Food service - allergies

One reason I wish people in food service could carry baseball bats and use them liberally on some customers. From Not Always Right:

More Truffle Than It�s Worth
Customer: �I�ll take the southwestern burger, but absolutely no mushrooms. I�m allergic to mushrooms.�

(I go back to the kitchen to let the cook know of the allergy. This means they have to clean every cooking utensil and grill that may have touched a mushroom. After stopping service for ten minutes to clean, the cook lets me know of some complications.)

Me: �Ma�am, we�ve removed all allergens from the cooking area but the cook has let me know that the bun for your burger is toasted on the same toaster as the mushroom focaccia and can�t be cleaned. We can grill it on the grill for you instead?�

Customer: �That�s fine. No mushrooms. I�m allergic.�

(I return to the kitchen, and the cook is meticulously going through our ingredients to make sure no other issues arise. He finds another.)

Me: �Ma�am, sorry to bother you again. But the salsa on your burger doesn�t list all of the ingredients so better safe than sorry; we didn�t put the salsa on the burger.�

Customer: �Why not? I want the salsa!�

Me: �But it probably has chopped mushrooms.�

Customer: �I don�t care. I�m not really allergic. I just really don�t like them.�

(The cook nearly killed me when I went back to tell him.)

What harm is there in fifteen minutes with a baseball bat in the backstock room. It's very theraputic...