My Letter To Spaghetti Warehouse Corporate Office

[Fiddle-Faddle]

(Note: the "gluten-free" menu Ms. Courtney sent only contained salad (with gluten-containing ingredients removed, grilled chicken, and grilled steak. That was it.)

> COMMENTS:

> Hi! I am a previous happy customer who has recently been diagnosed with celiac

> disease, which means I cannot have anything made with wheat or any other gluten

> source.

>

> Many restaurants (including Bravo in Cranberry, PA and some Old Spaghetti

> Factories are now offering gluten-free pastas and other items for people with

> celiac disease, as it is becoming so common.

>

> I couldn't find anything on your on-line menu about gluten-free items. Are you

> planning on offering any in the near future?

>

> Thank you,

> Alison

-------------- Original message --------------

From: "Ellen Courtney" <ECourtney@croinc.com>

> Dear Alison,

>

> Thank you for contacting us at Spaghetti Warehouse. We appreciate it greatly

> when our valued customers take the time to contact us - it helps us serve you

> better.

>

> Attached is a list of menu items for gluten sensitive customers. Please

> remember all of these items are prepared and cooked in a kitchen where items

> that are not gluten-free are prepared and cooked.

>

> Thank you for your interest and we look forward to serving you again soon at

> Spaghetti Warehouse.

>

> Sincerely,

> Ellen Courtney

> Spaghetti Warehouse

> (972) 888-8136

> ecourtney@croinc.com

>

Dear Ms. Courtney,

I appreciate your repylying so quickly! Thank you for attaching the gluten-sensitive menu.

Since pasta made from rice is so inexpensive and easily available, and since gluten intolerance and celiac disease are so prevalent today, won't your corporate office consider adding rice-based pasta to the menu?

Just in case you are not yet aware how many people (potential customers!) might be affected, I'd like to call your attention to a recent University of Chicago study, which concluded that nearly 1 percent of the population suffers from celiac disease--and it takes an average of 11 years in this country to get diagnosed.

In addition, it is becoming increasingly obvious that gluten exacerbates and may even cause rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, autoimmune thyroid disorders, and a host of other autoimmune disorders.

Most of us are not going to bother going to your restaurant for grilled chicken and fries. We can make that at home. It is your pasta--your specialty--that brings customers in the door.

I do hope your corporate office might offer gluten-free pasta options in the very near future. As I mentioned in my first email, the Bravo restaurant n Cranberry, PA (my neighborhood) already does.

Thanks again,

Alison

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I just received this:

Dear Alison

I will be sure that your comments are passed on to our management team.

Sincerely,

Ellen Courtney

Spaghetti Warehouse

Let's hope for the best!