Server arrested after serving seafood to allergic customer

MONTREAL — A server at a restaurant in Canada was arrested after a patron nearly died from being served the wrong dish.

The male server, 22, may face criminal negligence charges, according to The Associated Press. Authorities did not release his name.

The incident took place in May at Le Tapageur. The patron, Simon-Pierre Canuel, told the server he was allergic to seafood, according to the formal complaint.

Canuel ordered beef tartare, but when he began to eat the dish in the dimly lit restaurant, he realized it was salmon. Canuel went into anaphylactic shock and had left his EpiPen in the car, according to the CBC.

He was admitted to the intensive care unit, where he suffered cardiac arrest and was in a coma for several days. While Canuel continues to recover, he told the CBC that he is suffering from anxiety attacks over the incident.

No formal charges have been filed yet. In the formal complaint, Canuel claims that the server was “chatting, laughing and drinking alcohol with guests.” Canuel believes the server never told the kitchen about his allergy.

If the server does end up facing criminal charges for the order mix-up, it could be the first such case in Canada, according to the CBC.

Cox Media Group