Chicago server waits on woman with severe seafood allergy. Then she proceeds to order shrimp pasta, calamari—and won’t take no for an answer

A Chicago server waited on a woman who told her she had a severe seafood allergy. Then the woman insisted on ordering two different dishes with seafood in them, despite her warnings.

Taylor Limas (@ladyaguilera2.0) posted a video discussing her experience working as a server. In it, she explained that she has had multiple customers who have hit “zeroes” across the board.

“ Our concept of time is zero, babe. We're hitting zeros across the … We're hitting negatives across the [board]. Decorum, zero. Patience, zero. Friendliness, zero,” Limas said. 

Her post discussing her experience in the hospitality industry received more than 24,800 views. 

What do servers do when they get contradictory allergy requests?

Limas recorded a video from inside a car. She lamented a few different frustrations she had with customer interactions, which included a discussion of a woman who claimed to have a severe seafood allergy. 

Limas explained that a woman came into her restaurant to order shrimp pasta and calamari. The TikToker asked the woman if she had any specific allergies, and she replied that she was allergic to seafood. 

Limas tried to explain that the calamari and the shrimp pasta both contain seafood, but she wasn't able to get through to the customer.

“I'm not even joking. I said, ‘Oh, um, I'm sorry ma'am, but everything you ordered actually has seafood in it.' And she said, ‘No, I ordered shrimp pasta and calamari,'” Limas recalled. 

She acknowledged that there might be a language barrier in certain situations, but in this circumstance, Limas did not believe there was an issue. 

“ Do you understand how difficult it is to look somebody in the eyes and have to explain to them that what they just ordered might quite literally off them because they don't know their own allergy?” Limas asked. 

Limas did not clarify whether or not the woman ordered the shrimp pasta and calamari.

Are restaurants legally responsible for customers' allergies?

Restaurants are legally responsible for letting customers know about potential allergens when asked. But what happens when a restaurant serves a customer something they know the customer may be allergic to? 

It depends on the case and the situation.

Civil lawsuits related to allergen exposure, such as the one that would result from serving a customer a dish they're allergic to, are usually based on negligence. If the restaurant negligently acted against the best interest of the customer by serving them food that caused them injury, the customer may have a personal injury case. Each legal proceeding depends on the strength of witness statements and overall evidence. Most states have different liability standards for food-allergy litigation. Restaurants, however, can have a strong legal backing if they can provide documentation and evidence that they warned a customer in advance of a potential allergen.

In Limas' case, she did warn the customer about the potential risk. If other serving staff or management witnessed a portion of the exchange, it could help protect against future liability, as they can corroborate her experience.

What other issues did Limas face?

Outside of the seafood allergy situation, Limas said that customers had little to no “decorum” and approached her for requests during inconvenient times. 

“ I don't know what makes people think or what goes through somebody's head that makes them think that if I'm talking to a table, that it would be okay to go, ‘Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, excuse me,' while I'm quite literally taking an order at a different table,” Limas said.

Limas described another situation where a customer requested a menu for a guest who hadn't even arrived at the table.

“ I had a tray of drinks in my hand and I go and drop [them off]. I said, ‘Yes, I can grab you a menu.' I go and drop off the drinks at the table directly next to them. I turn around and they go, ‘Excuse me, miss, you forgot our menu,' … Where was I supposed to get the menu?” Limas said.

Commenters said that serving can be incredibly difficult. 

“You couldn't pay me enough to go back into serving. Worst decade of my life,” one viewer said. 

Another viewer said, “Idk how you guys do it. I don't have that amount of patience!!”

Buzz News reached out to Limas via TikTok direct message and comment for more information.

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