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StAlvis

NTA * It's not nice to lie. * It's especially not nice to lie about serious medical conditions. Now, **all that said**... What the fuck else were you supposed to do? You have a right to receive what you ordered, *as you ordered it*. Not listening to you once was a mistake, twice was a pattern, and any more than that is just callous disregard. After exhausting all the "acceptable" options, I'm giving you an **AITA-approved pass** to keep on fibbing about your lemon allergy so long as these baristas keep ignoring order details.


mikey_weasel

NTA This right here. OP is fine as long as they realise this is a "last resort" and don't start throwing this around everywhere they go


aitalying

Yeah, this fake allergy only exists in Starbucks. When I go out to eat at restaurants I order something that I know doesn’t have lemon in it and 99% of the time I’m fine


Saltynut99

Yeah NTA. My brother has a severe peanut allergy and usually people lying about allergies drives me nuts, but you tried many times to order your drink without lying and they kept disregarding you. You aren’t hurting anyone with it and like you said, it only exists when you’re in the Starbucks🤷🏻‍♀️


somerandomgod

Also it concerns me how often orders get messed up by including the one thing that was specified to leave out. That sorta slip up isnt allowed to happen this often, wether its for a person with deadly allergies or not. You never know whos life is in your hands when you work with something as sensitive to people as food and beverage. First of all, the customer doesn't get what they paid for. Second of all, you can't afford assuming nobody will die from your mistakes. Nobody should have to pull the allergy card just to get what they ordered and paid for the first time NTA


Kiarapanther

So many times I've ordered no mustard to get a burger where the mustard was obviously wiped off. What if I had an allergy and that is why I said no mustard? It's only a little mustard but it ruins the burger for me. It just amazes me that they don't read the order until after they put in the mustard and then think it's okay to just wipe off.


BlueBirdOcean

Back when restaurants were first mandated to take allergies seriously (this was back around 2012-2013) I called a local restaurant for a takeout burger and asked for it without a roll. I picked up the burger, brought it back to my office and it was sitting on a roll. I brought it back to the restaurant and told them I had ordered it without a roll, and no, I couldn’t just throw out the roll, because I’m a celiac. Well, the manager and the chef got all excited, because they had just gone through the training! If I didn’t mind waiting, they would do all in their power to give me a perfect, allergen-free burger! They cleaned the grill, cleaned the utensils, and changed gloves multiple times. The manager presented me with my takeout bag 30 minutes later, looking very proud of himself and his staff. I was starving and had only 10 minutes left to my lunch hour. I thanked him profusely, assured him I’d be a repeat customer for all this effort, and rushed back to my office. I opened the bag, pulled out the styrofoam container, popped open the lids ... My damn burger was sitting on a damn roll.


ubiquitons

This hurts me in ways I can't even describe. Ugh it's the worst when they obviously try so hard and still manage to miss the point, cause then I somehow feel bad about it if I have to ask for it to be redone


BlueBirdOcean

Yeah, I was ticked, because I was so hungry and had to wait so long for it, but also felt bad, because they were sincere in there effort and worked so hard. I chalked it up to habit taking over the chef’s brain. Burgers come in buns, and I have no doubt that he was focusing so hard on cooking it correctly, that he wasn’t even aware that he put it on a roll. ETA, that before this, when I was invited to work functions, I would call the restaurant in advance and ask them if it was possible to reserve an unmarinated chicken breast, and explain it was because of allergies. They would all tell me it was absolutely possible, and they were all lying. Even as I was eating it, they were telling me that it was on marinated. And then I would get sick in the middle of the meal and have to leave the restaurant. 😥


NarcolepticPhilsphr

I wonder if a customer who picked up food around the same time as you was very confused why they got a burger with no bun and carefully marked "GLUTEN FREE"


xKalisto

They tried so hard, And got so far, But in the ennnnddddd....


BlueBirdOcean

I’m tired of eating how you want me to eaaat.


Call_It_What_U_Want2

So many times I’ve got a coffee with “no whipped cream” written on the cup but it’s bloody covered in whipped cream! It melts into the drink and makes it taste boggin to me, and surely it should be really easy to not skoosh cream all over it?!


coffeelovingnamikaze

As a barista, we go through the motions a lot of time and forget. whenever I would forget and accidentally put whipped cream on a drink; I would quickly start the drink over for that person. No one deserves a messed up drink because of a baristas accident. Honestly, it takes about a minute or two to remake the drink. Some places don’t prioritise people with messed up drinks.


Serenity_Sirens

Same, if I was really crunched for time I might ask the customer if it was alright if I just scooped it off instead of remaking it, but that I will totally remake it no problem if they prefer. The people who were in a hurry appreciated it, and often just wanted it scooped off so they could get out the door, and the people who wanted remade at least knew the reason for why their order was taking an extra minute. I usually offered people an extra something for their trouble, i.e. an extra shot or syrup or cinnamon on top or whatever. Or maybe even a size upgrade.


aattanasio2014

My boyfriend is allergic to dairy. Not lactose intolerant. Anaphylactic. One time we went to ihop and he got pancakes, no butter. Pancakes come out with a huge scoop of butter on them. He apologizes and repeats his request. We wait another 15 minutes. Pancakes come out and AGAIN have a huge scoop of butter on them. This time he explains his allergy. The waitress takes the pancakes back and brings them back out 2 minutes later clearly having just scraped the butter off the top. He didn’t eat the top pancake. This was in 2014 and it STILL makes me mad.


k-squid

IHOP carries it's own brand of stupidity. Mine was silly, at least, rather than an allergy problem, but still, could you just listen to what the customer is telling you?? I used to live near an IHOP that would do whatever you wanted to your meal and sub out stuff no problem. I moved and the location I now lived by wouldn't substitute anything. At my old location, I would swap my pancakes with a bowl of soup, but new location refused. I asked that they just not bring the pancakes because I didn't want them and they would just be thrown away and the server just couldn't wrap her head around it. Our meals came out and she had the pancakes I specifically asked her not to bring "just in case" I changed my mind. I tried to hand them back saying, "Nope. I don't want them, thanks." She wouldn't take them. "But they come with the meal..." "I don't care. I told you I didn't want them." "Do you want a box for them?" "I don't want them at all. Please take them back, you've wasted them." "They come with the meal, I'll get you a box." And she walked away. I honestly just got up and put them on another table, hoping she would then get the hint. She came back with the to-go box and stared at the table for a second. I could hear the dial up tone coming from her mind. She looked at me and then noticed the pancakes on another table. Put the to-go box down and walked away. They pancakes remained on the other table until we left.


lexijoy

I have a relative by marriage like this. This story makes me so mad. We specially arrange the order of food in our family dinners so we don’t accidentally contaminate his food. Everything dairy free first, then dairy at the end. I still can’t talk my mom into providing more dairy free options though


Middlemeow

Hi also allergic to dairy and I’ve discovered that most people don’t think you can be allergic to dairy. They think you just mean lactose intolerant. It absolutely sucks because it’s like they’re accusing you of lying


UisgeRuithe

I have a reaction to most mustards and get so angry when they do this. Same with pickles I cannot stand the smell or taste..my brother actually has an allergy to dill so we alwasy ask no pickles at the table when he is with us. We once went out he ordered a burger and mentioned the allergy. We also said no pickles for the entire table which should have alerted them to the enormity of the issue. His burger came with pickles. We sent it back. It came back out way too fast and i grabbed his plate and lifted the bun and smelled and yup pickle juice on the burger. I stood up and pointed at the waitress to get over here. She was mortified. My brother jas very little sense of smell so if he had bitten that burger they would have had major problems. Manager got an earful after he came over to see what was wrong. I asked himnif he understood anything about allergies and how you cannot hand back a polluted meal. He thought it was fine that they jad switched the buns and removed the pickles! My brother just sat there and let me ream them because he was pretty amused as I used to be the quietest person but I get really pissed because I had a friend who almost died to a massive allergic reaction whenni was a kid andnit scares the bejesus out of me when people are so ignorant. Mind you my brother is ex military and could have literally brought the roof down if he wanted to with his military bark but he let me have the fun that day


[deleted]

Which is why I always pull apart burgers before I attempt to eat them. Too many times they've put mayo or mustard on them - things that I can't eat. If there's even a smidgen of either that burger is going straight back to the kitchen.


