If you got sick at a restaurant...

[elyse]

My dad and my brother got very sick after eating at a local resturant. They are fairly sure it was due to shellfish, because they were the only members of their party to have that dish. When my mother let the restaurant know, they were rude and defensive, rather than apologetic.

It was very disappointing, because it is one of the nicest restaurants in our area. Now we cannot eat there, out of principle. The food poisoning, we could have accepted. Occasionally you can get a bad oyster. But the condesension and disdain. Well, that was unforgivable.

Did you speak with the owner? Write a letter of both your experiences, and cc it to ... who's effective in these sorts of things? This should not go unnoticed.

[Naomi]

Did you speak with the owner? Write a letter of both your experiences, and cc it to ... who's effective in these sorts of things? This should not go unnoticed.

The rude letter was from the owner!

It happened a while ago now. They probably should have made more of a fuss, but they have just decided to remove their custom from the restaurant, and warn off their friends.

[elyse]

POST NAME ON THE INTERNET!

[bilrus]

POST NAME ON THE INTERNET!

Isn't there some sort of eGullet policy on that? Something having to do with libel or liability or some such thing?

[bilrus]

Did he figure out what might have gone wrong?

Not that I'm aware of - but the did say he would review the preparation of the possible dishes to try to avoid it again.

[Pan]

POST NAME ON THE INTERNET!

Isn't there some sort of eGullet policy on that? Something having to do with libel or liability or some such thing?

I explained the work-around on that. All she has to do is say that she has no medical proof that their food caused the reaction. She is not libeling if she simply offers a non-expert opinion rather than a claim of fact, which should be documentable. Then she can recount the story as it happened, including the rude response by the owner.

[Naomi]

POST NAME ON THE INTERNET!

I sent this little piece of opinion to Northern Ireland's only restaurant reviews site. I don't know if it will be placed on that site (or indeed if anyone reads the site... egullet it ain't ) but it was strangely satisfying to make a complaint!

"A couple of months ago my family enjoyed a meal at the Buck's Head Restaurant, in Dundrum. My father and brother had oysters as a starter. They both subsequently suffered terrible food poisoning. Whilst not having any scientific proof, it seems logical to surmise that the shellfish caused this, since it was the only dish that they had exclusively. (no other family members were sick)

My mother considered it proper form to write and inform the restauraunt. Rather than being grateful that she let him know, the owner replied with a rather defensive and condescending letter. My mother considered the letter quite rude. It was a very disappointing episode, and one which has coloured our opinions of this restaurant."

Edited January 3, 2004 by Naomi (log)

[elyse]

Good for you. Complaints should never fester.

[Pan]

Good. Now, more importantly, Naomi, you might want to post a copy of that on the United Kingdom and Ireland forum, where you're probably more likely to save people what could be a very unpleasant trip to this establishment. The one caution I'd make is that, since you have no actual proof that this was food poisoning, I'd counsel you to describe symptoms rather than stating flat out that your father and brother suffered from food poisoning (or state that they suffered from what seemed to you to be food poisoning). The symptoms are inarguable; the interpretation of food poisoning is logical, as you state, but you have no proof of it and therefore could possibly get in trouble for making that accusation directly. I know it sounds like I'm being ridiculously nitpicky, but lawyers assert that the mere accusation of food poisoning can be held libelous. And this is where the eGullet policy bilrus referred to comes down.