A man with a facial disfigurement was asked to leave a restaurant because his appearance was making other customers uncomfortable.

Oliver Bromley, a 42-year-old man with Neurofibromatosis Type 1, recently had a distressing experience at a London restaurant. He had been receiving treatment at King's College Hospital in Camberwell and decided to grab some lunch at a nearby eatery. However, when he went to order his food, a member of the staff asked him to leave, claiming that his facial disfigurement was scaring other customers.

Oliver has Neurofibromatosis Type 1, a genetic condition that causes non-cancerous tumors to grow on his nerves. He was upset and shocked by the incident and wrote to the restaurant, but received no response. Now, he is sharing his story in hopes of educating people about his condition and preventing similar situations in the future for himself and others.

Oliver has been in contact with the charity Nerve Tumours UK, who sadly stated that his experience is not uncommon. They have organized meetings with UKHospitality to raise awareness in the hospitality industry. Oliver, who currently helps run an NHS mental health crisis helpline, was off work at the time and decided to treat himself to lunch at the restaurant. However, things took a turn for the worse when he was asked to leave.

According to Oliver, he went inside the restaurant after seeing that the food looked good. However, they only accepted cash, so he went to withdraw some money before placing his order. It was then that the staff member told him about complaints they had received and asked him to leave. Oliver was taken aback and asked for clarification, to which he was told that he was scaring other customers.

The incident left Oliver feeling incredulous, as he had hardly been in the restaurant long enough for someone to complain about his presence. He had not even sat down yet. He went to a nearby park to think about how to handle the situation. After writing to the restaurant and receiving no response, he contacted the police, who recorded the incident as a hate crime. The Met Police stated that they take reports of hate crimes seriously, although no arrests were made.

Oliver mentioned that this was the first time he had been asked to leave somewhere because of his condition. He shared that while people often stare at him, especially young children, he has never been treated so directly before. He also pointed out that this incident happened during the time of racial riots, and it made him empathize with those who face discrimination.

Karen Cockburn, the director of Nerve Tumours UK, expressed her disappointment at the incident and said that it is unfortunately not uncommon. She also mentioned that they have reached out to both the restaurant and UKHospitality, the trade association body. The latter has offered to work with them to raise awareness of the condition in the hospitality sector. Oliver hopes that this incident will have a positive influence and raise awareness, rather than seeking retribution.

He shared that all the restaurant had to do was ask him about his condition, and there is a lot of naivety surrounding the issue. He is on a mission to spread awareness and educate the hospitality industry. Oliver hopes that this experience will prevent similar situations from happening in the future and that there will be a positive outcome. He acknowledged that there will always be nasty people in the world, but he remains hopeful for a better future.

Lastly, Trading Standards has also been informed about Oliver's experience.

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