‘You brought this on yourself…’: Server puts lying patron in her place after fabricating a food allergy in an attempt to force the restaurant to accommodate her food preferences

Author image for Sienna Varady
Sienna Varady
Apr 5, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

A career in the service industry is never easy. However, it gets ten times more challenging when someone tells the chef they have dietary sensitivities in order to ensure that they take their dislike of a specific ingredient seriously.

The story that follows is relayed by an unhappy server. The Original Poster (OP) is in charge of asking customers if they have any special dietary needs that the chef should be aware of. That's why OP investigated the matter properly when a disgruntled customer claimed to have a garlic allergy. However, after talking with the restaurant more in-depth about it, OP discovered that the client was only pretending to have an allergy in order to pressure them to comply. 

That being said, be sure to read the story below if you're interested in learning what happened between OP and the entitled patron as well as how OP got even! When you've finished reading the piece, don't forget to read about the client who paid an IT specialist $1000 after giving the team access to the administrator password!

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  • 01
    "Are you aware of what you've done?"
    via canva
  • 02
    If you tell me about an "allergy", don't back track
    via u/toucha_ma_spaget
  • 03
    I take everyone who comes in and tells me about an allergy they have seriously. Last night I had a woman tell me she was allergic to garlic. We use a lot of garlic in our kitchen, we also use it to season our fries so there's always a risk of cross contamination as it's a powder. As she was telling me things she wanted from our menu, I had to continuously tell her she couldn't have it because it had garlic in it. She starts getting frustrated and says "well what
    via u/toucha_ma_spaget
  • 04
    CAN I have". I give her three options with modifications and none of that was good enough. She then begins to backtrack saying she can have a little bit and if it's not raw, it's fine etc etc. I decide to do a little bit of malicious compliance and inform her that I don't feel comfortable serving her something that she's informed me she's allergic to. I decide I don't get paid enough and get the manager. I'd
    via u/toucha_ma_spaget
  • 05
    already spoken to the manager before I went to discuss food options so she was aware of the situation. The lady completely 180s and tells my manager she just doesn't like garlic so as long as the flavour isn't strong, she'll be fine. Manager took my side, told her to choose one of the options, lady decided on one but continued to be huffy the whole night because she didn't get what she wanted to eat.
    via u/toucha_ma_spaget
  • 06
    Don't tell servers you have an allergy or intolerance unless you actually do, we take that stuff serious. TLDR; lady told me about a fake allergy, I wouldn't serve her what she wanted then she backtracked.
    via u/toucha_ma_spaget
  • 07
    GAMGAlways 11 days ago My place has grilled flatbread that is finished with salt. I don't mean seasoned I mean you can actually see the salt crystals on top. Lady goes on and on about needing a salt free meal. She can't have salt. She can't have cheese on her salad because of the sodium. I need to check that the shrimp she wants on her
    via u/GAMGAlways
  • 08
    salad isn't marinated because she can't have salt. I put her order in and immediately she asks if she can get flatbread. I said "oh unfortunately it has a good amount of salt" and she says "oh that's fine."
    via u/GAMGAlways
  • 09
    RaitoSonozaki · 11 days ago Thank you for taking things seriously! I can't have onion (not sure if it's a full allergy or just an intolerance but I will get sick). I have lost count of how many times I've said onion allergy & places seem to work hard to give me extra onions
    via u/RaitoSonozaki
  • 10
    badpuffthaikitty 11 days ago My friend doesn't eat gluten. She isn't allergic to it. When we go out for dinner she asks the server for the gluten free choices. Then she immediately tells the server that it isn't an allergy, just a choice. Don't worry about cross contamination.
    via u/badpuffthaikitty
  • 11
    4alark 11 days ago • I really wish it was acceptable to ask people, when they announce an allergy, "is this a genuine allergy, or pretend?" I have started asking upfront about the severity of the allergy, and explain that severe allergies will be taken seriously, and so have a much longer ticket time. People with genuine allergies will be happy to hear that they'll be taken care of, and pretenders or those with a mild intolerance will not want their food held up. Usually.
    via u/4alark
  • 12
    huxley2112 11 days ago. Here's how the conversation went when I was a restaurant manager (all allergy notifications were required to get a manager). Me: "Allergy or preference?" Karen: "Why does it matter?" Me: "Because if it's allergy your tables
    via u/huxley2112
  • 13
    food will take an extra 30-45 minutes longer since we have to shut down the line and sanitize it before making your tables order to prevent cross contamination. We also can't have anyone at your table order anything with that ingredient for that same reason." Karen: "Well, in that case, preference."
    via u/huxley2112
  • 14