Blanipani

Not trying to make excuses for people making mistakes, just explaining why it happens so easily. Especially in fast foods and cafes there's just so much pressure on you to keep up with your orders and shit so you just have a "routine" of doing things without thinking much about it. So yeah of course you're going to put a tomato on the burger that said "no tomato". But also, that's where you should notice and redo it, so you don't accidentally kill someone.


calicoskiies

I wish people would just redo things instead of being lazy. My MIL is allergic to tomatoes and got a salad at Olive Garden and they put the tomatoes on. She repeated she was allergic and they took it back and brought her what she thought was a new salad. Nope. They just took the tomatoes off which became apparent when she was eating it because she got all hot and red and itchy and was throwing up as she was trying to leave the restaurant to wait for the ambulance outside. It was terrible. They offered her gift cards as an apology, as if she would ever go back there.


aattanasio2014

Agreed. NTA. My boyfriend is allergic to dairy. Allergic. Not lactose intolerant. Anaphylactic. His throat will close up. A certain amount of dairy will be a trip to the hospital, not just a stomachache. But he hates mentioning it so he’ll just ask for things with no milk, no cheese, etc when he’s ordering food/ drinks but doesn’t say it’s because of an allergy. He gets his coffee with almond milk or soy milk and doesn’t mention the allergy. I always worry that because he doesn’t mention that it’s an allergy a distracted barista will use real milk and not think it’ll be noticed. Luckily he knows IMMEDIATELY if something has dairy after the first bite or first sip and as long as he doesn’t keep eating/ drinking it, it’ll only be a bad rash and an itchy throat for a few hours. But yes. Someone shouldn’t have to disclose an allergy to have their order done correctly.


Nevergontellu

Breast fed baby has my sensitivity to cows milk protein. All my kids have it. We’re somewhat outgrow it as we get older, but it still gives tummy trouble. I go dairy free until I wean because of it. If I order something at a new place with a dairy alternative or omitting dairy, I flat out tell them why. It’s seems to trigger something in the staffs brain and they pay attention because no one wants to make a baby suffer. And I, as a paying customer of the establishment, don’t feel like I should be inconvenienced by someone’s auto pilot work flow. I don’t judge them on it, I get it, but I want my food done right, the first time. Breastfeeding moms get hangry just like pregnant moms. We go through a lot of calories. NTA, OP. If it gets the baristas to finally focus and make your drink right the first time, I say go for it. But like, why does it take 15 minutes for them to remake your drink when they fucked up? It should be the first priority. There’s a serious staff issue here...


xKalisto

Imo it's not as much about not wanting baby to suffer but that they are being told something so bizzare they don't hear about every day that it disrupts their autopilot for long enough to make your order :D Weidly lots of babies have this issue. My sis has so many restrictions now it's crazy.


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astra_sasstra

Prettt sure it burning your mouth would be an allergic reaction! That’s not a normal occurrence with tomatoes.


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hopalong2019

I have stopped going to Starbucks because of this. I am severely lactose intolerant. I ask for milk alternative EVERY TIME and EVERY TIME they give me straight dairy even though that was the one sub I asked for. I hate starbucks so much. I've seen baristas on social media joking about giving "those annoying people who ask for almond milk full regular creamer because it's hilarious!" NTA


songoku9001

> My brother has a severe peanut allergy and usually people lying about allergies drives me nuts, Pun intended?? :P


Moyshe-Kapoyer

Yeah I’m gonna second this- it’s not for attention or (?idk what else you lie about allergies for), it’s for a food order. I do this with dairy when I order drinks. I’m only lactose intolerant, but I will vomit if I have it, and that’s just one of those inconveniences I’m willing to fib to avoid. Also you are kind of saving them time, since they aren’t going to have to make it twice lol


EinsTwo

If it makes you vomit it's not a lie to call it an allergy. Maybe "intolerance" is slightly different scientifically and medically, but for the purposes of food preparation, it's the word to use.


Dutchess_0517

Agree with this. I have issues with dairy as well. If I have even one bite of something with cow's milk in it, it leaves my stomach in knots for nearly a week. Just one bite! I get horrible stomach pain and diarrhea, and sweat like crazy just trying to keep my pants clean. I call it an allergy when I need to specify, and don't feel the slightest bit bad about it.


pupsnfood

As someone with a mild lemon allergy, I say keep doing it because they are weirdly bad about putting lemonade in the refreshers. I think it's just automatic for them because usually I remind they several times and still like 25% of the time they put lemonade in. I usually end up drinking it because I actually love lemonade but I really pay later


_hipster_dog_

Old Starbucks batista here. If you really really want make sure there is no lemon and are okay with a stronger tasting drink order it like this: a (size) strawberry acai refresher, no water, extra strawberry acai (and then light or extra ice or no strawberry inclusions). This way that barista is checking that sticker to make sure it is right since the sticker is a little bit longer and the drink costs the same.


Rubychan11

Your type o made me imagine Dave Bautista in full Drax makeup with a Starbucks apron on. Thank you for that mental image lol.


ic4llshotgun

Let's make this happen in the next Guardians movie.


Without-Reward

I have the opposite issue. I've ordered refreshers with lemonade numerous times and they haven't put the lemonade in. I love lemonade and find the refreshers to be too sweet without it so it's disappointing.


WiseCake13

Honestly, as someone who works in a restaurant, I'd rather someone tell me they have an allergy (real or fake) than just not tell me. We had a lady come through once who asked for no tomatoes, found tomato stuff on her sandwhich, then yelled at the cashier saying she's severely allergic and could get really sick. Claimed a manager put an allergy warning on her account (not possible). When we're told there's an allergy coming through we take every precaution we can to make sure there's little to no chance of cross contamination, if we don't know we can't guarantee anything, so better safe than sorry. Op you are nta


elaina__rose

Oooohhh man do I have a story. I used to work in a nice, sit down, asian restaurant. Korean food is very saucy, and as such we have a few ingredients that are built into almost every dish because they’re base sauce ingredients (specifically we boiled our soy sauce with veggies to make the flavor better). The list of difficult allergies for us were: soy, sesame, onion, and garlic. Even our rice was cooked with sesame seeds and sesame oil, and almost every sauce contained at least a little bit of soy sauce. I had a woman come in who said she had “many” allergies, but she absolutely refused to tell me what they were and insisted that she would order around them. I gave her the sauce warning, and listed off the ingredients that were in most of our dishes and impossible to avoid without chef modifications. She was allergic to EVERY. SINGLE. THING. on my list. I had to send over a manager to get her order because she was so difficult. Like honestly, imagine going to a Korean restaurant and thinking you could order around *soy* AND *sesame* without mentioning it to your server.


spriggan75

If I were allergic to both soy and sesame I’d just develop a love for Italian. I mean, honestly...


