An allergy sufferer from Manchester was left to eat a Sainsbury’s meal deal whilst out to dinner with friends, after being refused service by a local restaurant on account of her food allergies.
Despite having already signed an allergy waiver at the eatery and travelling home to get her EpiPen, at a personal cost of £16 in taxis, Megan Seymour, 22, was ultimately left to fend for herself during a recent visit to glitzy Salford sushi restaurant Firefly.
The vegan communications advisor from Manchester is used to being asked by staff about her allergies when dining out but said on this occasion she was made to feel like she had ‘a contagious disease’ after the trip to the glamorous sushi joint, reports Lydia Patrick.
“For someone who has dealt with serious issues with eating this entire experience was rather traumatic. I was made to feel as though I couldn’t eat and was unwanted as a customer”, she told The Manc.
All began well, with the group ordering cocktails and admiring their surroundings before being asked by their server if anyone had any food allergies – a textbook procedure.
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Megan explained that she was seriously allergic to both nuts and fish, and, as part of FIrefly’s procedure, she was then asked by their server if she had her EpiPen. She did not.
“I had left it in another bag at home which was admittedly a silly mistake and agreed I would go and pick it up,” she said.
Whilst she left to make the 30-minute round trip home to collect it, the rest of her group were told they could order while they waited – only to be informed shortly after by another team member that they would have to wait until Megan had shown her EpiPen.
£16 in Ubers later Megan returned, armed with her EpiPen, and signed a waiver stating that even though Firefly had done everything they could, there remained a risk of cross-contamination and trace ingredients.
In the case that Megan did have an allergic reaction, the restaurant would not be liable.
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Megan and her friend Mitchell, pictured during their visit to Firefly restaurant. / Image: Lydia Patrick
With the whole group hungry and eager to eat at this point, orders were placed – with Megan opting for three vegan dishes from a special allergen menu in order to be extra careful.
Twenty minutes later, the group was approached by another member of staff and informed that Megan would not be served after all.
Firefly’s staff said this was due to the fact that the food had been in contact with seaweed, and she was told: “seaweed may contain fish.”
Megan felt confident that she would be fine, having eaten seaweed many times before whilst traveling around Asia, but the restaurant would not concede.
By way of apology, the staff offered her a complimentary cocktail, which she accepted, but after watching her friends enjoy their food whilst eating a Sainsbury’s meal deal herself she ultimately left feeling disappointed.
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This sour taste was not helped by the addition of a service charge on the bill, which the group of diners contested and was ultimately removed by staff.
The bill from Megan’s visit to Firefly included a service charge. / Image: Lydia Patrick
Megan said: “I was made to feel as though I was an issue, that my allergies made me a nuisance and an inconvenience to them.
“I genuinely was made to feel like I had a contagious disease and was looked down upon.”
What’s more, it does not seem that the incident at Firefly was a one-off as a number of customers have reported similar experiences.
A week after Megan’s ordeal Kay, a dental nurse from Manchester, reported having a similar experience.
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Whilst dining out with friends for a birthday celebration, the dental nurse – also a vegan – informed their server when asked that she had a mild allergy to prawns which causes her tongue to swell slightly.
She had already taken antihistamines as a precautionary measure and explained, after being asked to show her EpiPen, that her allergy is not severe enough to warrant one.
She also offered to sign a waiver taking full responsibility if she were to have a reaction after dining from the restaurant’s plant-based menu, but says this was refused by staff.
The dental nurse said: “I’ve never in all my life been treated like that. I just wanted to cry, I couldn’t sit there and watch all my friends eat. It made me feel so small.
“They even locked the door near where we were sat as if we were going to run off without paying the bill.”
Kay was given three complimentary cocktails by way of apology and managed to sneak some vegan food from her friend’s plate, but ultimately left hungry and upset by the experience.
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Reviews on the restaurant’s TripAdvisor page also point to this being a recurring issue.
Image: TripAdvisor
In a recent review, entitled ‘Horrific with Allergies’, customer Megan N writes: “Never felt so uncomfortable in a restaurant ever. They have no care for the customers, they only want to cover their own backs if something did happen.
“The processes they were following made me think that someone had died from an allergic reaction here and they couldn’t face this happening to them again.”
Firefly restaurant owner Christian Coates said in a comment: “At Firefly we care about our guests’ safety and experience whilst dining in the restaurant. As part of our procedure for any visitors with allergies we would only ever serve food if we thought it was safe to do so.
“Every allergy is different, the circumstances and risk levels are different, but we have to follow a process, so we take any allergy incredibly seriously.
“If this has been received or interpreted as a negative experience then it’s only in place to protect the well-being and safety of the customer.”
Feature image – Firefly
News
Breakaway competition R360 issues statement after rubgy unions warn players of sanctions
Danny Jones
Prospective breakaway competition R360 have issued a response to the joint statement from multiple countries’ rugby unions, which has warned players of sanctions should they choose to join the new league.
