Have You Ever Had To Complain?

[KIMMIE]

I have never had to complain at a resturant about things being gluten free, I usually stay away from eating out. However I visited a resturant and asked about the ingredients and cooking methods of an entree before i ordered and was assured that what i was ordering was just chicken and vegetables nothing else...

Now I am sick and I am wanting to complain, I am extremly irritated that I took the time to ask and explain and I want to complain to someone but I don't now how to approach it or what to say....

has anyone ever had to complain to a resturant or a food place?

[KaitiUSA]

Yes, I have had to complain...they need the customer feedback so they know what they are doing wrong so they can fix it.

[Merika]

Hi Kimmie,

Yeah, this is really annoying and you should talk with them. But nicely, yk? The other (remote) possibility is that the chicken they get has been pumped with a "plumper" at the factory and the plumper contained wheat. I hear this is an increasing problem at grocery stores.

Merika

[mytummyhurts]

What I would do in this situation is write a letter telling them exactly what happened and then include some info about celiac disease and what we can and can't have. I would make sure to include how sick you got from eating there and how more and more people are being diagnosed with this all the time. Maybe they will then take it more seriously and research what it was that bothered you.

[skbird]

Recently, we decided to try this new classy restaurant in town - my brother just got a new job and my parents were treating. They gave me the number to make the reservation so I could talk to the chef ahead of time (my first time). So I did and his wife is gluten intolerant, also! I said great, you know where I"m coming from. But I do have a couple of other allergies/intolerances which we carefully went over.

When we got there he had requested I make him aware of our arrival so he could welcome us himself. So he did and then talked with our waitress. All was great. I ordered the special and started to explain the substitutions but she said, oh the chef knows what to do, my mom told me to relax so I did. The waitress came back - said that one particular dish has a sauce I can't have, would it be ok if they tried it another way? I said sure.

When my meal came (after everyone elses, by a couple of minutes...) there on my plate was the perfect looking steak, the perfect looking wild rice, and the veggies, loaded with bell peppers (the very ones I'd said I couldn't eat). I was disappointed but decided not to make a fuss because it was my brother's special night. Then my steak was horrible! The worst NY steak I've ever had, with gristle, etc... blech! Still didn't make a deal. Even thanked the chef on the way out.

I don't know if it was the best route to go but I felt like it would be bad to make a fuss on my brother's special night. I think I"ll go back once more and have the chicken and see if I get a better meal. I will call ahead again. But if they can't pull that off, then I'm over that restaurant.

Talk about a disappointment! It is tough to decide how to address mistakes. I don't want to so turn them off that they won't serve someone with an allergy. But I would appreciate knowing I can go to another restaurant in my town.

Stephanie