Re: accomodation in restaurants/ was Celiac vs IBS article in Self

[Guest guest]

I also have never taken 20 minutes to order my food. And I also

have friends that seem to have more special requests about their

meals that do not have any dietary restrictions. If the staff is

polite, they should try to accomodate everyone whether the requests

are for health reasons or for personal choice.

I agree that staff isn't always informed about the GF diet even when

there is a GF menu. But I do find it easier to know what items on

the menu are GF. There are less questions and less time spent

figuring things out with the staff.

I seem to have good luck dining out whether there's a GF menu or

not. Very rarely have I had to send a meal back. And never have I

had to spend an extra 20 minutes figuring things out with the

staff. Don't get me wrong there has been the occasional glutening

over the past 24 yrs, but those are few and far between.

And I agree that when the staff is accomodating and takes the extra

effort to make sure everything is done right, a hearty tip is

required.

It shouldn't be a chore for us to eat at a restaurant and it

shouldn't be a chore for the restaurant to accomodate us.

>>If your server gives you 20 extra

> > minutes of time to deal with your special needs, they are giving

> their

> > other customers 20 fewer minutes - and will probably get smaller

> tips

> > from them. When the kitchen takes 10 minutes just to fix a

single

> GF

> > meal, they may have to make every other customer in the place

wait

> > longer for their dinner - does that help their reputation and

> repeat

> > business?

>

> While I agree with you about being there to make money I am not

sure

> why you think they wouldn't. Do you have any idea how much things

> are marked up and what they make per item? And for that matter,

why

> would I EVER need an extra 20 minutes of time? I have a friend

that

> takes at least twice as much time ordering because she wants to

know

> what's in everything as far as what comes on the salad, is the

> potato rolled in salt, is it real butter - and she doesn't even

have

> any dietary restrictions. That's just how she is. I spend my own

> time finding out if there are items at restaurant that are okay

for

> me to eat. And yes, you are correct that it is a privelege to

dine

> out, not a right. BUT, that is what I choose to do sometimes. I

> think it's only fair that we all are offered the same rights as

the

> next customer that walks through the door. It should would bring

me

> and my family and friends into a place that I knew was helpful and

> accomodating. And you can bet that I have told many about the

times

> that I have been asked to leave a restaurant because they don't

know

> what to do.

[Guest guest]

While I can understand where you are coming from, I think you are

incorrect in saying that we are a very small part of the

population. The numbers are increasing all of the time. I just

read an article last week that said they are now estimating that

it's 1 in 100 that gluten intolerance issues. So, to me that's no

small number.

> In , on 07/26/06

> at 08:27 PM, " " typed:

>

> > GF menus bring more GF diners (and the number of GF

> >diners is growing rapidly)!!!

>

> GF friendly menus (most celiacs don't insist that everything

served be GF,

> just that there are adequate GF choices and no contamination

issues) not

> only bring more GF diners, but also their non-GF friends and

families.

>

> --

> n : jt@... http://jt-mj.net

> In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State!

> Warpstock X - October 12-15 2006; Windsor, Ont. I'll be there -

will you?

> -- --

> " Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons,

> for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup. "

> [stolen from somewhere else]

>

>

>

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

marcianar wrote: You are offered EXACTLY the same rights as every other customer! "Here is our menu, pick something and order it."Asking for a special medical diet is asking for a whole lot more than the other customers are offered. Well Said. As hard as it is to hear. A restaurant is a "store". We don't go into any other type of store and ask (or insist) that they change their product for us (uh, I don't want red screwdrivers today, I'll wait while you dig through your warehouse to see if you have blue) Making a special meal than requires mixing up

fresh batches of potatoes/rice/sauce/veggies/whatever takes time. Checking labels takes time. Cleaning the work surface to prevent cross-contamination takes time. My sil is a manager with Hooters. She, and my brother (who used to be a restaurant manager and a couple very fine restaurants) both said that you are really taking chances when eating out. a new topic

Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

But it is a small number today because that figure is the estimated rate of celiac in the us...not the diagnosed rate. We still have lots and lots of people to diagnose. I'm thinking that things will get so much better once they are. But for now we are still small. And even 1/100 may not be enough for some restuarants to change their operating procedures. that means that 99/100 can eat the regular food. Rhiannon wrote: While I can understand where you are coming from, I

think you are incorrect in saying that we are a very small part of the population. The numbers are increasing all of the time. I just read an article last week that said they are now estimating that it's 1 in 100 that gluten intolerance issues. So, to me that's no small number.> In , on 07/26/06 > at 08:27 PM, "" typed:> > > GF menus bring more GF diners (and the number of GF > >diners is growing rapidly)!!!> > GF friendly menus (most celiacs don't insist that everything served be GF,> just that there are adequate GF choices and no contamination issues) not> only bring more GF diners, but also their non-GF friends and families.> > -- > n : jt@... http://jt-mj.net> In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State!> Warpstock X - October 12-15 2006; Windsor, Ont. I'll be there -

will you?> -- --> "Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons,> for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."> [stolen from somewhere else]> > > > > > __________________________________________________>