While the vast majority seemingly remain opposed to the new concept, backing from certain key figures has resulted in the likes of the UK and Irish rugby unions, along with other key nations, sharing their unified stance against the potential rival.
Put in the simplest terms, the R360 model is rugby’s equivalent of what the proposed European ‘Super League’ was for football just a few years ago, with similar questions being raised around how it could jeopardise existing contests, player wellbeing and more.
Now, though, the new format – which has been largely backed and developed by former World Cup winner with England, Mike Tindall – delivered its own reply on Wednesday, 8 October.
Shared publicly to the press, the alternative tournament wrote: “It’s not always easy to embrace new opportunities, but as we’ve seen throughout history, it’s essential for any sport to grow. So many players love what R360 can do for them and the game, and we can’t wait to kick off next year.
“Player welfare is one of the key reasons for creating our global series, which will greatly reduce player load and capture the attention of a new generation of fans globally. We want to work collaboratively as part of the global rugby calendar.
“The series is designed with bespoke schedules for men’s and women’s teams and R360 will release all players for international matches, as written into their contracts. Our philosophy is clear – if players want to play for their country, they should have that opportunity. Why would the unions stand in their way?
“We look forward to submitting to the World Rugby Council for sanctioning next summer as planned.”
At present, R360 is due to hold its inagural season this time next year, with eight new male teams and four women’s sides expected to get underway from October 2026 onwards.
In addition to more lucrative contracts like those promised in the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket, LIV Golf and the aforementioned albeit failed Super League, R360 is also set to offer a reduced playing schedule but one that would still tempt athletes away from their current teams to new franchises.
The national rugby unions of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy have released the following statement on the proposed R360 competition ⬇️#IrishRugby
Although they have assured player care is an utmost priority, their health and fitness is one of my concerns put forward by the total eight rubgy unions who have urged current pros to stay away from the breakaway competition.
In case you haven’t seen the statement release by England, Ireland and Scotland, as well as France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, it begins by “urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition.”
Assuring that they welcome “investment and innovation in rugby”, they feel this particular idea won’t improve the sport but could instead “fragment or weaken it.”
Having assessed the proposals supposed value/addition to the “rugby’s global ecosystem”, it seems the fear is that the outcome will be a “net negative to the game”, with little to no detail as to how it can run alongside existing fixtures, assure proper management of player welfare and more.
As for Wales, despite opting not to put their name to the open letter itself, they have stated publicly: “The Welsh Rugby Union supports this statement, and we’re considering changes we may need to make to qualification rules in Wales as part of ongoing analysis following our recent consultation process.”
The statement continues: “The R360 model, as outlined publicly, rather appears designed to generate profits and return them to a very small elite, potentially hollowing out the investment that national unions and existing leagues make in community rugby, player development, and participation pathways.”
It seems there is deep concern for how it could affect grassroots and the international rugby too, not just league and union, and have failed to full explain or help key organisations “better understand their business and operating model.”
Most notably, they sign off by adding: “Each of the national unions will therefore be advising men’s and women’s players that participation in R360 would make them ineligible for international selection.”
What do you make of the whole debate – do you like the current schedule/format as it is, or do you think there’s room for a new chapter in the rugby world?
Passengers warned of ‘disruption’ ahead of more Bee Network bus strikes this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Bus services across Greater Manchester will be disrupted later this weekend as drivers from two companies stage strike action.
In what is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says it has had confirmation that staff from two operators, Stagecoach and Metroline, will go ahead with further planned strikes this weekend.
If this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who were employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – each of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – walked out in a number of co-ordinated strikes earlier this month amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union said each of the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
In this case, Unite has confirmed that drivers at First have called off further action after voting to accept a revised pay offer.
Passengers are being warned of ‘disruption’ ahead of more Bee Network bus strikes this weekend / Credit: TfGM
However, both Stagecoach and Metroline staff have opted to proceed with strike action onFriday 10 October, Saturday 11 October, and Monday 13 October.
This means that around 190 services, including some dedicated school buses, will not run on strike days, and TfGM is therefore advising everyone to ‘check before they travel’ and allow extra time to make their journey.
Bus services in Tameside, Trafford, and Stockport are not expected to run, and some services in South Manchester, parts of the city centre, and Rochdale will also be impacted.
Many bus services will continue to run ‘as usual’, however, and this includes services such as the Free Bus in Manchester city centre, as well as the majority of buses in Bolton, Bury, Salford, and Wigan.
The strikes are the latest in an ongoing dispute over pay / Credit: TfGM
“While we are pleased that planned industrial action by First staff has been called off, we encourage Stagecoach, Metroline, and Unite to continue discussions to avert further strike action,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.
“We’ll continue to keep passengers informed and support them to make journeys wherever possible. We encourage everyone to check the latest status of their service before they travel, leave plenty of time for their journey and to get in touch if they have any questions.”
Unite has indicated that further industrial action will also happen on Saturday 18, Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October.
Georgina Pellant -
14th March 2022 