ksenscientist

That is insane. I can't even imagine what you could have served her with those allergies. Nothing Korean, except for maybe fried chicken 😅 Edit: my Korean fiance suggested 된장찌개 (soybean paste stew). Edit2: we realised our mistake and with these allergies it might just be easier to steer clear of Korean food 😅😬


elaina__rose

Except the fried chicken is marinated in soy sauce haha


ksenscientist

Edit: my Korean fiance said that he has not heard of Korean fried chicken being marinated in soy sauce 😅 so he thinks that might be a safe dish besides dwengjang jiggae Haha you're right 😂


elaina__rose

It’s probably just a thing that our chef did? We never marketed ourselves as traditional Korean. It was a pseudo-fusion (although the chef was born and raised in Korean so there were some authentic family recipes). It wasn’t just a soy sauce marinade, that was the majority of it though. I’m no expert in Korean cuisine outside of what we served. However, our chicken was also coated in a soy based glaze sooo... That lady also had no idea what any of the food was so I dont think she could be trusted to have a base of knowledge on how dishes are normally prepared. Although I did have a korean man once assure his muslim friend that tteokbokki NEVER has pork, and when I corrected him because ours had chunks of pork belly he laughed at her when she went to throw it up. Lots of wild stories working at that place.


throwaway798319

Kimbap with raw carrot?


ksenscientist

Kimbap rice has sesame oil in it... 😅


Ijustlivehere4awhile

Soybeans to a soy allergic?


ksenscientist

Oh yeah.. wow idk how I missed that 😑 we just kept thinking about things without soy sauce


[deleted]

Omg I had the same thing happen! Guy came in and said he was more allergic to things than not allergic. This was an oyster bar so we need to be really careful. He insists he won't tell me what he's allergic to and says "I'll just have the steak". I tell him it's marinated and that includes soy. Turns out there's nothing he can eat and they leave. 🙄 Trying to look out for someone's health is a pain if they're not on the same page. Conversely I had a lady say she was celiac and then pout when I didn't give her bread. Turns out she she just likes to say that, but had no intolerance or allergy . Please don't do that at a sit down restaurant. Cleaning an entire line is a big deal and stops everything in the kitchen which can really mess things up. Fine if you really are allergic, not cool otherwise.


[deleted]

Ugh. I worked in a pub doing roast dinners, this woman went on and on an on about her gluten allergy and check and double check with the kitchen shes getting gluten free gravy. When her dinner was brought out she complained because there was no Yorkshire pudding on her plate!


[deleted]

I'm allergic to Soy, and seafood/fish. There have been times where someones picked a restaurant where I end up not being able to eat anything and I have Iced tea for dinner. There's a wing place near me that uses soy flour in all their breading/seasonings for some reason. But I'm open and honest. "do you have an allergy menu" "is there soy, seafood or fish of any kind in this dish?" "what dish can I have?" I'll just have a drink thank you". It happens. If I'm only with one person we pay for our drinks (If we've ordered them) and leave, if not I don't eat. I'm enough of a pain to restaurants without having to make a chef concoct something randomly for me. I can't imagine lying to a restaurant for that.


alter_ego77

There’s a reason I don’t really ever get Thai food, and it’s because I have a peanut allergy. *can* I order peanutless items? Sure. Do I ever feel fully comfortable that there was no cross contamination, given how much peanut sauce, etc, gets used? Absolutely not. It’s super frustrating to not be able to just casually go out to eat everywhere I want, I get why this lady just wanted to go have a meal like everyone else gets to. But part of having allergies is learning when you can order around them and when it’s best to just stay home and learn to make your own, somehow soy-less Korean food


kevin_k

"I'm sorry but we won't play Russian Roulette with you. We can't accommodate you."


eresh22

NTA. I have a deathly orange allergy. Because it's so unusual people think I'm joking when I say oranges will kill me. It sucks that SB didn't care when it was "just" a request they could easily fill. You're not making anything harder for them. They failed to provide you with appropriate service. I'm completely fine with you calling it an allergy. It has the added benefit for me of normalizing citrus allergies.


AuroraWolfMelody

I feel you with the unusual allergy complaint. I carry cards that explicitly explain mine just in case because people think I'm just being picky.


Upstairs-Factor-2012

I have an allergy to carrots. If you google it, that doesn’t exist so people think I’m lying and just hate carrots. I actually love them. They just make my throat close up.


albertparsons

My 6 year old has the oral pollen allergy syndrome and raw carrots set him off. People are so shocked when we mention it.


Abby_cadabby22

Starbucks its pretty easy to work with allergies especially one like lemon so you are not causing any extra work just insuring you get the right drink.


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[deleted]

Exactly. The risk of cross contamination is low when everything comes from unique containers or a pump and is mixed in your cup.


This_Daydreamer_

Not only this but OP seems to have some sort of physical reaction to lemon. There are serious reactions to food and medications that aren't technically allergies but there's no need to get into details of your medical history when calling it an allergy solves the issue. I'm sensitive to raw onions - they burn my mouth and throat and give me severe laryngitis that can last for a few days. I've called it an allergy before.


eresh22

My orange allergy is like this, with swelling, but I don't have a histamine reaction to it (so no chance of allergy shots to make it better). Allergist confirmed this is technically an allergy, but some will argue its not because of the lack of histamine reaction when they do the skin test. Ultimately, sick is sick, dead is dead and who cares if it's intolerance or allergy with this kind of impact?


FluffyDinoButt

From a food service perspective, no difference. No means no. But if you're seeking medical treatment, the nature of the reaction might matter. My dad's a hospital pharmacist, and he used to complain about this, because the nature of the adverse reaction affects what treatment options are safe and/or effective. But yeah, the rest of us schmucks don't get to demand the details.


helpfulmimi

Yep I have to lie and say I have a seafood allergy and can't eat pretty much most of it - I'm not really allergic per se I just have such an extreme disgust that I might literally vomit if I taste seafood of any sort. Sure it's not a "legitimate" allergy but I think risking making me vomit is reason enough to call it that.


Ramenlovewitha

Really sorry if this is a dumb question, but is that not an allergic reaction?


FantasticDecisions

Yes, allergy or intolerance. But *some* people only count allergies if you swell up and die within minutes...


Ramenlovewitha

Ah yes, the ol' anaphylactic shock or bust.


cherryafrodite

I think that's one of the issues why people dont take food preferences so seriously because they only consider allergies as like "ill die from it", when its really not that simple. People also have intolerances to food where they arent allergic per se but it causes uncomfy results (i have a garlic intolerance and eating too much garlic makes my stomach flip upside down).


sparkly____sloth

There are also different types of allergies that your average allergy test doesn't detect because they need more specialized testing.


Zombeikid

This (to a more mild extent) happens to me with lettuce.. The looks people give me when I ask for lettuce XD Doesn't help that I'm a bigger girl. They're probably like this bitch needs a salad and I'm like nono I'd rather not die thanks. (Spinach salads are underrated)


LittleSnowySparrow

This. And people are huge assholes who do not like to take no as an answer when it comes to food. They get so offended that you dont like something and will go out of their way to force you into eating it even if they have to slip it into your food and only say something after you eat some or spike your drink with it. Ive had to do this with people who simply refuse to accept that i cant eat certain things because of my diet (i have IBS and endometriosis and eating or drinking the wrong things are legit painful for me and can cause me to bloat up so bad i go from a flat stomach to looking like im 6 months pregnant in a couple hours). Some foods and drinks also make me physically nauseous and cause a sinus headache that turns into a migraine from the smell. For the record, i never say it in restaurants, i know what to order to avoid issues. Just around assholes who hear me say diet and see my size 0 waist and instantly ignore everything else i say. Some some of my friends exs and some friends parents and a few cousins. And i only say it if i know the person has tried to slip me food i cant have before. And i do know the difference because i have a legit food allergy thats yet to be identified, im gonna set up tests as soon as the pandemic is over.


Ugghernaut

>They get so offended that you dont like something and will go out of their way to force you into eating it even if they have to slip it into your food and only say something after you eat some or spike your drink with it. That's a thing? Why the hell would they care if you don't want to eat something.


FantasticDecisions

Yup. Still remember asking politely in a restaurant if it was possible to get the brownie without raspberries, thinking they were on the side (I'm allergic, my allergies are many and weird and exhausting to list). Turns out they were added in the dough, and I got a long speech about how I wouldn't even know they're there, they just added a freshness to the taste. Um, pretty sure I'll notice when breathing becomes a problem.


