Pregnant mother says Subway employee denied her medical request: "This is fast food, not fine dining"



IOWA -- An Iowa mother says she was treated unfairly at a Subway restaurant because she is pregnant.

Kassidy Small is a soon-to-be mother of two, and her children are her priority.

“I'm expecting, and doctors recommend that you don`t eat deli meat unless its thoroughly heated. Usually when I eat at Subway I ask them to microwave my meat and then toast it," Small said.

Small, who is 30 weeks pregnant, went into the Subway restaurant in Adel, Iowa on Saturday afternoon, April 9th. There, she says a male employee belittled her request and refused to help her.

“He just said he was really busy and that this is fast food, not fine dining," Small said.

The woman said the employee would only toast the sandwich. He wouldn't warm the meat in the microwave, as she previously requested. She said the man even tried to prove the meat was hot enough by pulling out a thermometer. It read 140 degrees.

According to the CDC, pregnant women must heat deli meat to 165 degrees to prevent the risk of bacteria, which could be harmful to the baby.

Small and another woman who witnessed the conversation eventually left without their food.

“I was in tears and that’s embarrassing in public. It’s easy for a pregnant woman to cry but I was also upset because of what just happened," Small said.

The mother to be took to social media. Dozens came to her defense.



Small said she hopes her experience will raise awareness about customers' medical needs and the importance of customer service.

“Maybe someone will read it and now when someone makes a request they will do it more happily instead of putting down the person for whatever they are requesting," Small said.

One of the other customers who left the restaurant with Small took her to the neighboring Casey's gas station and ordered her a sandwich there.  After hearing her story, Casey's picked up the tab.