Vomit in restaurant.

[ClaryFray]

I need a dose of straight talking, I'm aware my own mental health issues may be clouding my judgement so some perspective.

I suffer with emetophobia, which for those of you who don't know, is a fear of all things vomit.

So today I went for a meal with my family which is rare for me, as I have an eating disorder which is due to restrictive diet I implement based on foods that are likely to make me sick.

We were sat at our table, eating our mains, when a man was sick all over the floor right next to our table. I didn't notice this as was dealing with DS. However when I did notice it, my dad (bless him tried to tell me someone had spilled coleslaw.) however I had to flea to the bathroom to wash my hands, and use lots of the alcohol gel I carry with me at all times. My hands are now red raw.

Yes I am being treated. I'm aware it's my issue and the world cant stop to accommodate it.

Now on to my AIBU - it took the staff 10 minutes to clean it up. There was 4 staff members stood there discussing other things for 5 minutes, one of the staff even escorted a child back to the table she was with after she stepped in it. when clean up finally commenced one of the chefs (of all people) came out to assist in cleaning it!! AIBU to send an email to complain, as it's health and safety or is my aniexty about now becoming ill clouding my rational brain.

Please be gentle I struggle enough living with this day to day. I know it can make me irrational which is why I'm asking others opinions on this before I complain.

The person who was sick went straight into the toilet and was in there for around 15 minutes. Yes I kept an eye. The women who was with him stood at the bar and ordered another drink. All very odd.

But it's the chef cooking after it that is my issue. I watched her go back into the kitchen door after !

Do you know it was the chef, or was it just someone from the kitchen. Someone who does all the cleaning, like the dish washer?

OP, please say what the vomiter and whoever was with him did while this was happening.

Cross-posted

God I'd have been horrified!!!!

I have a sickness phobia & it's making me feel shaky just thinking about it.

I think the restaurant should have at the VERY least moved you to a different table, even the most hardened stomachs would not want to eat next to a pool of vomit on the floor!!!

This is so revolting I'm surprised the restaurant didn't empty immediately. I wouldn't have been able to carry on eating after that.

Those saying it’s too long to wait - what do you expect the staff to do?
Have you ever worked in a busy restaurant? It’s not always possible to drop your jobs and go do something else, then you’ve got to find the clean up kit, figure out how to use it etc.
10 minutes sounds fine to me.

Chef is likely to be one of the few members of staff that have a complete change of clothes on site.

Also they tend to have tougher stomachs!

It may be that they have a policy that only a qualified first aider can clean up sick (or other body fluids), I know some places do.

Even if the waiters had to clean it up they also have to touch the food plates, so as long as they washed their hands after does it really matter who cleaned it? And why would cleaning a mess mean it gets all over your clothes? That's what an apron is for, kitchens have loads of clean aprons to change into.

10 minutes does sound fine to clean up a big mess.

I don't have a phobia but would hate that. If I smell vomit, I can easily instantly vomit on top of it.

I would definitely have moved table at the very least.

You're not being unreasonable or unusual in the slightest over this, don't beat yourself up.

OP, if he went to the bathroom and his companions carried on drinking, they were probably all hammered.

I wonder if that's what the staff discussion was - to ascertain facts and to see what they should do next .

but surely some people must have walked out?!

was it just you and DS? Wondering what others at your table said.

I'd be mortified if I vomited in a restaurant and would offer to clear it up myself assuming I was able to. If it was one of my kids or my dh of course I would do it also. I remember many years ago at an all inclusive holiday restaurant a child was sick in the restaurant and then my ds slipped in it and I had to leave my meal to go and bath and change him !

YANBU

I don't have emetophobia, but I would have walked out of that restaurant immediately as it would have put me off my meal.
Sorry to hear that you've had such an upsetting experience today.

I have no issues with vomit (snot is the thing I can't deal with) but I'd have really struggled with a) vomit near where I'm eating and b) the chef cleaning it up and it only being cleaned up after 10 minutes. That is pretty damn hideous.
But your father's a total star for trying to tell you it was spilled coleslaw :o

Jeezo I'm not emetophobic and I would have been disgusted.

Also, it's unusual for adults (in my experience) to not be able to make it to a toilet prior to vomiting. Children I can absolutely understand but adults can generally tell when they're about to vomit, no?

I don't eat out much so I had the foolish idea that there must be some kind of policy and some kind of kit available for immediate clear up.

I also would have thought any policy would mean that the person who was ill couldn't clear it up themselves because they wouldn't do it to the correct standard.

I have emetophobia too so I slightly can't believe I'm having this conversation. But it's interesting because I actually really dislike eating out generally - not because of emetophobia but food just isn't my thing so I don't like spending money on meals etc - and this is actually really making me wonder about restaurant hygiene.

You should have left right away. I would complain if I was you.

It's could have been the pot washer and they may have been near the end of their shift so did it so no one else had to go home. Just because they were wearing whites it doesn't mean they were cooking.

Fellow emetophobe here OP, I feel for you.

My logical rational part of the brain says it is very unlikely to have spread, and it could have very easily been alcohol related.

But I would feel the same as you being an emetophobe.

What happened when the sick person came out of the toilets?

Ew, I don't have any relevant phobia but think I would have left promptly and expected not to pay at all - or at least only for courses that had been eaten completely before the incident.

I am with you op, that woukd have been it for me. Something similar happened to me, but it was my niece 8 who threw up in the restaurant whilst we were eating together. We asked the rats grant if they had cleaning materials to help us clean up, but tgey dident. We had to do the best we coukd with a packet of wipes I happen to bring with me. I did not feel like eating after that.

Thank you for the advice and support everyone. Feeling much more rational today. I'm think I'm gonna chalk it up to these things happen and move on.

I’m not an emetophobe, but I think I still would have left. That’s horrible.