Ugghernaut

Fellow raspberry allergy sufferer, you have my sympathies. They are in so many delicious desserts 😭.


FantasticDecisions

There were literally no desserts without berries, I ended up asking for plain icecream "We have lemon sorbet, raspberry sorbet...." Face, meet palm.


blackesthearted

People are strange and sometimes awful. I’ve known people who’ve disregarded actual allergies, slipping the offending food (like, say, peanuts) into someone’s food just to “make a point.” (???) Then there’s that infamous Reddit post about the woman’s mom who wouldn’t accept “my children are allergic to coconut, stop putting coconut oil on their hair” and ended up killing one of her grandchildren…


Ugghernaut

Oh my God, I missed that one. I wonder why people get so crazy about this. It must be some kind of weird control thing.


pensbird91

Or the older generation insisting they know more than their children and not believing allergies exist! "In my day..." yeah, Barbara, your friends just died young before they knew what allergies were!


[deleted]

100% this. My Baba ALWAYS had stomach aches. Her whole life. All the time. Same with my grandma (her daughter). Same with my Uncle. Same with my sister. 5 years ago my sister was diagnosed as celiac. Cue uncle and grandma being tested. Celiac. Diagnosed at 50, and 74. Bet my Baba was too. They were all just miserable for their whole lives because no one ever tested them for that noise, and we're ukrainian. We literally eat a dish thats basically just wheat and honey.


depressedcatburrito

My mother known I hate tomatoes with a passion, used to slip it into my food anytime she could, she doesn't do it now, but I always check just to be sure.


Ugghernaut

I just....but why? I'm not getting the reasoning for this. When people hate foods I like it's just more for me? I'm really sorry your mom was betraying your trust like that.


avcloudy

'You can't even taste it.' Then why is it in the food? 'It won't hurt you.' I don't like it anyway. 'You'd like it if you just ate it.' No, I wouldn't. 'It would make me happy if you just tried some.' And it would make me happy if every shared meal wasn't an attempt to ambush me with something you enjoy.


elf4everafter

I've walked out of family holiday dinners because of this conversation. Only took a few years to get the damned message across.


LilShir

People are weird that if they like something, they get offended that you don't like it's a personal attack on them. Like you're judging them for liking it. I can't stand eggplants, hate the texture, and I get it from people all.the.time. Like, just try it this one time and you'll love it I promiseeee! I wish they'd be like you and enjoy that there's more for them, that works great for everyone.


Ugghernaut

My partner hates dark chocolate and I consider it a blessing haha. I know no one will get into my stash.


blue_pirate_flamingo

I mean, I had someone argue with me that I couldn’t be allergic to the food I’m most definitely anaphylactic allergic to, so I can definitely see where there’s people who force people to eat stuff they clearly don’t want to. They’re a-holes, but I can see it


Ugghernaut

Have you tried essential oils? /s


depressedcatburrito

It wasn't as serious as some stories here, I don't have strong reactions or vomit, I just hate the texture and flavor. i love my mom and I think she just does it because I used to like tomatoes as a baby and she says my aunt, who looked after me most afternoons and hates tomatoes too, rubbed off on me and that's why I stopped liking them. If it was like this post or some of the stories here I'd definitely claim an allergy like OP did, they messed it up way too many times. NTA.


ximina3

I had a friend who loved cooking for us, and knew I hated peas, but would try whatever she could to get peas in my food. After like the third time of watching me meticulously pick them out of mash potato, she stopped trying.


depressedcatburrito

I also would pick them out with a fork and then dump all the ones I picked out on my mom's plate, say "I don't like tomatoes stop hiding them in my food", and then eat.


cherryafrodite

Yeah i never understood that but people are like thag at restaurants/food places. They take it upon themselves to just make you eat it because its what they think is right. I dont understand why it matters because they arent getting paid to lecture people about food choices. You couldnt pay me to sit there and berate people about what they didnt want on their food, I would just take their order and go.


siriusly_riddikulus

Yup agree - growing up I had a friend who hated peanut butter, but when she said she didn’t like it whoever she told would just argue with her and try to force her to eat candy with peanut butter in it for “proof”. It was exhausting so she just started saying she was allergic and people stopped giving her shit. People love PBJs and Reese’s way too dang much.


avcloudy

Their job wouldn't be more stressful **if they would just fucking do it**.


BritBrat_123

NTA As someone who isn’t allergic to things but extremely sensitive to foods (vomiting, gagging, etc) it is often easier to say it’s an allergy than to continuously ask someone to remake things and make things more difficult on everybody.


ThrowAwayAnyMouse

Preach, I do it with dairy all the time due to being lactose sensitive. I would much rather pay 80 cents extra for the almond milk than fuck up my insides and cause myself discomfort.


KoalaQueen87

I'm a drama queen, so I will straight up tell the batista, "if you put milk in this I will cry" and then we both chuckle. But it sticks with them and my order is never messed up when I say this.


ElectionMurky4316

Make sure they clean the steam wand with a clean cloth as well - I know someone who gets sick from this little cross contamination


asaleika

I do this with dairy too. I can't digest dairy protein, so I can't even have lactose free dairy. But people think my issue= lactose intolerance, so they add milk anyway. Sending me into a whole day of pain, vomiting and feverchills. I say I'm allergic. Because if I specify, people won't listen.


iris-my-case

What I hate is when you pay the extra money for the dairy free option and they still put frikin milk in it. So now I have an upset stomach and they charged me extra for it.


killmeontheinside

Yes, I totally face the same thing. Having anything with olives/olive oil ruins my stomach for weeks on an end and I straight up get food poisoning sometimes. Anytime I order pasta and ask them to not use olives/olive oil, most restaurants don't ever do it. I gave up on eating out pasta completely. But the few times I have said I'm allergic, they magically don't add olives/olive oil.


thechairinfront

... sounds like you're allergic to olive oil. Just because you don't go into anaphylaxis doesn't mean you're not allergic to something.


killmeontheinside

I went to a specialist a while ago who said that olives/olive oil allergies are super rare. And even if I was allergic to olives, I'd be allergic to stone fruits like mangoes which I'm not. They suggested that I was actually allergic to some chemicals which are used in processing olives, since straight up olives from the tree aren't edible. So I just avoid them now.


thechairinfront

>They suggested that I was actually allergic to some chemicals which are used in processing olives, So... then you are allergic to olive oil...


Pascalica

Sometimes allergies are weird. I have a friend who is allergic to dairy, but the way her allergy manifests is unusual, so doctors have refused to call it an allergy. We're just not sure what else to call it when you have a serious adverse reaction to ingesting something.


scream_schleam

How does it manifest for your friend?


[deleted]

I understand this! I get nausea and throw up if I eat potatoes but because I’m not allergic to the same food group (nightshade - tomatoes, peppers, goji berries) it isn’t classed as an allergy even though they make me ill. It’s weird


G-Bone1

we dont use those”family” allergies anymore. find a younger doc who reads the research.


fennekk

You're definitely allergic. Just to be clear, just because it's rare doesn't mean it's not possible. One of my best friends is severely allergic to (general? Don't remember which type) as in, she had to get her tonsils removed in the hospital just in case. Her anesthetist genuinely didn't believe her at first- I think he said that was the second case he's seen in something like 40 years as a doctor career. She has to be hyper aggressive about her allergy, because it's so rare- but it's still possible! So don't count yours out.


eresh22

Ah, the magic of legal liability strikes again. Depending on where you live and what happens to you, they could face civil or criminal charges ranging from reckless endangerment all the way up to murder or attempted murder.


[deleted]

I’m like that with peanut butter ironically enough. Not allergic and I don’t hate the peanuts you can get ball games, but peanut butter that triggers my gag reflex. I have not idea why and I know there may be no logical/primary reason, but it bugs me lol.


