Great *not*

[Kottemamman]

After two weeks gluten-free my stomach was flat, it started behaving more like a normal stomach and I started feeling a little bit better. I have brought lunch to work these days to be completely sure I didn't eat any gluten by accident. Today one of my colleagues suggested a lunch at a restaurant. I believe I did everything right....still it didn't work out.

I called the restaurant in advance, asked what on their lunch menu was gluten-free. When I ordered at the restaurant I asked again if my choice was gluten-free and they said it was. So guess if I was surprised to find croutons mixed with the sallad at the bottom of my plate. Unfortunately I didn't discover them until I had already put some of them in my mouth...and then realized that sallad isn't usually that crunchy. Boy, was I mad or was I mad? They apologized, but that doesn't help my stomach. It took four hours and then D....

Guess I won't be going to that restaurant anymore...really, I did ask and they obviously didn't bother to check the meal a second time. Thanks...

[SunnyDyRain]

After two weeks gluten-free my stomach was flat, it started behaving more like a normal stomach and I started feeling a little bit better. I have brought lunch to work these days to be completely sure I didn't eat any gluten by accident. Today one of my colleagues suggested a lunch at a restaurant. I believe I did everything right....still it didn't work out.

I called the restaurant in advance, asked what on their lunch menu was gluten-free. When I ordered at the restaurant I asked again if my choice was gluten-free and they said it was. So guess if I was surprised to find croutons mixed with the sallad at the bottom of my plate. Unfortunately I didn't discover them until I had already put some of them in my mouth...and then realized that sallad isn't usually that crunchy. Boy, was I mad or was I mad? They apologized, but that doesn't help my stomach. It took four hours and then D....

Guess I won't be going to that restaurant anymore...really, I did ask and they obviously didn't bother to check the meal a second time. Thanks...

I would write a letter to the owner / corporate office to complain. Perhaps include information on celiac and recommend more training of cooks and servers. Emphasize that you got sick, and if they don't know what gluten free is, and cannot train their employees to know what Gluten free is, they should not tell people it offers anything gluten free.

[Karen B.]

May I suggest that after you calm down from the urge to choke someone (or at least that's my reaction, not to gluten but to stupidity) you compose a letter to the restaurant. Detail the efforts you went through, the date and time you were there and the results.

Then follow that up with the sentence "If this had been a severe food allergy instead of the severe immune system response that I experience, I would be dead."

The owner of the restaurant needs to know that there are liability issues and that his/her establishment doesn't handle this issue well. They will probably respond with an offer for a free meal. Don't think I'd take them up on it, personally.

I eat out sucessfully all the time, but unfortunately there are stupid people that refuse to take this seriously. The most wonderful words I've heard in a restaurant were from the person behind the counter when the kitchen sent my plate out with a slice of bread on it. As she was headed through the kitchen door, she was yelling in a very loud voice "When I say no bread, I MEAN no bread!" I knew she took me seriously! Found out later there are 2 Celiacs in her family.

[gfpaperdoll]

Whem you ask for gluten free you also have to say severe allergy, the restaurants understand allergy. A lot of them have no clue about gluten-free. Also, ALWAYS ask to speak to the manager, most managers know how to take care to get you a gluten-free meal.