Fashion designer Siobhan Mackenzie was left "violently unwell" after claiming a popular Glasgow restaurant ignored her serious egg allergy. The 33-year-old, from the Highlands, spent hours alone in her hotel room vomiting and dealing with an allergic reaction after allegedly being served food containing egg at Sticks'n'Sushi in the city centre on Wednesday night, September 23.
Mackenzie, who designed the Glasgow Commonwealth Games tartan, claims she informed her server of her allergy upon arrival at the George Square eatery and even double-checked once her food was brought out. However, once she started eating, she was told by a junior member of staff that the chef had in fact put egg in her food.
Restaurant admits standards fell short
Sticks'n'Sushi's senior management has since admitted that the restaurant did not meet standards with Mackenzie's order and have launched a probe into their Glasgow site, including a review of their allergen processes. The Japanese restaurant opened in Glasgow in December last year.
Mackenzie, whose tartan designs have featured in Elle US, Forbes, and Harper's Bazaar, claims none of the management at the restaurant took responsibility for the mishap and that the junior member of staff was left to deal with the fallout alone.
Designer's account of the incident
Writing on Instagram, Mackenzie said: "I'm absolutely horrified by my experience. I told my server I have an egg allergy. When my food arrived, I specifically asked her to double-check with the kitchen that it was safe."
"She came back and confirmed it was. I started eating, only to then be told that the chef had actually put egg in my food. I genuinely cannot understand how something this serious can happen."
"The junior member of staff who had to tell me was visibly upset, and I felt awful for her because she was clearly left to deal with a situation that should never have happened."
"What is even more shocking is the complete lack of management accountability. Not one manager came over to check that I was okay or take responsibility. Instead, a junior member of staff was left to deal with me and the consequences of a situation with potentially serious legal and regulatory implications."
Re-asserting her claim that she made the restaurant staff fully aware of her medical needs, she continued: "My allergy was clearly disclosed, the kitchen was specifically asked to verify if my food was safe, I was assured it was, and I was then served the exact allergen I had identified."
"I've spent the last two hours alone in my hotel room being violently unwell and dealing with an allergic reaction. I have an allergy, not an intolerance. Allergies have serious consequences and restaurants should know that."
CEO apologises and launches investigation
Egg allergy symptoms usually start a few minutes to a few hours after eating eggs or foods that have egg in them, according to Mayo Clinic. Symptoms range from mild to serious and can include skin rashes, hives, a stuffy nose, upset stomach and vomiting. Rarely, egg allergy can cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.
Sticks'n'Sushi CEO Andreas Karlsson said: "We take food allergies extremely seriously. Every guest who tells us about an allergy should be able to trust that their meal is safe, and on 23 September at our Glasgow restaurant we did not meet that standard."
"We have strict allergen procedures that our teams are trained to follow every time, and on this occasion a genuine mistake was made and our procedures broke down. We are deeply sorry to our guest for what they experienced."
"Our team spoke with our guest, apologised sincerely and offered to call an ambulance. Our guest deserved continued care and support, which fell short of our usual standards."
"We have launched a full internal investigation, which includes a review of our allergen processes in Glasgow and across the group, and the actions of everyone involved. We're in contact with our guest and will take whatever action is needed to make sure this does not happen again."
Mackenzie is a multi award-winning fashion designer reinventing tartan classics such as kilts, tailoring and accessories into contemporary styles. She launched her label just five days after graduating with a First-Class Honours degree in Fashion Design & Production in 2014, aged 21. Her global clientele includes King Charles, Jared Leto, Justin Bieber, Shania Twain and Team Scotland for the Commonwealth Games. She also designed a Traitors-specific outfit for Alan Cumming as he hosted the US version of the reality show.