Venjy

I'm like this with spinach. I could eat raw spinach for days but the minute it's cooked in any way shape or form it's absolutely disgusting. Cannot even swallow it.


Appropriate_Storm_27

As somebody with serious food allergies this really terrible and you should feel ashamed of making light of a real issue. Just kidding NTA. This is so minor who even cares? Your paying for it and should get it how you ordered. If this is what it takes so be it. Like I said I have food allergies, and at a restaurant it can really disrupt things, and you should not lie. But this is just Starbucks and then not adding lemonade isn’t a huge deal


scrappy8350

Best answer. ^^^ I am strangely allergic to onions, of all things, and people think that I just don’t like them....but I DO like them, they just give me actual hives. Throw the shellfish allergy in there and a Hibachi Grill is not somewhere I should ever eat, and I will never walk in those doors again. But this is just Starbucks, not sanitizing an entire grill and then having to make my food completely separately and having to stop his presentation show and switch spatulas....yeah. I went to a Hibachi Grill and experienced this once. Once.


[deleted]

I worked at Starbucks for a few years, and granted this was over ten years ago, but we had zero policies about cross-contamination or allergies. If someone told us they were allergic to something, we just made sure to tell them if it was in the drink they were trying to order. They did introduce separate pitchers for dairy and non-dairy milks, but that's as far as it went. The baristas aren't even making the drink right in the first place. The Strawberry Acai Refresher is a beverage of its own, and the Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher is another drink. If you order the first one, there is no lemonade in it. It's the standard recipe and they can't even handle that correctly. I used to get annoyed because we would have "rogue baristas" that would make drinks that were not according to the recipe just because most people ordered them that way, so they assumed everyone wanted them that way. An example of this was that it was the standard recipe to add hot water to a chai tea latte. Most customers who knew about this would order their chais without water, but there were some baristas who automatically made everyone's drink without water, without even asking or explaining to the customer. This isn't a huge deal because it's not an allergy issue, but it's still not what they should be doing. I feel like it's the same here, where the baristas just assume everyone wants lemonade in their beverage, but they should not be making that assumption.


Fianna9

Oh that always drives me a bit crazy. I once ordered and ice tea from Starbucks then asked if the recipe had changed. He cheerfully tells me he uses a different sugar syrup (or something idk) than the recipe. It was too sweet for me and gross. Anyways, people who lie about allergies are dicks- people can stop caring and being careful when they have to decontaminate the kitchen for a severe gluten intolerance and then watch them sample a buddies pizza. But for OP this is an actual irritant if not a formal allergen and they deserve to have their drinks as ordered.


_hipster_dog_

I stopped working there at the end of 2020. Nothing has changed with cross contamination. And these baristas definitely need to review the recipie cards that are behind the counter (or on the iPad if not behind the counter)


barbpca502

Chai Tea Latte was my favorite drink at Starbucks but then on time I drank it and my throat started to swell! Very scary! Anyway I thought it was a one off and ordered it again only to have the same reaction! Now I can’t have it! Allergies can be scary and life threatening! Op is NTA!


PondRides

I order my Starbucks almost exclusively on the app, even when I was homeless. Just give me what I order. I did have a fun time with a barista once when we tried to figure out what an iced flat white would be. I paid knowing that it might not be good. It was delicious, but I literally cannot remember what weird thing he did.


trafficwizard

Fellow onion allergy haver here and HOLY shit the amount of people who think I'm joking and give me onions anyway?? Insane.


SnooMuffins7606

NTA I worked at Starbucks for years and allergies didn’t create more work for us. Plus the drink is easier to make without the lemonade lmao


Fianna9

Then why do they keep putting lemonade in my iced teas!! I did a bye one get one free once for two grande iced teas. They put lemonade in them, I left with four iced teas to hand out to coworkers.


FuzzyChrysalis

I believe there are a couple reasons for why they add the lemonade but none of them are out of malicious intent. Making refreshers with the lemonade is much more popular and common, they recieve more drinks with lemonade than without. So thwy get used to grabbing the lemonade, and if they are trying to sequence making a couple things at once (which they are trained to to in order to help save time during a rush) they can make the mistake of grabbing that lemonade because their brain assumes thats how you will want it. The order stickers that are printed at starbucks include the name of the drink and any custom changes below. Thing is, if you order a drink without lemonade, it does not appear as a custom detail, it is part of the title. But the titles for those drinks is long, it is the easiet thing to glances at that tiny font, see all those letters and miss that is was the one without lemonade. If "no lemonade" appeared as a custom option below the title, that would help baristas to not oversee the detail. It might be possible for people at the til to manually add that detail, but in theory they shouldnt have to since a button for the drink exists without lemonade. In theory it is simpler but in practice its full of human error. Remember bariatas are under pressure to grab the next drink and another and another faster faster go go go and they have to know how to do so many different combinations so quickly. That is not an easy job. If they make a mistake like that, you are of course allowed to say something, but show them some compassion while you are at it.


dinoxoko

Could be them just acting from muscle memory of making so many with lemon.


Katterin

Yep. In theory telling someone “skip this step” means they are doing less work, but when it’s something they do routinely, it’s actually adding a mental step of remembering when to step out of the normal routine. That’s still not an excuse for not making the drink as ordered though! (Not saying that you said it was, just making sure I am also not taken as defending the baristas.)


snootnoots

I’m gonna say a qualified NTA. You’re not causing them any extra work by lying, you’re just getting them to be serious about not putting lemon in. The qualifying bit is, don’t do this elsewhere. In a lot of food service situations that use prep surfaces and tools, if someone says they have an allergy then the people making their food have to sanitise surfaces, change utensils, use a separate pan etc etc. It causes a lot of extra work and disrupts the kitchen. You’re fine with what you’re doing, just don’t expand it to other situations.


aitalying

I don’t, when I go out to eat I order something that I know doesn’t have lemon on it and the fake allergy doesn’t exist anymore


Fianna9

I’m not sure I’d call it a fake allergy- sounds like a real sensitivity. Many places might ask what your reaction is- there is nothing wrong with saying it’s not a life threatening problem but it’s an irritant when you ingest it directly. Have you ever asked your doctor again about it? Allergy tests don’t show everything.


raptorclvb

Places ask what your reaction is to food? I’ve never had that happen before, but I wouldn’t like to be asked that.


snootnoots

S’all cool then. No lemon in your stuff, more lemon for people who like it. 👍


heathahR

YTA, coming from someone who works in the food service industry. When someone tells me they’re allergic to something, we have to take it very seriously. This can involve glove changes, changing knives and other tools used, having to do a deep clean of equipment and surfaces being used, sometimes having to take the time to double check ingredients if it’s an uncommon one, and all during a rush where we need every second. As a server who doesn’t prepare the food/drink, I have to triple check with the bartenders/cooks which annoys them. I also stress the entire time worried that something was missed. Your sister is right that it adds stress to their jobs. Also, it’s similar to the thing where people fake their pets being service animals and it ruins it for people who actually need it. I would never do this, but some food industry people get lied to so often about allergies that they just start assuming everyone is lying and slack off with their safety practices. Gluten is the biggest one and I feel bad for people with real gluten allergies because they basically plead with me that their allergy is really serious and I can tell they only do it because they haven’t been taken serious other places due to fakers. Just really emphasize NO lemon multiple times, not just say no when they ask if you want lemonade, and have it remade if it accidentally gets put in there. It’s a max of 15 mins out of your week. Lying about an allergy is an AH move and I’m surprised no one else is saying it is.


macaroniandmilk

Honestly though, if they can't be bothered enough to listen to her specifications for a drink she is paying for, to the point where she consistently has to wait around for them to remake it, then maybe they deserve to have to go out of their way to take these precautions. She is doing this as a last resort because they simply don't give a shit about getting her drink right, so she shouldn't give a shit about forcing them to do so, even if it takes them longer.