    Kodiak01 11 days ago Should be able to add this to the menu: "Lying about allergies just because you don't like an ingredient will result in a 50% surcharge for your entire party. If you just don't like something, just say so."
    via u/Kodiak01
  • 15
    ultravioletblueberry 11 days ago So ridiculous, I hate it too. I had this lady come in to my bar one day and told me her friend was meeting her there, but also that her friend is super allergic to natural wines. We are literally a natural wine bar. She wanted me to choose a bottle for them, before her friend got there. I asked her more about the allergy, like how severe which she informed me it
    via u/ultravioletblueberry
  • 16
    was really severe, then if they have had natural wine before. She said at a different wine bar. I asked if she knew exactly what it was in the wine that made her allergic, she had no idea. I told her I didn't feel comfortable serving her natural wine when her friend is allergic, and I wanted to wait to speak with her friend personally for more details when she arrived. She was arguing with me about it. Her friend eventually
    via u/ultravioletblueberry
  • 17
    comes and is telling me the same thing, I continue to tell them I don't feel comfortable. They ask me if we have any wines that aren't natural, I inform them they came to... a natural wine bar lol that's when they both started back peddling about how it actually wasn't that bad and her face just turns red, and that it was totally ok to serve them some sort of rose.
    via u/ultravioletblueberry
  • 18
    in-site 11 days ago It's not that hard to tell your server you hate an ingredient, or are sensitive to it... Like why lie?? It's so much extra work for the cooks/preps to clean and change everything
    via u/in-site
  • 19
    SimplyKendra · 11 days ago Twenty + Years Absolutely. I'm not going to get sued or let my restaurant take a hit or a bad review because someone lies about an allergy. I take them seriously, and if you lie you better believe that you will still be treated as if you have one too.
    via u/SimplyKendra
  • 20
    JustRgJane 10 days ago • These people ruin for everyone with an actual allergies. I dislike nuts and if I see them as a topping I say "I'm not allergic but can you leave them off?" I don't want them to go through a crazy allergy protocol because I just want them left off a salad.
    via u/JustRgJane
  • 21
    WilliamBott · 11 days ago Good Tipper • I completely agree with that. If they tell you they are allergic and then you serve it to them (even if they backtrack), you can be sued and potentially found liable. As for the customer, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
    via u/WilliamBott
  • 22
    IndianaDrew 11 days ago Once had a lady order a burger with "NO tomatoes because I am super allergic!! They can't even touch my burger!" I made sure to flag her order and went back to tell the line cooks in person too. Came back and she's chowing down on the chips and salsa
    via u/IndianaDrew
  • 23
    OneLessDay517 10 days ago You should take it seriously and you handled it appropriately. Personally I'll take all the garlic you've got in the restaurant and more!
    via u/OneLessDay517
  • 24
    FelonieOursun · 10 days ago We had someone with a tomato allergy once that got mad cause we had to take longer preparing their food cause they needed all separate utensils. you want to be safe or not? like, do
    via u/FelonieOursun
  • 25
    hallowmas 10 days ago People like this lady are the reason that people like me with legit allergies don't get taken seriously
    via u/ha11owmas
  • 26
    Ness_tea_BK 11 days ago This is an unnecessary round about way of her asking you to go light on the garlic and trying to ensure you comply. Meanwhile if she just said that you'd have asked the kitchen to do so
    via u/Ness_tea_BK
  • 27
    mamanova1982 · 10 days ago • I was a line cook at a Mexican place, and a guy came in and said he was allergic to cilantro! A server came back and asked if there was anything that didn't have cilantro. Nope! It's a Mexican restaurant! There's cilantro in every dish! Turns out he's just one of those people that tastes soap when they eat cilantro. He had the chicken taco plate. (The chicken was marinated in cilantro!)
    via u/mamanova1982
  • 28
    bittersandseltzer · 10 days ago As someone who has a background serving and currently can't consume onion or garlic I don't impose my restrictions on - restaurants and I just eat at home cus it's a ridiculous ask to accommodate
    via u/bittersandseltzer
  • 29
    slide_into_my_BM 8 days ago • I had a woman, honest to god, tell me she was allergic to salt. Not on a low sodium diet or something but that she was actually allergic. I give her the handful of options that can be made without salt and she orders a chicken fried steak with a cheesy broccoli
    via u/slide_into_my_BM
  • 30
    casserole. Probably the saltiest items on the menu. I explain again, these are very salty items, she insists again it's fine. I wish I'd done what you did but I just couldn't go back and forth with this woman anymore
    via u/slide_into_my_BM
  • 31
    myodesopsias 3 days ago • The amount of people I take my careful time explaining all the gluten free options and alterations we can offer to make several dishes work for them, only for them to hm and ha and finally in the end order battered and fried fish and leave no tip... ☺
    via u/myodesopsias

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