give you negative feedback and ring your head office for not serving us!”
Manager: “Yes, please do tell them how we chose not to serve your child the food items he’s allergic to. The number for the head office is here.”
The mum was handed a business card and shown the door. We had an email from the head office a few weeks later asking for our side of the complaint, and when we explained, they sided with us and said we did our jobs correctly.
Even better, the mum left feedback on the website and was laughed at and berated by other people on the site for wanting to make her son ill and trying to get the café in trouble for following guidelines.
Related:
Allergic To Common Sense, Part 25
Allergic To Common Sense, Part 24
Allergic To Common Sense, Part 23
Allergic To Common Sense, Part 22
Allergic To Common Sense, Part 21