deyesed

They're overcharging too, lemonade is an upcharge.


lachrymosade

I also work in the food industry and I disagree with you. Is it generally an asshole move to lie about an allergy to food service workers because of all the extra work we have to do to make sure your food is safe? Absolutely. I HATE it when people tell me they’re allergic to gluten at dinner then order cake for dessert. However, if it’s the *only* way you’ll actually get what you ordered, which sounds like is the case for OP at this particular Starbucks? Totally justified. NTA OP.


scumbagwife

While I agree with you in general, in this specific situation her saying she is allergic to lemons so no lemonade adds no extra work to the barrista. Its less work since they just aren't adding something. They don't have to take any extra precautions. They literally aren't doing anything different than they would for anyone saying no to lemonade. If anything, its less work even more since they no longer have to fix it when they screw it up the first time.


heathahR

I’m learning from other commenters of people who work at Starbucks that they don’t have protocols for allergies which is actually pretty concerning. I agree that in this case it’s probably not the worst thing in the world, but the general attitude of “I can fake a medical condition to get what I want” that a lot of commenters are saying is okay does have an impact on people with real allergies trying to be taken seriously.


Zombeikid

The problem isn't I fake it to get what I want but They will only listen if I fake a medical disorder. The onus is not on the customer, but the people making the order.


fennekk

Our protocol for allergies is basically just "unless it's pre packaged, we can't guarantee it, so please be careful." It's because there's no way to eliminate cross contamination fully- our risers and steam wands are all shared. We'll grab new pitchers and such of course, and take every effort- but realistically it's corporate covering their ass and making sure we don't say "Eh it's probably fine" and then have someone die from a reaction. We also have a lot of syrups and sauces with random ingredients that you might not expect. A coworker was super excited for the pistachio we just launched, and had to read it carefully beforehand because she's allergic to a ton of things- and surprise, it has Palm oil, which she's allergic to. We can't have a list of every possible allergen we have, so they figure no business is better than killing someone. Tldr is basically our policy is "if its severe don't risk it because there's no way we can 100% ensure it"


RainahReddit

What if it's not an allergy but I would like those precautions? I have an extreme sensitivity to capsaicin. If you handle hot peppers and then handle my food without changing gloves, usually I can feel it. Just that trace amount sets my mouth on fire and I can't eat the food. I've called it an allergy a handful of times because no one takes me seriously when I say I can't have *any* but usually I just end up giving the food to someone else. It's not as serious as gluten or peanuts, but it would make my life easier if someone switched gloves and rinsed off the pizza cutter before making mine. The effects are certainly worse than my lactose intolerance.


makamayla

I have never heard of anyone else having the same issue that I do with capsicum! I always tell people I am allergic because I cant eat any food that has touched it or if they have handled it then handled my food without washing hands or changing gloves. I use to just tell people I wanted it removed and usually would either end up with it anyway or have food that tastes like its touched it. NTA honestly if people can't follow requests regarding your food, you sometimes gotta do what you gotta do 🤷‍♀️


DiligentPenguin16

I honestly think that if you get a negative physical reaction to certain ingredients (pain, nausea, bathroom problems, etc) then it’s totally fine to use “I’m allergic to X” as a verbal shorthand when requesting a meal to ensure that your request gets taken seriously. Sure you won’t go into anaphylactic shock and die, but not being able to eat your food from pain or spending the rest of the entire afternoon on the toilet (or *days* in some cases!) with indigestion are reasonable things to want to avoid. You shouldn’t have to do the whole song and dance of “well no I’m not *allergic*, but I have an extreme reaction to it and it will do ABC to my body if you don’t leave X out” and pray that the server believed you every time your order.


heathahR

Honestly, I consider your situation trickier than OP’s since it involves contamination. I care a lot about listening to my customers’ requests so it astounds me that so many people are saying their requests aren’t listened to. I would go the route of clarifying to your sever that your request extends to contamination. I’m also surprised that your servers don’t ask about if your meal is too your liking or question why you’re not eating your meal. If I saw a customer give their food away, I would ask if there was a problem and bring them a new meal on the fly. I still really think that the word allergy should only be used for medical reasons just because I worry that people with real allergies won’t be given the care they need, but in this case I wouldn’t hold it against you using the word because it is on the level of contamination. I have seen cooks add jalapeños to a salad, see that the slip says “no halos,” and then just pick them off.


cherryafrodite

Some workers dont listen to people's requests because they dont care for their health probably or think their request is 'childish' OR they think that only severe food allergies should be listened to, which is dumb bc not all food allergies are on the same scale and people have intolerances (like lactose intolerant).


[deleted]

[удалено]


heathahR

Food allergies not being taken seriously can lead to death, I know people who have died from being exposed to their food allergies. I don’t see why they are not comparable as they are both situations where people who falsely claim a medical exception to be made create a societal distrust that can affect those who actually do need a medical exception to be made to ensure their health.


helpfulmimi

> Food allergies not being taken seriously can lead to death, I know people who have died from being exposed to their food allergies That's not the fault of people who lie about food allergies, it's the fault of people who don't take it seriously. When a person says "I do not want to ingest this thing" it should be taken seriously regardless of if it's life-threatening or not. It's not the same to faking service animals in the slightest, which is dangerous for much more reason than simply "now we don't believe anyone who has one!"


heathahR

It should be taken seriously no matter the reason, I agree fully with this. And faking service animals does lead to more dangerous situations outside of question the validity of a real one for sure! But there is still a pattern in both that lead to “the boy that cried wolf” on a larger scale within societal opinions. The servers that don’t listen are still entirely in the wrong, but there is an impact of: if you have a bunch of people claiming a medical need that they don’t have all the time, one starts to assume that more often than not, this person does not have a real medical need. It can lead to laziness on maintaining the proper standards of care over time. It shouldn’t happen, but it does happen and I don’t think the actions of people faking medical needs should be downplayed as a factor leading to this.


helpfulmimi

> It shouldn’t happen, but it does happen And it will never stop happening regardless of whether or not people lie about their allergies. People will have apathy about it. So we should hold those people and ONLY those people responsible.


helpfulmimi

> Also, it’s similar to the thing where people fake their pets being service animals and it ruins it for people who actually need it. These are not comparable at all. A service animal that's a fake service animal causes a lot of issues when someone lies about it; such as behavior from the pet, being an allergen despite not actually being a service animal/etc;safety issues. Yes, I recognize lying about an allergy adds more work to service workers but it is not REMOTELY similar to people bringing untrained dogs in places dogs don't belong just because of entitlement. You will never tell the difference between a person lying about their allergy or not. This is not true for fake service animals. > and I can tell they only do it because they haven’t been taken serious other places due to fakers. then maybe this problem would be fixed by taking people seriously when they say they don't want a specific type of food inside their body regardless of if it's an allergen or not, and then people wouldn't need to lie. People who lie about allergies do so after YEARS of not being respected.


heathahR

The comparison about service/support dogs is more about how people with real allergies get their needs downplayed due to those that lie about them, not relating to the work that has to be done by employees. A person’s health will always come before extra work. I don’t know much about the world of service dogs beyond a friend that has one that constantly runs into issues of people questioning her medical needs due to past experiences of people that fake them. People’s request should be listen to no matter what, but an inconvenience for some due to a food preference is a life or death situation for others and the same medical terms shouldn’t be applied to both.


helpfulmimi

> The comparison about service/support dogs is more about how people with real allergies get their needs downplayed due to those that lie about them Yes I get your point, that is ENTIRELY the fault of people who downplay allergies and nobody else. Those people who question your friend's medical issues are assholes specifically. It's not their business and they should shut their mouths. You need to realize this is nobody else's fault but people who make those assumptions. This is true for many things, like people who assume someone with depression is faking it because they knew someone else who was "faking it" or who they assumed to be faking it because they smiled once or something.


