Food allergy/intolerance not taken seriously by restaurant server

You might be interested in our dining experience last night, at a high-end restaurant. We asked for the gluten-free menu options - this irritated our server – he was also a chef.

He said he could tell the people who were “genuine” (he did not elaborate on the secret of how he did this!). He went on to say that in his opinion: “most people who request a special diet are doing this to annoy the staff or to show off.”

He also said: “people should know what is in the food and not order the wrong foods.” – He did not tell us how we could find out what the chef was brewing up in the kitchen.

So arrogant. He has no concept of people becoming ill by eating (being poisoned by) the wrong foods. He was smug. Very disappointing to hear his attitude in the hospitality industry. We have a long way to go to educate these people.

You might have also come across this attitude. What is the best way to handle this?

Cheers

Dr Rodney Ford