'It's just my face': Man with facial deformity asked to leave restaurant

A man--with a facial disfigurement--was asked to leave a restaurant in London, reason given, he was “scaring customers”.

42- year-old Oliver Bromley, who is undergoing treatment at King’s College Hospital in Camberwell, southeast London, had in August decided to get lunch at a local restaurant, reports nypost.com. Bromley lives with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 — a genetic condition that causes benign, non-cancerous tumours to grow on his nerves.

He, while taking treatment, one day decided to eat out. "I decided to take myself for lunch. The food looked good when I looked in one window, and I went inside."

As he planned to order food, Bromley said the staff asked him to leave the place, citing complains from costumers sitting around.

They said they were cash only, so I took some money out and went to place my order. The gentleman behind the counter told me there had been complaints about me, and for me to please leave. I asked him to repeat himself, and he said I was scaring customers.”

Bromley, who lives in Reigate, Surrey, said he was “incredulous” at what the employee told him, as he had hardly been in the restaurant long enough for someone to complain about his presence.

“I hadn’t even sat down,” he continued. “I went to place my order and they asked me to leave. Perhaps they had seen me browsing, perhaps they didn’t want me in there …I don’t know, but that is what they said. These are the facts. Obviously, I was very upset. I went to a local park to console myself and think of a plan of action on how to deal with it.”

Bromley, who is originally from South Africa, personally wrote to the restaurant, but received no response. He then contacted the Met Police, who recorded the incident as a hate crime. He said he has never before seen such direct rejection from people.

“It was very direct and very clear that I was not wanted. At the time of the incident, the country was in the midst of racial riots. I was able to feel what it’s like to be discriminated against.”

He says he was now on a mission to spread awareness about my condition, reports the website.

“I would really like to educate the hospitality industry about what it is. There is nothing to be afraid of, it’s just something some individuals have to live with. I am hoping this raises awareness and that, going forward, there might be a positive outcome and prevent it happening again. There’s always going to be nasty people in the world, but that’s my hope,” he added.