Banned from restaurant for 'scaring customers' due to health condition

A British man battling a medical condition that affects the appearance of his face is hoping to raise awareness of facial deformities after he was kicked out of a restaurant last August for “scaring customers”.

“It's a terrible thing to happen. I took it very personally that day,” Britain's Oliver Bromley lamented in an interview with the BBC on Thursday.

Last August, a man with neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic condition that causes non-cancerous tumors to grow on his nerves, was hospitalized at King's College Hospital in Camberwell, south London, when he left the medical facility for food. .

It was on this occasion that he stepped into a restaurant for a few seconds, which he chose not to name to avoid reprisals, before noticing a “cash only” sign, he told the BBC.

He left without speaking to staff, returning a short time later with cash to order.

“They told me to 'please go away' because in their words I was 'scaring the customers' and there were complaints. [Mais] Not enough time […] So anyone can complain […] The restaurant staff was unhappy with my performance,” he continued to the British media.

At the time, the man did not contest and quickly left the premises, but regretted the staff's reaction, blaming his lack of education.

“They probably thought that the face of the patient who had his eye removed two years ago was also full of small tumors […] An epidemic or something like that,” according to a man who was not shy about explaining his condition when asked questions.

After the incident, the Briton complained to the restaurant, which refused to respond, and then to the police for a “hate crime”, but police said they were taking the situation seriously, although it was considered “unlikely” that there would be no outcome despite it being London Metropolitan, according to a BBC story.

“Extremely disappointed” to learn of the way the man was treated, British charity Nerve Tumors is said to be working with catering trade association UK Hospitality to try to change mindsets, pointing out that this type of incident is “unfortunately not rare”. ” in the British media.

The news offers little salve to the wounds of Oliver Bromley, who hopes his story will lead to “awareness of facial deformities and differences”, he told the BBC.