Posted by Kathleen Bonilla.
A tragic incident has led to a lawsuit against one of Disney’s restaurants, Raglan Road. The lawsuit alleges negligence from Disney as well as the restaurant employees. The negligence in question was regarding a customer who had food allergies and asked the staff for the appropriate accommodations. It became evident that they failed to take such precautions leading to the outcome of death for that customer. Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan was the victim of the restaurant’s carelessness. This incident demonstrates the serious consequences of negligence in catering to customers with allergies and the legal backlash that can result from it.
The lawsuit, carried out by her husband Jeffery Piccolo, accuses Disney and the restaurant of negligence in their duty and failure to provide a safe environment for their customers with allergies. “The suit alleges that Disney and Raglan Road breached their duty of care to Tangsuan to “ensure that food that was designated as allergen free and/or food that was requested to be prepared allergen free, was in fact free from allergies that would cause death or serious physical harm to guests with food allergies”” (Murphy). Their failure in attending to Tangsuan’s food allergies is what caused her abrupt death at the young age of 42. The lawsuit also claims that the restaurant failed to “educate, train, and/or instruct” the staff on the steps to ensuring allergy free food (Murphy).
This case highlights the importance of businesses adhering to proper protocols, especially when dealing with customers that require special accommodations. The outcome of this lawsuit could have implications for how other companies approach allergy management and customer safety protocols going forward. This incident also serves as serves as a reminder of the potential consequences of negligence and the importance of prioritizing the safety and well-being of all customers.
Kathleen is a FinTech major at the Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University, Class of 2025.