Restaurant group apologizes for statement on 'invisible' disabilities amid fake PWD ID issue
The Lowbrow Casual Restaurants group apologized for insensitive remarks about "invisible disabilities" following public backlash.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, the restaurant group shared its opinion on the misuse of fake persons with disabilities (PWD) cards being abused for discounts, claiming this practice harms the restaurant industry.
"Restaurants in Manila are mad about fake PWD IDs used as permanent discount cards. We get it. Three out of every 10 people who eat in our restaurants use one. Are 30% of us disabled? (Don't answer ahaha)," Lowbrow Casual Restaurants said.
"How did this happen?" they questioned. "Getting a real or fake PWD card became so easy and lucrative. Everyone just woke up and got one. Now we're here."
The group went on to offer their take on disabilities that aren't discernible through the naked eye, such as those suffering from mental health problems. They posed hypothetical scenarios involving individuals with mental health challenges, asking which of them "deserves a discount."
The choices are: someone who "feels compelled to butcher and eat his coworker, someone who "wants to overdose two times a day," and someone who "gets anxiety attacks around obese pugs."
"It's impossible to draw clean lines around what disorders should get a discount. No fair way to do this," Lowbrow Casual Restaurants said.
They then suggested some actions that their followers could do, such as to "stare at them while squinting," to "call them Satan," and to "break your leg, become truly disabled, show them how superior your disability is." It was not made clear who they were referring to with these acts.
Despite this, Lowbrow Casual Restaurants said they will do "nothing" as their staff "finds it hard switching from smiling to arresting."
"We get stressed, service gets slower, our good customers suffer. We remain focused on our guests. Hopefully this thing resolves itself. We are counting on you to shame them until they go away. See you in our restaurants!" they ended.
The statement was met with widespread criticism on social media, with many users labeling the group's views on invisible disabilities as "ableist."
"As someone diagnosed with depression, I find this appalling. The stigma surrounding 'invisible disabilities' remains prevalent and strong," one user said. "Sometimes, I'm physically unable to function when depressed. I feel dead inside, and fatigue consumes me, even without physical exertion. As a result, I jeopardize work and other responsibilities... This is a legitimate disability, folks."
"These restaurants are getting so aggressive na to all PWD ID holders especially those under psychosocial disability. Parang tingin nila basta hindi visible ung disability eh peke na ung ID mo. Lowbrow Casual Restaurants thought they were so cool making fun of people with mental health issues. They were encouraging people to be hostile towards PWD and call them Satan," another commented.
Lowbrow Casual Restaurants—which handles Bad Bird, Fowl Bread, Flowerboy, and Thank You Seafood—has since apologized for the statement, acknowledging that what they said was "wrong."
"You should be angry with us. We've been frustrated by our experiences with PWD IDs, so we dragged everyone into it unfairly. We were insensitive as we trivialised issues that we should have taken seriously," they said in a post.
"We're very embarrassed and disappointed with ourselves. That was inexcusable. We understand if you doubt our sincerity, but we still want to apologise to those we hurt. We're sorry, and it won't happen again," they added.
This comes after restaurateur and content creator Myke Sarthou, or Chef Tatung, on behalf of the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (Resto PH), on Facebook said fake PWD cards are crippling the restaurant industry.
The group noted that it isn't just an inconvenience for restaurants, especially small and family-run ones, but also a financial hit that can mean the difference between survival and closure.
In December 2024, Eric Teng, president of the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (Resto PH) told the Senate committee on ways and means that 25% or more of the sales in restaurants were affected by the PWD discounts.
