A man with a facial disfigurement has spoken of his frustration at being asked to leave a restaurant – as he was “frightening customers”.
Oliver Bromley, 42, was being treated at King’s College Hospital in Camberwell, south-east London, and had decided to have lunch at a local restaurant.
But after trying to order food, Bromley says staff told him they had received complaints from customers – and asked him to leave.
Although disappointed and upset by his eviction, he hopes it can now lead to better education in conditions like those for those working in the hospitality industry.
Charity Nerve Tumors UK found such incidents were unfortunately “not uncommon”, but have organized meetings with UKHospitality to seek better education in the industry.
Bromley lives with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 – a genetic condition that causes benign, non-cancerous tumors to grow on his nerves.
While receiving treatment in August for his condition at King’s College Hospital by specialist surgeons Drs. Ben Robertson and Nicholas Thomas – who he is full of praise for – he opted for a change from hospital food and decided to eat out.
Bromley, who helps run an NHS mental health crisis helpline but is currently off work, said: “I decided to take myself for lunch.
“The food looked good when I looked in a window and went inside.
“They said it was cash only, so I took some money and went to place my order.
“The gentleman behind the counter told me that there had been complaints about me and to please leave.
“I asked him to repeat himself and he said I was scaring the customers.”
Bromley, who lives in Reigate, Surrey, said he was in “disbelief” at what the employee told him, as he had not been in the restaurant long enough for anyone to complain about his presence.
“I wasn’t even sitting down,” he continued. “I went to place my order and they asked me to leave.
“Maybe they saw me surfing, maybe they didn’t want me to go in there…
“I don’t know, but that’s what they said. These are the facts.
“Of course, I was very upset. I went to a local park to console myself and think of a plan of action to deal with.”
Bromley, who is originally from South Africa, wrote personally to the restaurant, which he does 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 in connection with the incident and that although no arrests had been made, the force took “reports of hate crime seriously”.
Bromley added that although he is often forced to deal with people staring at him, he has never before experienced something as “direct” as being kicked out of a restaurant.
“People watch — young kids, especially — but I’ve never been treated so directly,” he said.
“It was very direct and very clear that I was not wanted.
“At the time of the incident, the country was in the midst of racial unrest.
“I was able to feel what it’s like to be discriminated against.”
Trading Standards has also been told of his experience and the charity Nerve Tumors UK will meet with UKHospitality to discuss the best education for employees.
The charity’s director, Karen Cockburn, said: “We were extremely disappointed to hear the news of the horrific, but sadly not uncommon, incident that Oliver Bromley experienced while trying to buy lunch.
“We work tirelessly to raise both the profile of the condition and the work we do to help patients; and also to educate the general public about the condition.
“If Oliver felt he had been discriminated against, it is possible he could have a case under the Equality Act 2010, in which ‘severe disfigurement’ is a protected characteristic.
“We have written to both the restaurant in question and UKHospitality, the trade association body.
“Although we have not heard back from the restaurant, I am delighted to say that UKHospitality has offered to work with us to raise awareness of the state of the hospitality sector and I will be meeting with them shortly to launch this joint venture. “
Bromley hopes his harrowing experience can have a positive impact and insists he is not seeking “revenge”.
“All of them [the restaurant] he had to ask,” he said. “There is a lot of naivety about this issue.
“I’m on a mission to spread awareness about my condition.
“I would really like to educate the hospitality industry for what it is.
“It’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s something some individuals have to live with.
“I hope this raises awareness and that, moving forward, it can have a positive outcome and prevent it from happening again.”
“There will always be nasty people in the world, but that’s my hope.”
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