Peppermill Restaurant Napoleon Ohio

[Bubba's Mom]

Several relatives were visiting from another state and they thought it would be fun to see if we could get tother for dinner somewhere. A cousin found a restaurant that said they could accomodate a group and starting calling everyone to see if they could meet.

The restaurant was an hour's drive for us, but we wanted to go IF the restaurant could serve a gluten free meal. I called and asked if they could and explained it as a severe wheat allergy.( i figured they would unterstand allergy) I was assured that a steak and baked potato and salad could be safely prepared and served.

When our waitress came over I explained that I had a severe allergy to wheat. I said for example, if someone put croutons on my salad and then realized they shouldn't have and took them off it would be enough to cause me a reaction. She shook her head that she understood and I had her write it on the order slip.

My steak was broght out to me with two breaded and fried onion rings as garnish on top of the meat. I told her I was very sorry, but I couldn't eat the contaminated steak and she said she was very sorry and would get me a new steak.

Instead, they took it to the kitchen, cut it in half and threw it on the griddle they had just made a grilled cheese sandwich on for someone in our group. The chef then pressed down on it with a spatula trying to change the shape a bit I guess? It was placed back on the plate with the two pieces rearranged into a different shape.

When the waitress brought it to me I looked at it and asked if that was the same steak and she assured me it wasn't. I turned the pieces of meat and they fit together like a puzzle. It was the very same one..now very over cooked! I didn't eat it and when she brought our check I said I didn't eat the steak because it was the same one that she served me the first time. She admitted it and said she'd take it off the tab.

I'm furious that they would lie like that!

If you are ever in the area..stay away from the Peppermill!

[kareng]

WOW!

Someone on here suggested this. I can't remember who but it is a great idea for this situation.

For the steak situation. Cut a little v out of it before sending it back. Then you can see if its the same one without the onion rings.

A salad with croutons - hide one on the bottom.

This doesn't keep them from cooking food on bread crumbs or with the same spatula.

It would have been better if they just admitted they can't do gluten-free.

[Bubba's Mom]

Cutting a V is a great idea. In this case the shape of the steak was kind of unusual..sort of a figure 8, which caught my attention.

This was my first time eating out since getting Dx. I'm just shocked at the ignorance/apathy of the staff.

I wrote a letter to the management and mailed it off this morning. It might help the next person that goes there and has a food allergy? I explained that some food allergies are life threatening and must be taken seriously! If they don't want to accomodate people, then say so if asked. If they have knowingly given someone a substance that will hurt them it's doubly harmful to lie about it when confronted. If it hadn't been for the odd shape, and the fact that they cut it half I would have believed them and eaten it.

In the past I've always been very shy. I'm glad I was able to speak up for myself. I wasn't nasty, but I wasn't going to eat or pay for a contaminated steak. Poor hubby sat there like a deer in headlights.