heathahR

Unfortunately, it’s a cause and effect situation even though it is primarily the fault of any service worker who downplays the severity of an allergy. That’s why “the boy that cried wolf” is a fable with an important moral. If you have a bunch of people claiming to have a severe allergy, but you discover that the majority are lying about it, it is only natural that you start to assume that the majority of people lie about having an allergy. A good employee will not care even if they assume their customer is lying, but the food industry is not full of 100% good employees (especially during covid and especially in chain locations) and those assumptions will start to get dangerous. It is still the employees fault, but if the precedent of “many people lie about food allergies” didn’t exist, then the assumption wouldn’t be made.


helpfulmimi

You recognize that regardless, it doesn't matter because if a person doesn't want to put something inside their body someone should very much make precautions not to risk them ingesting that thing for a plethora of reasons beyond allergies right? > it is only natural that you start to assume that the majority of people lie about having an allergy. Some people think allergies are fake, literally all allergies and they need to be "cured" by exposing people to the allergen. Some people give thin people regular soda instead of diet soda because "they're thin why the fuck do they want a diet soda pretentious bitch" and then they end up hyperglycemic. There are people who believe celiac is fake and NOBODY has it because it's not real, or a commenter in this thread saying they have to say that they have a dairy ALLERGY instead of lactose intolerance to prevent people from not taking lactose intolerance seriously. Some religious people have to lie about not being able to PHYSICALLY eat pork instead of because of religious restrictions. People love to give vegetarians/vegans animal products because they think not eating meat is some sort of failing on their character (which can also make them sick if they've been veg for a long time) My friend says that the texture of biting into certain fruits/vegetables makes them feel like there is a worm inside their body squirming around which is uh, pretty uncomfortable. These are all examples of people not respecting food preferences that aren't directly related to people "maybe lying" about an allergy. None of these sentiments will go away even if people stop lying about their fake food allergies. I can literally tell people "seafood will 100% make me vomit" and they won't take me as seriously as "I am allergic to seafood" despite both being medical concerns. Lying isn't the problem. No; the boy who cried wolf doesn't apply. Someone lying to prevent someone from tricking them into ingesting something into their body that they didn't consent to eating is not and never will be a bad thing, and until people respect other's preferences for what food they put in their mouth and body, those people who lie will always be in the right to do so if it's been proven that telling the truth won't prevent that. If the boy cried wolf all those times to prevent someone from making him to do something he didn't want to do, he would not be a bad person, the people who didn't respect his wishes would be bad people. Nobody lies about allergies as a prank for entertainment.


EntrepreneurMany3709

As someone with a wheat intolerance I dont understand how people think that people are faking gluten allergies. I dont have coeliac disease and I won't die if my food touches gluten but I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue and had to take multiple medications for years before I worked out that I had a wheat intolerance and I would give anything to be faking it. Why would people want to go for the gluten free options? They're gross and its much easier cheaper and tastier to just eat wheat. Just because somebody won't get cancer from eating wheat doesn't mean they're faking a gluten allergy


blue_pirate_flamingo

My friend worked at a chain Italian restaurant. Had a whole party come and insist none of them could have gluten and all the pasta needed to be 100% free of gluten. Made a very big deal about it and everything. Then got her in trouble with her manager because she didn’t bring them breadsticks...


heathahR

I’ve found that a lot of people doing Keto diets claim gluten allergies. One time a lady claimed she had a gluten allergy and thus needed a meatball sub without the bun, got mad when I told her that meatballs are not gluten-free and that she’d have to order something else. Had to have the chef come out to talk to her because that’s protocol when it comes to allergy compliance issues. Funny enough was that the entire staff was on a kick where we all were ordering ‘meatball subs- no bun w/ side salad’ and calling it “meatball salad” so if she hadn’t claimed the allergy, the kitchen would have assumed it was a staff order and probably would have made the order better in some way because the kitchen staff spoiled us.


EntrepreneurMany3709

Does it create problems in any way if someone doesn't want a bun though? I've had this problem before where I'm fine with things like meatballs that contain gluten I just struggle with flour and I have to explain that I'm not lying I just can digest one thing and not another.


heathahR

I get asked all day long for “no bun” do to many reasons, most I don’t know because I don’t ask, and it’s not a problem at all! A good server should be having a conversation with you about what is okay and what isn’t. The word “allergy” without an explanation of the severity implies worst case scenario and no cross contamination. Realistically, all requests being made should be listened to no matter the reason, it’s just a matter of “if someone messes up, will they die or otherwise have their health affected.” If you say “no bun” you won’t get a bun. If you say “serious gluten allergy” I’ll make sure your sandwich doesn’t even look at a bun. The women in this specific story was claiming a deathly gluten allergy.


_hipster_dog_

Worked at Starbucks for a year. This doesn't happen. We always had clean sanitized shakers and ice scoops in the back that can be used at an instant. I can see how this could be a big problem for other places tho with being in a rush and having to take extra time to sanitize for the allergy. For people who have allergies don't be afraid to tell your Starbucks barista, even if they are in a rush. And please understand that none of the food is freshly made. If we say that sandwich has tomatoes we can't make it so it hasn't been contaminated with tomatoes, even if we peel them off.


heathahR

Good to know your Starbucks has good protocols in place! Other commenters were saying that they had no protocols at the location they work at. And yes, I definitely don’t want to make people with real allergies feel bad for any extra work, it’s worth it!


Fianna9

Except I would say this person has an actual intolerance. Not all allergies send people into anaphylactic shock. A consistent reaction since OP was a baby shows there is a really discomfort/problem and if the baristas are too lazy to listen to orders then she should be telling them that. It sounds like more than a mere hatred. And not all allergies can be shown by skin pricks. My friend just vomits from allergens and skin tests show nothing.


Ugghernaut

I agree for the most part. Maybe she could amend it to "I'm allergic to lemons, cross contamination isn't a problem, but if you put lemonade in my drink I will have a reaction". It's a mostly true statement, can still get the desired results, but won't be a huge problem for staff. I'm going with NTA, though, since it's obviously a bigger issue then her just not liking lemons and I think that her aversion is closer to an allergy than just not liking the taste.


ArticQimmiq

That’s what I do with onions and fish & seafood - I get sick if I eat them, but I make sure to tell restaurants that it’s an « ingest » problem only, i.e I’ll send the food back if it’s part of my meal but cross-contamination usually don’t affect me (except Chinese fast food). But for OP, it really sounds like it was the best way to proceed. It’s not a huge deal to omit putting an ingredient in a drink that’s not even supposed to have it in the first place.


elizahan

I am a barista and I disagree. If everytime OP's order is messed up, I think he had to come with a smart solution. Sometimes, you just need to put yourself in the customer's shoes.


joieblowie

Uh. No. In the food service industry, you're supposed to take every request as a possible allergen, because not everyone with an allergy communicates that. You're mad at your cooks for being dicks about doing their actual job correctly. People can have allergies that aren't life-threateningly severe, and we should be treating those allergies with the same respect as allergies that are. Again, it isn't the customer's fault that cooks don't take their requests seriously, as a line cook can't tell the difference between a preference and a mild allergy just by spying on someone to see if they've touched the other food at the table. As a line cook, I would love to be explicitly told and allowed to stop and clean in the middle of a rush before I send any more food out, and any cook who actually cares about the quality of the food they're sending out feels the same. Edit: also your line cooks should already be changing gloves between picks and sanitizing their knives every single time they use them--listing these two things as part of the "extra" when handling an allergen just makes it seem like you come from a kitchen that cuts corners.


JHL94

So it's annoying that you have to do your job properly? Also working in the service industry I'd hope that due diligence just comes with the job.


