Toby Carvery embroiled in ableism row after restaurant manager's vile job interview quip

A Toby Carvery restaurant manager allegedly said even “capable” people struggle as she dismissed an applicant with disabilities without even listening to her.

Victoria Clark went for a job interview at a Toby Carvery in Billingham, County Durham, along with a job coach for adults with autism and learning disabilities. The 25-year-old has autism, hearing loss and partial sight.

The role was for a waiter which Heidi Smith, managing director of Learning Abilities CIC, who went with Victoria, said her client was “more than capable of”.

She wrote in a letter, which has been shared on social media, that as Toby Carvery is a self-service business the role “would have involved clearing and cleaning tables, supporting customer enquiries and serving customers at the till point”.

But Heidi claimed that Victoria was dismissed out of hand by the manager when she was told that she had disabilities and did not even enquire into what they were. She is alleged to have added that “even capable people struggle” in the job.

Victoria, from Kelloe, told the Northern Echo that she had seen the job advertised and she felt it would “love to do” and would be good at. But recalling the interview she continued: "I got there, and was told to take a seat and wait. Myself and Heidi were waiting and chatting and then we were asked to come over. Heidi explained to my interviewer that she was my job coach and I just got an awful look.

"She stopped and said that she couldn't do the interview and it wouldn't be right for me because I have disabilities. They didn't even try to ask what my disabilities are, how they affect me and how it would work with the job. They just dismissed me straight away. At the time I felt quite angry but just kept my cool and stood there."

And Heidi’s message to Toby Carvery shared on X said: “I was absolutely disgusted this morning when I took a client of mine to a job interview at your Billingham site. The blase attitude to what was obviously disability discrimination.”

Detailing the meeting with the manager she continued: “The manager came over, without introducing herself, walked past and called for Victoria. As I proceeded to get up and follow, I was stopped by said manager and given a vacant look - awaiting explanation. I explained I was a job coach and Victoria has disabilities.

Without any further enquiries into what they are, how they would impact her role etc., I was told (Victoria being ignored entirely) that ‘if she has disabilities, this isn’t going to work’. The lady proceeded to tell me that it is a busy site and even ‘capable’ people struggle.” Heidi also pointed out that the disabilities had been mentioned on the application and so it had been a wasted trip as well as being “upsetting” for her client.

“I explained that Victoria would have stated she had disabilities on her application, to which the woman said if she had seen that Victoria had disabilities she wouldn’t have invited her for an interview. We continued back and forth about how this had been a complete waste of our time and how upsetting this was for Victoria. The manager continued in a condescending attitude, stating that a ‘more leisurely job’ would be suitable for Victoria”.

A spokesperson for Toby Carvery told The Mirror: "We are proud of our record as an inclusive employer, and we know from our employee survey data that we support many employees with learning disabilities to have successful careers, clearly demonstrating our commitment to providing equal employment opportunities for all. We cannot comment on this particular case other than to say we that have received a complaint and are taking the matter very seriously. We will fully investigate the concerns raised but is not helpful to do so in public and we will not be commenting further until we have explored the matter fully."