Do You Contact Restaraunt If You Get Glutened?

[SGWhiskers]

I thought I did everything right yesterday when I went out to eat. Nope. I'm glutened again. I'm not mad at the chef, but I am mad at the world. Do you contact the restaraunt and work with the chef to figure out how the gluten got in the dish? It would educate both of us about what the other needs in order to get the dish correct. Do you let the restaraunt know so that the chef knows and maybe the credit card gets refunded? I hate the idea of paying to get sick. Do you just write off the restaraunt and never go back? I knew the chicken was too good to be true.

What I really want to do is don my Celiac Woman disguise, complete with purple cape and steletto boots, and kick some Chef butt. Then I would fly across the America and use my gluten fighting powers to zap all the wheat fields. My last stop would be the bakeries of the world to turn all the poison yummies into gluten free delights.

[MaryJones2]

I think if the restaurant has a gluten-free menu and they didn't take all the steps necessary to ensure your meal was gluten-free then yes they should absolutely know about it and hopefully it will be a learning experience for them. If you contact them and they aren't concerned then I would write them off and never go back.

[SGWhiskers]

They didn't have a gluten-free menu, but they did have a gluten-free accomodations statement. I also called the Chef 24 hours in advance and spoke personally with him. I went in at an off hour too. Grrrr. I hate Celiac today.

[MaryJones2]

oh, that's terrible. If you spoke to the chef and he said he could accomodate you then yes call him. Perhaps he doesn't understand something important about making a gluten-free meal. If he was willing to discuss with you ahead of time then I'm sure he'd be willing to review his processes with you if you approach him nicely.

[NorthernElf]

I ate at a restaurant in Calgary...well two actually...that had a gluten free menu and got sick. I emailed the head office, as well as the local chapter for celiac disease. One, I was choked because I was there on vacation & getting sick sucks ! Two, I thought they should know (local celiacs and the restaurant). I ate at a Joey Tomatos and a Cactus Club. The first was great, the Cactus Club got me.

All that happened was that I got an email back apologizing and asking me to come back & give them a second chance. As if ! I didn't get my reply until I was already back home but I wouldn't have gone back anyway. Why go back for more ?

I gotta admit, I avoid restaurants as much as possible. I never ate out much to begin with, now I rarely eat out. If I do, it's often a salad or I bring my own food. Yep, that's right - I don't make a big production about it and I order a drink but I'm with people ordering full meals so no one complains (this is at places with no gluten free menu).

[lizard00]

Typically I wouldn't contact the restaurant. I assume the responsibility that eating out brings.

But in this case, I probably would. Because he talked with you personally, and I would think, this is just me, that since he was willing to take the time to learn about your needs to accomodate you, he would like to know what he did wrong. If he doesn't seem to care, then tell him you're done with his restaurant and continue on your merry way.

[Mtndog]

They didn't have a gluten-free menu, but they did have a gluten-free accomodations statement. I also called the Chef 24 hours in advance and spoke personally with him. I went in at an off hour too. Grrrr. I hate Celiac today.

I would definitely let them know in a case like this or if they have a gluten-free menu. If it's a regular restaurant and I get glutened, I assume it's my responsibility. If they have a gluten-free menu or I talk to the chef in advance, I let them know because it's educating them.

Sorry it happened :(

[SGWhiskers]

thank you for your responses. I'm going to call this week one day after lunch rush and nicely let him know what happened. If he is responsive, then I''ll hope to have the conversation about what a chef needs to hear from me so I can be better at communicating my needs. I will also try to help him learn how to cook gluten-free. I just can't do that call until my glutening is gone.

[sickchick]

I just don't risk it EVER.

I can't remember the last time I went out to eat...

[kbtoyssni]

I've never contacted a restaurant after being glutened, but I did contact one about an item on their gluten free menu. The fried tofu was on the gluten-free menu, but I knew they fried other non-gluten-free foods there so I inquired if there was a separate fryer and there wasn't. It wasn't a chain restaurant so the chef was figuring out the gluten-free thing on his own. Because if it were fried in shared oil it wouldn't get more than a crumb or two of gluten on it so he didn't think that made it not gluten-free. We had a nice chat and the next time I went to that restaurant it was off the menu.

[GlutenWrangler]

I got glutened once at Carrabbas...So I wrote them a letter explaining what happened, and how sick it made me, and how it happened out of blatant disregard of gluten-free food preparation. I gave them all of my contact information and asked for a refund. They never contacted me, so I never went back. Their food isn't that good anyway.

I would call the restaurant and explain what happened. With any luck, you'll get your money back. There's really no reason not to contact them. And once they know, maybe they'll make some changes. Hope you feel better.

-Brian

[detox]

I ate at a restaurant in Calgary...well two actually...that had a gluten free menu and got sick. I emailed the head office, as well as the local chapter for celiac disease. One, I was choked because I was there on vacation & getting sick sucks ! Two, I thought they should know (local celiacs and the restaurant). I ate at a Joey Tomatos and a Cactus Club. The first was great, the Cactus Club got me.

All that happened was that I got an email back apologizing and asking me to come back & give them a second chance. As if ! I didn't get my reply until I was already back home but I wouldn't have gone back anyway. Why go back for more ?

I gotta admit, I avoid restaurants as much as possible. I never ate out much to begin with, now I rarely eat out. If I do, it's often a salad or I bring my own food. Yep, that's right - I don't make a big production about it and I order a drink but I'm with people ordering full meals so no one complains (this is at places with no gluten free menu).

If you ever go back to Calgary for business you should check out Open Original Shared Link Its a completely gluten free restaurant. Its kinda no frills, but the prices were reasonable and the food was very good. Its been a LONG time since i was able to order whatever i wanted on a menu.

Scott