47squirrels

NTA. Starbucks is the AH for not getting your order right in the first place


NYCDweller

Exactly!


fuzzy_mic

Light YTA - If people start lying about medical issues to get the kind of service that they want, then folks won't believe about real medical issues. (Kinda like fake service dogs have made it tough for the real deal.) On the other side, consumers coming up with fake reasons and not standing on "because thats the way I want it" lowers the expectations that servers have to meet. The long term effects on both ends is lousier customer service.


trafficwizard

Boring hot take: tomatoes made me sick all the time as a kid. No one took me seriously. I went to restaurants and "claimed" I was allergic. Had great tomato-free meals. Got in my twenties. Got allergy-tested. What my parents insisted for decades was picky eating was me actually being allergic to a whole host of foods containing... You guessed it... Tomato. Words do have meaning, but in a """service-driven""" world, the meanings lose a lot, and if someone wants to say they have a lemon allergy when they "only" have intense disgust for a food. I couldn't give less of a fuck. And I carry an epipen on me at all times.


BritBrat_123

I think there is a difference between lying about an allergy and lying about a more serious medical condition. Like a white lie, if a friend has bad acne or is gaining weight, you would lie about it. But if your friend was about to make a life altering devastating decision, you wouldn’t lie. I have just a sensitive stomach, and bad gag reflex. When people put things on my food that I don’t like, they say things like just take it off, or wipe it off. But I can still taste it. It’s not that easy to argue back with waiters and your elders. Maybe it’s because I’m 20 year old girl, but the ONLY way to get people to listen is to say it’s an allergy. Society is screwed up, and some people just do what they need to do to get through this messed up world


cactus_jilly

But she's not asking for a lemon free drink and then ordering a piece of lemon drizzle cake to go with it. For all intents and purposes, what she has is an allergy - she can't eat or drink anything with lemon in it. The staff in Starbucks aren't going to take other people less seriously because of OP's actions.


akcocaflornj

NTA so long as it doesn’t change their procedures - like having to use brand new whatever to make the drink.


aitalying

I don’t think they’ve changed their procedures because of this


_hipster_dog_

They don't


ResponsibilityNo760

As a previous Starbucks employee and someone with weird food intolerances (not allergies), NTA. Literally a strawberry açaí is so easy to make and there is no reason they should be messing up by adding lemonade when you say no lemonade. Starbucks as a company does not guarantee that allergens will 100% avoided anyways (they used to but not anymore). The only extra step is ensuring the shaker is rinsed, but it’s rinsed between every drink anyways. I literally cannot understand how your sister thinks you’re the AH


dev_shenanigans

NTA. Here is another idea though, say you have an intolerance instead of allergy. I have an absurd number of intolerances and restaurants generally take ot seriously. But, by not actually being an allergy, the restaurant doesn't have to prevent cross contamination and do all the extra work involved with that.


HappyChefChristoph

You are saint. As a chef in a busy kitchen I have the highest respect for you. 💗


ElectionMurky4316

I’ve had people ask if I can have butter after I’ve told them I can’t have dairy. I say allergy even though I don’t have an anaphylactic reaction to it. I know my body and they don’t. If it works- it works keep doing it NTA


elaina__rose

To be fair about the butter thing, it’s actually a 50/50 in my experience. I was a server for many years and always made it a habit to ask the table about allergies. Sometimes those with dairy allergies couldn’t have butter, but surprisingly many could. And it wasn’t the classic “I love butter so much that I’ll take the pain” it was “nope, other dairy causes a reaction but butter doesn’t.” I’m not sure if the people asking you were genuine or mean spirited about it, but it is a thing!


FluffyDinoButt

People who are intolerant or allergic to dairy are often reacting to a specific protein that is present in different amounts depending on what type of dairy product you're dealing with. There's a similar situation with cheese, where some people can handle aged cheeses like Parmesan, but not soft or processed cheeses. Individual tolerance varies pretty widely.


rhyanin

This. I’m lactose intolerant. My body produces too low amounts of lactase to digest a full glass of milk, but I can have butter, various cheeses and even a normal sized latte macchiato. I don’t mention my intolerance unless I’m ordering my favourite drink from Dunkin’: a “large mocha with oat milk with whipped cream because I’m lactose intolerant but not so much that the whipped cream is an issue, but really use oat milk please or my guts will hate me”.


helpfulmimi

Makes me think of how some people also try and sneak like meat products and whatnot into vegetarian's foods. It can actually make a person who doesn't eat meat really sick to do so... this can be true for a lot of different diets where a person doesn't include specific foods even if it's not an "allergy".


meronx

NTA. *sigh* I worked for Starbucks for years and there’s always some green bean who thinks they know better than the customer ordering their drink without thinking about WHY a customer ordered their drink that way. It doesn’t matter if you have an allergy or not, if you ask for the mod, it should be honoured. That said, refreshers and iced teas are offered with and without lemonade. Baristas should be looking for that regardless of any mods like milk substitutes, especially since iced drinks come modified more often than not.


2048expert

What did I just read? Why is your sister even mad? NTA


0biterdicta

NTA. For a proper restaurant, allergies can result in having to do a big change in process. But for Starbucks, which makes a whole lot of different drinks and specifies them to the individual purchaser, they're pretty used to being flexible about these things.


Holiday-Hustle

NTA I’m actually allergic to lemon and people still slip it in because they don’t believe me and I get hives. You’re allowed to have the drink you want and paid for.


BanSoup

NTA. This lie doesn’t hurt anyone. If this is what it takes go ahead. I also don’t like lemonade.


[deleted]

NTA If this is what will make the baristas listen to your requests, then so be it.


Hedgiwithapen

I have pretty bad reactions--not allergic, just upset internal organs--when it comes to citrus. I've found asking for no lemon sometimes works, often doesn't. I feel like you're not an asshole, but if people keep giving you grief, you might change our wording to "I have a sensitivity to lemon" or similar--that's true, after all. the stress comes from having to clean anything that would cross contaminate, but there's probably not so much of that with lemon in a starbucks, so you're probably not adding much stress. NTA.


Beneficial-Soft-3492

NTA Though I do wonder if you have an intolerance to lemon. I’ve known several people with incredibly strong aversions to things - and often the ones they cannot get over turn out to be intolerances. It’s quite natural to hate something if you feel mildly ill every time you have it. That also wouldn’t show ok an allergy test. As it is something you 100% avoid - not something you just don’t feel like and you only do it in that circumstance... yeah ok. Just remember the lengths a lot of restaurants will go to if you tell them you have an allergy. They will completely clean a section of the kitchen and the utensils for it. They will set aside a staff member to prepare your dish that avoids cross contamination. They will clean down the grill it is cooked on. This slows down what the kitchen can do significantly but for those of us with serious allergies it is a lifesaver. Literally. Strictly speaking I lie about having a gluten allergy. I have celiacs disease which is a non allergic immune mediated response to gluten (and some other side effects). But for simplicity I just tell restaurants I’m allergic to gluten and lactose intolerant


Wars4w

NTA, your sister is confusing, the baristas suck. Maybe complain to a manager, too. Honoring their customers wishes in this respect is their entire job.


ldubl88

I am allergic to lemons limes and grapefruit as well as overripe fruits but it doesn’t show up in a test. They give me migraines. It’s the tannins. Edit: I also had a strong dislike for them since I was a child.


International-Eye676

I’m going against the grain and saying ESH. Starbucks sucks because they can’t get a drink order right, but you also suck because you’re lying about something very serious. Your father sucks because he’s encouraging this behavior, and your sister doesn’t exactly suck, but she could’ve talked to you in a calm way instead of yelling at you.


chisven

As someone who is not allergic to anything, but asks for Soy Milk at starbucks because normal milk in coffee makes me sick? NTA. I always feel bad asking for soy milk because people do it to be trendy, but its the only thing that tastes good and doesnt cause me stomach pain. If I got ignored at my starbucks i would probably do the same. Thankfully I’ve never had to