A man with facial disfigurement has expressed his frustration at being asked to leave a restaurant – because he was “scaring away customers.”
Oliver Bromley, 42, was being treated at King's College Hospital in Camberwell, southeast London, and had decided to have lunch at a local restaurant.
But Bromley says after attempting to order food, staff told him they had received complaints from customers – and asked him to leave.
Although she is disappointed and upset by her eviction, she hopes that now those working in the hospitality industry will be able to get better education on the same terms as her.
The charity Nerve Tumors UK revealed that such incidents were unfortunately “not uncommon”, but has organized meetings with UKHospitality to call for better education in the industry.
lives with bromley neurofibromatosis type 1 – A genetic condition that causes benign, non-cancerous tumors to develop on his nerves.
While receiving treatment for his condition at King's College Hospital in August from specialist surgeons Dr Ben Robertson and Nicholas Thomas – whom he greatly admires – he opted for a change from hospital meals and decided to eat out.
Bromley, who helps run the NHS mental health crisis helpline but is currently out of work, said: “I decided to take myself for lunch.
“When I looked through a window the food looked good and I went inside.
“They said they were cash only, so I took out some money and went to place my order.
“The gentleman behind the counter told me there had been complaints about me, and to please leave me alone.
“I asked him to repeat himself, and he said I was scaring away customers.”
Bromley, who lives in Reigate, Surrey, said he found what the employee told him “incredible”, as he had rarely been in the restaurant long enough for anyone to complain about his presence.
“I was not even sitting,” he added. “I went to place my order and they asked me to leave.
“Maybe they saw me browsing, maybe they didn't want to see me there…
“I don't know, but that's what they said. These are the facts.
“Obviously, I was very upset. I went to a local park to console myself and think of a plan of action to deal with this.
Bromley, who is originally from South Africa, wrote personally to the restaurant, which he did not want to name, but received no response.
He then contacted the Met Police, who registered the incident as a hate crime.
The Met confirmed to the BBC that officers had visited Bromley about the incident and that although no arrests were made, the force “takes reports of hate crime seriously.”
Bromley said that although he has often been forced to stare at people, he has never had such a “direct” experience as being kicked out of a restaurant before.
“People stare – especially little kids – but I've never been directly treated that way,” she said.
“It was very plain and clear that I didn't want to.
“At the time of the incident, the country was in the midst of racial riots.
“I was able to feel what it's like to face discrimination.”
Trading Standards has also been informed about their experience and the charity Nerve Tumors UK will be meeting with UKHospitality to discuss better education for staff.
Karen Cockburn, director of the charity, said: “We were extremely disappointed to hear news of the horrific incident, but sadly it is not the uncommon incident that Oliver Bromley experienced while attempting to buy lunch.
“We work tirelessly to raise both the profile of the condition and the work we do to help patients; And also educating the broader public about the situation.
“If Oliver feels he has been discriminated against, there is the option that a case could be filed against him under the 2010 Equality Act, in which ‘severe disfigurement’ is a protected characteristic.
“We have written to both the restaurants concerned and trade association body UKHospitality.
“Although we have not received any feedback from restaurants, I am pleased to say that UKHospitality has offered to work with us to raise awareness of the situation among the hospitality sector, and I look forward to starting this joint venture.” I am having a meeting with him soon to do so. ,
Bromley hopes his harrowing experience can have a positive impact and stressed he is not seeking “retribution”.
“All [the restaurant] There was a need to ask,” he said. “There is a lot of naivety around this issue.
“I'm on a mission to spread awareness about my condition.
“I would really like to educate the hospitality industry about what it is.
“There is nothing to be afraid of, it is something some individuals have to live with.
“I'm hoping this will raise awareness and have a positive outcome in the long run and prevent this from happening again.
“There will always be bad people in the world, but that's my hope.”
