Sometimes, customers lie about food allergies in an attempt to finesse a free meal out of restaurants, like this one woman who said she couldn’t eat seafood despite chowing down on a whole mess of it at this establishment.
TikToker Matthew Daniel Gordon (@mattactorgordon) says that they recently came across one such customer while working as a server. After a dreadful experience with the patron, Matt saw a negative review they had posted about the service staff online and decided to give a point-by-point rejoinder to their review in a now-viral clip that has garnered over 200,000 likes on the popular social media platform.
@mattactorgordon The math ain’t mathin’, Chloe #server #serverlife #serverproblems #restaurant #customerservice #karen #rude #justice #scam ♬ original sound – Matthew Daniel Gordon
Gordon begins his response to the customer by urging his TikTok followers to read the review the irate customer posted. “Hi Chloe, I was waiting for your review, please pause to read,” he says, before stepping away from the green-screen image capture of the negative online feedback she left.
She claimed that the restaurant was unclear about allergens in its food, leading her friend to have an allergic reaction.
“The worst dining experience ever,” the customer’s review reads. “The food was fine but nothing in their service or attitudes were justifiable, tldr if you have allergies do not come here. My friend and I repeatedly checked with them to make sure there was no allergens in any of the foods we ordered, but we got mixed answers. It left us feeling confused and uncertain. She ate about 2/5 of the main dish before she started having an allergic reaction. We ended up rushing home but I called later asking if there is anything we could do to help her. The restaurant could not have been more rude! They said, ‘next time you should check yourself.’ I don’t know if they mean I should check for myself their food packaging and their kitchen? Or if I should check online to somehow find out that would be how they treat allergies? People have had allergies for a long while and it is never an outrageous request to have restaurants kindly and professionally accommodate for those. In conclusion would never return and will let everyone that this was our experience, so please avoid if you want to have a pleasant evening out :).”
The camera then cuts back to Gordon who speaks directly into the camera and offers up a response to Chloe’s comments about the service she received at the restaurant.
He maintains that he took into account all of the guests’ allergies and even put them on their order tickets.
“So, I’m the server you spoke to who ‘could not have been more rude,’” Gordon introduces himself. “Let’s get a few things straight: you told us your friend was allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, and pumpkin seeds. You know how I remember that at the top of my head? Because all of those things were put into our computer then they were printed twice, and then we spoke to the kitchen about them asking about all the ingredients about the food that you ordered. The restaurant staff did our due diligence. You and your friend did not.”
Gordon then claims Chloe incorrectly attributed what he told her over the phone after they had dined there.
“Let me correct you on what I actually told you over the phone, what I said was if you have food allergies it is your responsibility to research what kind of cuisine is served at a restaurant,” he says. “If it is too risky don’t eat there.”
However, the server had other points he wanted to bring up in his TikTok that didn’t pertain to the customer’s food allergies, like the fact that they attempted to get their meals for free. He also seems to intimate that they were lying about the severity of the allergic reaction one of them was having, as they still waited to have their meals boxed up.
“But I wanna talk about a few other things,” Gordon says. “First of all, you almost left without paying. Thanks for not tipping by the way. And even though you were in such a rush to leave because your friend was having such a bad allergic reaction, you still had time to ask us to box up your food so that you could eat it later. You know the food that was causing your friend to have an allergic reaction. We have that on camera by the way.”
He also questioned why she wasn’t carrying an Epipen at the time, considering her long list of allergies.
The TikToker also goes on to say that when Chloe called the restaurant, she immediately started yelling at the staff when they answered the phone. Gordon says that he believes this was an attempt to get further compensation.
“And then when you called an hour later screaming at us, you said that your friend didn’t have to go to the hospital but she was going to be uncomfortable and what are we gonna do about it,” he says.
Gordon mentions that he also found it odd that the friend who had an allergic reaction wasn’t the one making the complaints, just Chloe on their behalf.
“Now, if you’re keeping track, none of this is coming from your friend, it’s coming from you, Chloe. So let’s review: you come into our restaurant with a long list of allergies. The restaurant does everything in our power to accommodate you and your friend. 2/5 of the way into the meal, your friend has a bad allergic reaction. But not so bad that she needs to go to the hospital or needs an Epipen. And you need to leave immediately, but not too fast because you’re gonna need that food to go. I don’t know about everyone else but this is sounding a little suspicious to me.”
Gordon then accuses Chloe and her friend of not taking her allergies seriously enough.
“Our restaurant and every restaurant I have ever worked at takes our customers’ allergies very seriously,” he says. “Looking back at the evidence, it would seem that you and your friend did not take her allergies seriously. I am sticking up for my co-workers and service industry people everywhere. Please if you have a long list of allergies, do your research before you pick a restaurant.”
He then caps off his rant against the customer by stating his behavior wasn’t unprofessional. “And Chloe, I wasn’t rude. You were rude. You were rude to me and my fellow co-workers who did everything in our power to accommodate you and your friend,” he concludes. “And I’m glad you’re not coming back.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gordon via TikTok comment for further information.
One commenter also expressed that they thought Chloe was attempting to finagle a free meal by exploiting her friend’s condition. “I think Chloe is guilty of slippin a peanut in the friend’s meal for a free one lol,” they joked.
“It sounds like Chloe was trying to get her money back when she called back,” another suggested.
A further user on the platform thought that the way the customers handled the incident was suspicious as well. “They rushed home to call the RESTURAUNT if there was anything they could do for her ALLERGIC reaction,” they wrote.
