Where I am told I am a bother

[Kimmik]

Ok I have a slight allergy problem... I am allergic to most preservatives.. MSG, Sodium Benzoate and a long list of others. I have a reaction from a mild sneeze fest to omg I am a puff ball and look like I have the worst case of Hayfever ever...

Ok so when I go to restaurants I ask about certain items that I know will make me sick.. Like I can have fresh country gravy but not the kind that is done from a package. And I am always polite when I ask and Only ask if I can see that they are not swamped.

So I ask the waiter if the milk/ country gravy is made from scratch or package,. and if I can get extra hash browns instead of breakfast meats... *stupid preservatives*

He tells me yes it is from scratch... and that it shouldnt be a problem to get more taters... so I say ok cool I will pay extra to have gravy over everything... and am now waiting happily for food...

Food comes...mmmmmm gravy on taters and toast... wait whats this ???? cue sneezing fit, congestion, puffy eyes and asthma attack...

I finally am able to call waiter over and ask him if gravy was from scratch or a package... and he is like well they make it fresh from a mix.. /facepalm

My hubby gets pissed.. as I cant eat anymore of my meal cause it just gets worse after the first reaction... So we ask to speak to a manager... I explain that I asked the Waiter about if it was made from a mix or from scratch because of my allergy. I was told that it was from scratch when in fact it was a mix, and since I hadn't even made a dent in my food could they take it off our bill since I can't eat it.

Ready for the Gem... The manager snidely told me that he would take it off but I was not welcomed back, and people like me shouldn't eat out. I am very careful of what I order as I know that there is certain things that are bound to have the forbidden stuff and if the waiter had been honest the first time I would have just had eggs and hash browns.. meh

[Aethian]

So where was this so I know never to go.

[CaptainJaneway]

If it is a chain resturant i would go to corporate or the owner. Tell them how rude and nasty that manager was.

Most resturants ask you to tell them if you have any food allergies and they will make exceptions.

[Exaspera]

The manager snidely told me that he would take it off but I was not welcomed back, and people like me shouldn't eat out.

Is this the part where you smacked him with the salmon?

He must bust a gut when he sees someone in a wheelchair.

[chickengirl]

Did the waiter know you were asking about the preparation of the food because of a food allergy, or did he think you were just being picky?

'Course either way I suspect it wouldn't matter since it sounds like the guy's not the sharpest crayon in the box.

[Micer]

Ready for the Gem... The manager snidely told me that he would take it off but I was not welcomed back, and people like me shouldn't eat out.

And people like him shouldn't be allowed out of their stalls back at the farm.

Would love to see what they'd do when the occasion comes where there's a mistake that causes a misinformed customer to need to go to the hospital asap due to an extreme reaction. Would he lean over the gurney on it's way out the door and offer that little wonderful gem of advice to them as well?

[tropicsgoddess]

Is this the part where you smacked him with the salmon?

I'm up for salmon smacking that manager! Seriously, there's people with allergies that would like to eat out too! RUDE!

[LillFilly]

I'm glad you're ok. But, I think that's discrimination against people with disabilities. Might make a good human interest story for the local paper or do you know any lawyers?

[bainsidhe]

I think you should contact corporate or the owner and complain loudly. The manager was beyond rude.

And I can appreciate the server's confusion, unfortunately. Back when Hardee's served biscuits & gravy, it was always from a powder mix, yet we considered it "from scratch" because we still had to mix it, cook the sausage and add it all together. If you asked me whether it's from a package, I'd assume you meant if it was poured ready-made from a container. Which it isn't. And therein lies the confusion.

I wish it were as easy as telling you to be more clear in your instructions, but you were already very precise. The server simply didn't understand what you meant. I can't appreciate how difficult it must be to have a food allergy and I wish you healthfullness and better restaurant experiences in the future.

And I hope that manager gets reprimanded. Whatta tool.

[Bright_Star]

That manager was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy out of line saying what he said to you.

[LillFilly]

Huh.

Well, I emailed a friend who's an actually lawyer (and has done big cases he can't even TELL us about) and this is what he said:

It's not discrimination because it's not based on things that are prohibited by law (race, sex, handicap, country of origin, etc); restaurants and businesses can refuse to serve someone for other reasons. (That's why a nightclub can say you can't enter if you're not dressed well enough or something).

It's definitely bad business though.

Surprised me!

[Merriweather]

Ready for the Gem... The manager snidely told me that he would take it off but I was not welcomed back, and people like me shouldn't eat out. I am very careful of what I order as I know that there is certain things that are bound to have the forbidden stuff and if the waiter had been honest the first time I would have just had eggs and hash browns.. meh

At that point, I'd have told him he could comp both meals as you now needed your husband to take you to the doctor, then to your lawyer

Then I definitely would make a complaint to corporate/owner. That place has two strikes in this, as nowadays people are much more aware (or should be) that eating the wrong thing can be deadly to someone with allergies, and supplying wrong info about their food, then having someone get a reaction, is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Secondly, people are also much more aware of how anyone with any sort of disability is treated, and juries are much more likely to award large settlements to people who are discriminated against because of a disability. I'm not suggesting you sue, just point out to them how easily you (or anyone else) could win a lawsuit over nothing more than this.

[Exaspera]

I'm glad you're ok. But, I think that's discrimination against people with disabilities. Might make a good human interest story for the local paper or do you know any lawyers?

Okay, here's the great idea. Write Corporate about what happened. Make them aware that you will go to the media about this if they don't respond. It's not (really) a threat, just a need for the people to know. Y'know, because like the info could save a life!

It's Summer, as Summer gets later and hotter the news tends to dry up and journalists are digging for stuff.

[Hyndis]

I don't understand the whole thing about running to a lawyer right away.

First thing, talk to the company involved. Manager told you to get bent? Check for the store owner. Or if its a chain, talk to corporate.

If there's a problem you move up one step at a time. You don't start at the top, that just causes a whole lot of aggravation, time, and expense for everyone involved.

[Food Lady]

First of all, the manager shouldn't be a manager. I still can't believe he said that to you!!! As for the waiter, it may be that he's just a part of the generation raised on boxed foods and doesn't really understand what "from scratch" means. But management should train servers to understand reasons why people may ask questions, and to ask questions. My usual response is, "Oh, do you have a food allergy?" Or I may ask, "Are you vegan or just vegetarian?" I want info so I can help the customer.