Daniel Larson's (Alleged) Red Robin Poisoning: April 11th, 2024

On April 11, 2024, Daniel Larson visited a hospital, after having claimed to have been poisoned and suffering from a “stomach bug.” He made several posts alleging, without evidence, that he had been served poisoned food at a Red Robin location. Daniel asserted that he had vomited unusual fluids, such as urine and feces, and accused members of his subreddit and Discord of poisoning him. Despite these alarming claims, he was discharged later that day.

The following morning, April 12th, Daniel continued to post from his hospital bed, claiming to be on an IV drip and new sleep medication. He complained that the medication caused migraines and reiterated his poisoning accusations, stating that he had vomited stool and urine.

His paranoia intensified as he speculated about the source of the alleged poisoning, suggesting involvement from individuals connected to Red Robin’s food supplier as well as from his subreddit or Discord, further fueling the community’s speculations about his paranoid and delusional mental state.

Discharged on the night of the 12th, Daniel checked himself into Longmont United Hospital again on April 13th, complaining of shortness of breath and feeling worse after eating a bean burrito. He was diagnosed with shortness of breath, acute nonintractable headache, and notably “delusional ideas.” He was discharged again later that day or the next.

On the days of his discharge, Daniel was further fooled by a fake press release claiming that “Red Robin Successfully Poisons Famous Dine-And-Dasher Daniel Larson.” He asserted that this fake press release was sent to him by the FBI, whom he believed were trying to frame and kill him.

Daniel also posted an edited image on his TikTok account @daniellarsonlbi, most likely originating from the r/Daniellarson (archived version) subreddit, with the headline “Colorado Restaurants Resort to Poisoning Dine-And-Dash Repeat Offenders.” Falling for the hoax, Daniel shared the image as if it were genuine, further fueling the community’s skepticism about his grasp on reality.

The broader Larson community shares the opinion that Daniel wasn’t truly sick but wanted to spend two nights in the ER and had to fabricate a reason. This belief is reinforced by the discharge papers, which showed a diagnosis of “Delusional ideas (CMS/HCC).” Many speculate that Daniel exaggerated his symptoms, such as claiming to vomit unusual fluids like urine and feces, to gain attention and sympathy.

Throughout this period, Daniel’s community posts provided a detailed account of his experiences and escalating paranoia: