Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

My Experience With A Waiter Last Night, At Lost Dog Cafe


Monklady123

Recommended Posts

Monklady123 Collaborator

If you know the Lost Dog Cafe you know that it's FILLED with gluten. The main thing on their menu is the sandwich, in a gazillion varieties. Then they have pizza, in another gazillion varieties. Then they have salads, a lot of which have grilled chicken with "special seasoning." :ph34r:

So, I called ahead and asked for the manager. The first thing I asked was "if I said the words gluten-free to you would you know what I'm talking about?" His reply: "Yes, of course!" aha...good start. lol. Turns out that they do have gluten-free pizza crust, but I think $14 is a lot for a personal-size pizza. He said I could not eat the "special seasoning" so that meant no chicken, fish, or fries. sigh..

Anyway, I went there (this was a church meeting so I had no choice about where to go since this is right around the corner from the church, most of the people attending -- 8 of us -- live nearby, and we like to patronize the local businesses near the church) -- so I had the plain Greek salad. But, it came with "feta vinaigrette" dressing. I asked the waiter if he could please find out the exact ingredients in it because I was "allergic to wheat" (easier than "celiac" or "gluten intolerant" ). So what did he do? He came back to the table with the entire industrial-size bottle of dressing! rofl... He said "there were a lot of ingredients in there so I thought you'd better look for yourself, since I'm not 100% sure where gluten can hide."

Now remember, I had said "allergic to wheat" -- I hadn't mentioned gluten. So I said "oh, so you knew what I meant when I said "allergic to wheat?" He said "yes of course... although I suppose someone could be actually allergic to wheat. But usually when people ask that they mean gluten."

Now how's that for a knowledgeable waiter?! woot! And he was really young too. I left him a nice tip, and got his name and called the manager this morning.

Oh and fyi, the feta vinaigrette did NOT have gluten in it, and I had a nice salad and feel just fine this morning. B)


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



laura4669 Apprentice

Wow, that is great! I love it when a waiter or restaurant manager goes the extra mile for people with food allergies. I am recently diagnosed with celiac, and I am finding out that some waiters have no idea what gluten is, and others know right away what I am talking about. I have been surprised at how many waiters will say to me, "Oh yeah, my mom, sister, cousin, etc. has the same problem with gluten. I know exactly what you are talking about". Glad you had a nice meal!

Skylark Collaborator

What a pleasant surprise. Thanks for sharing your story.

RachelisFacebook Apprentice

That's truly awesome!! I had a waiter at Olive Garden who knew if I was ordering off the gluten-free menu that there couldn't be croutons in the salad. Unfortunately, something still made me sick at that meal. :( But it's a GLORIOUS feeling knowing that there are some wait staff who understand. I actually feel like I should be a waiter so I could really help other celiacs who come in the restaurant! Haha.

jenngolightly Contributor

What a great story. We avoid sandwich shops - my motto is that sandwich joints have "bread flying all over the place." No place for a Celiac. But it looks like you were with a group so you had no choice. Would you go back, or do you think it's too risky?

tea-and-crumpets Explorer

That's great! I had a similar experience when I went to Biaggi's -- my (very young!) waiter was very knowledgeable and kind when I asked about their gluten free menu. When it came time to wrap up the leftovers, he offered to take everyone's in the back and I told him I'd prefer just to wrap my own. He said "Oh, because of cross-contamination, right?" Turns out he had been gluten free for a while (and later found out he didn't have celiac.) I am much more confident about eating at that particular Biaggi's now!

I made sure to go home and write a letter praising him to the manager (and he got a really good tip.)

Monklady123 Collaborator

What a great story. We avoid sandwich shops - my motto is that sandwich joints have "bread flying all over the place." No place for a Celiac. But it looks like you were with a group so you had no choice. Would you go back, or do you think it's too risky?

I'm not sure I would go back. Not so much because of CC -- although with that menu I'm thinking I got lucky this time, unless the salad stuff is somewhere separate. But the main reason I'd rather not go back there is that while I do like salads it's hard to eat only that while everyone else is digging into wonderful sandwiches,seasoned fries, garlic bread.....sigh. We do have another restaurant we go to for church things and I'm going to suggest that one next time -- it's a Mexican place and their corn things are all corn and I've NEVER had a problem with anything I've eaten there. And I can have a plate of food that looks just like everyone else's. I know that's silly, but I'm so tired of being different!

well...anyway... woke up this morning with an awful headache so I'm about ready to search for that gluten-free wine list since that's about the only thing I can blame it on.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - Wheatwacked replied to Heatherisle's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      34

      Blood results

    2. - Known1 replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      6

      FDA looking for input on Celiac Gluten sensitivity labeling PLEASE READ and submit your suggestions

    3. - Wheatwacked replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      31

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

    4. - Wheatwacked replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      31

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,411
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    EBeloved
    Newest Member
    EBeloved
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
    • Wheatwacked
      Celiac Disease causes more vitamin D deficiency than the general population because of limited UV sunlight in the winter and the little available from food is not absorbed well in the damaged small intestine.  Taking 10,000 IU a day (250 mcg) a day broke my depression. Taking it for eleven years.  Doctor recently said to not stop.  My 25(OH)D is around 200 nmol/L (80 ng/ml) but it took about six years to get there.  Increasing vitamin D also increases absorption of Calcium. A good start is 100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving of salmon,  vitamin D from 7.5 to 25 mcg (300 to 1,000 IU) but it is going to take additional vitamin D supplement to be effective.  More importantly salmon has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio 1:10 anti-inflammatory compared to the 15:1 infammatory ratio of the typical Western diet. Vitamin D and Depression: Where is all the Sunshine?
    • Known1
      Thank you for sharing your thoughts.  I respectfully disagree.  You cherry picked a small section from the page.  I will do the same below: The agency is seeking information on adverse reactions due to “ingredients of interest” (i.e., non-wheat gluten containing grains (GCGs) which are rye and barley, and oats due to cross-contact with GCGs) and on labeling issues or concerns with identifying these “ingredients of interest” on packaged food products in the U.S. “People with celiac disease or gluten sensitives have had to tiptoe around food, and are often forced to guess about their food options,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “We encourage all stakeholders to share their experiences and data to help us develop policies that will better protect Americans and support healthy food choices.” --- end quote Anyone with celiac disease is clearly a stakeholder.  The FDA is encouraging us to share our experiences along with any data to help develop future "policies that will better protect Americans and support healthy food choices".  I see this as our chance to speak up or forever hold our peace.  Like those that do not participate in elections, they are not allowed to complain.  The way I see it, if we do not participate in this request for public comment/feedback, then we should also not complain when we get ill from something labeled gluten-free. Have a blessed day ahead, Known1
    • Wheatwacked
      Here is a link to the spreadsheet I kept to track my nutrition intakes.  Maybe it will give you ideas. It is not https so browsers may flag a security warning. There is nothing to send or receive. http://doodlesnotes.net/index3.html I tracked everything I ate, used the National Nutrition Database https://www.foodrisk.org/resources/display/41 to add up my daily intake and supplemented appropriately.  It tracks about 30 nutrients at once.
    • Wheatwacked
      Hello @catnapt, That's so true.  Every person with Celiac Disease has different symptoms.  There are over 200 that it mimics.  Too many still believe that it is only a childhood disease you outgrow.  Or it's psychosomatic or simply a fad.  Idiots.  It's easy to get angry at all of them.   You just have to pick at the answers until you find the ones that work for you.  I too suffer from not being able to take the drugs that work for "everyone else".  SSRIs make me twitch ane feel like toothpicks are holding my eye open, ARBs cripple me.  Statins cause me intestinal Psuedo Obstruction.  Espresso puts me to sleep.  I counted 19 different symptoms that improved from GFD and dealing with my nutritional defecits.  I couldn't breath through my mouth until I started GFD at 64 years old.   My son was born with celiac disease, biopsy diagnosed at weaning.   So why are we the one-percenters.  Why, after being silent for so long, does it suddenly flare? There is the possibility that you have both Celiac Disease and Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.  NCGS was not established as a diagnosis until 1980.  NCGS is diagnost by first elimating Celiac Disease as the cause, and showing improvement on GFD.  Nothing says you can't have symptoms from both.  Wheatbelly: Total Nutrition by Dr. Davis was helpful to me. We come to the forum to share what we've learned in dealing with our own symptoms.  Maybe this will help someone. Speaking of which if you don't mind; what is your 25(OH)D vitamin D blood level?  You mentioned a mysterious Calcium issue. Vitamin D, Calcium and Iodine are closely interactive. It is not uncommon for postmenopausal women to have insufficient intake of Iodine.   (RDA): Average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy individuals; often used to plan nutritionally adequate diets for individuals You are a one-percenter.  You may need higher intake of some essential nutrient supplements to speed up repairing the damages.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.