Family Sues Panera After Daughter Suffers Allergy Attack Due to 'Language' Issue

Nick Kangadis | June 10, 2016
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No habla inglés?

A man in Natick, Mass., is suing Panera Bread after his five-year-old daughter had a terrible reaction to one of their sandwiches.

John Russo and his wife, Elise, ordered from Panera through their online service. They ordered a grilled cheese sandwich for their young daughter while putting two notices on the order that she had a severe peanut allergy.

The daughter bit into the sandwich to find a large serving of peanut butter inside, eventually landing her in the hospital for a night.

According to the Boston Globe, John called the manager of the restaurant that night to notify him of the incident. The manager strongly apologized, and told John that the problem stemmed from a “language issue.”

You read that right. The employee did not know enough English to recognize that the peanut indication on the order was an allergy warning. Instead, the employee thought that the customer wanted peanut butter...on a grilled cheese sandwich.

I know. Common order, right?

John said that there was no excuse for the mishap, considering the peanut allergy alert was conveyed on the order twice.

The Russos are suing the restaurant for negligence, intentional or reckless infliction of emotional distress and assault and battery. The lawsuit claims that Panera “engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices by adding peanut butter to the plaintiff’s grilled cheese sandwich knowing that she has a life-threatening peanut allergy.”

The Globe also reported that “Panera director of public affairs Jonathan Yohannan declined comment on the lawsuit.”

If a restaurant is in the U.S., shouldn’t the employees at least have a basic understanding of the English language?

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