Would you have eaten the pudding?

[NoSourDough]

I have celiac disease and just a few crumbs of gluten will cause at lease 3 weeks of damage and illness for me, so eating out means I have to be very careful.

I’m on holiday in a UK destination, gone to a hotel restaurant, made it clear I have celiac disease, asked for the gluten free menu.

Main course, all is well.

Pudding time, I ask for a gluten free Sticky Toffee Pudding. DH asks for a normal one but with vegan ice cream (he is lactose intolerant).

A different waitress brings both puddings out, both in the same coloured bowls and is temporarily perplexed with regard to which one has the vegan ice cream.

i make it clear that one should be gluten free. She disappears and comes back and gives me the one that she says is gluten free.

We start eating, DH tastes his and says his ice creams tastes normal and not vegan.

i have a mouthful of pudding and spit it out - fearing that I’ve actually got the gluten pudding.

I decide not to eat mine as I cannot take the risk.

When waitress returns, I explain my dilemma, that I cannot take the risk and I want the pudding taken off the bill.

I couldn’t believe her reaction. She spoke to her manager, and said “it was 100% gluten free” with such an attitude and as I went to answer, she walked off.

They did take off the pudding on the bill but it was the fact they didn’t take it seriously and that it felt I was making a fuss about nothing. Why they didn’t put the food in separate coloured bowls or flag it is beyond me.

i did want to speak to the manager but it was mayhem outside in reception and I just wanted to leave. I will be leaving a review online.

Completely understandably. The restaurant failed to label the allergen free food, the wait staff had no clue which was GF, went back to ask and then the one she’d said had the vegan ice cream, didn’t taste correct. They did nothing to deserve any trust, and seeing as the fall out for the OP would be huge, (and in the case of those with a nut allergy, pathetically fatal), she’d have been off her rocker to eat it.

Large establishments can. Small and medium can't, and I strongly suspect those who claim to - are not as rigorous as you seem to believe. I wouldn't take the risk. They would need a change of clothes also, also basically a dedicated gluten free person with their own oven and dishwash. It's not exactly feasible in this climate, how many gluten free puddings have to be sold before you can break even on those costs.

Then they shouldn't offer gf in the first place!

You were right as there was nothing to confirm which dessert was GF. Not worth the risk and very poor customer service from the restaurant!

You feel sorry for restaurants having to put flags in to keep their customers alive? Surely that is literally what their business is about? What's so onerous about sticking a little flag in?

I dont think you are being unreasonable.
It must make eating out so stressful.
You would think they would have a better system so doubt never happens .

The waiting staff was unsure which one was which when she bought them to the table. Everyone is saying the GF one should have been identified in the kitchen with a flag so there was no uncertainty. Ditto to the vegan ice cream one. There should be no uncertainty at all and that is why she should leave a negative review, so that management take this more seriously. People have died from exactly this problem with allergies.

Nope. I didn’t at all. I know exactly what celiac disease is and how dangerous it can be. It is your prerogative not to take the risk, either by not ordering something that might be cross-contaminated (most restaurants have disclaimers in this regard) or by not eating something you lack confidence in. It was not necessary for the restaurant to deduct it from the bill, but they showed good will be doing so. Particularly generous on the light of the financial pressures the industry is currently under. There is nothing more they could do to rectify the situation. Quite what you think you are achieving by dragging this out, I don’t know. You certainly don’t come across as empathetic or balanced.

YANBU!

Their kitchen systems should be reviewed. I would contact the Environmental health officer at the local council to tell them what happened.

Ignore those saying you’re over reacting - leave it to a professional to decide and deal with it.

Neither of you are going to die are you? Not a fair comparison!

This really. You don't know they messed up, you are assuming they did. And I think you were lucky they agreed not to charge you for it. Why after they gave you a discount did you still want to speak to the manager?
They told you it was safe to eat you decided they were lying and demanded a discount which they gave you. You have zero proof that they didn't take your allergy seriously.
I don't think you were unreasonable not to eat the pudding but I think you were unreasonable to not pay for it.

I’d probably have had DP taste both and tell me which was GF. It’s absolutely obvious when tasting them and the textures are totally different.

But other than that no, it’s not worth the risk if you’re so severely celiac.

I wouldn’t have eaten it either. They lost your trust and it wasn’t worth the risk. Hopefully you bringing it to their attention will trigger them to improve their processes.

My DC has an anaphylactic allergy and mistakes like that can have catastrophic consequences.

If a restaurant can’t guarantee a dish is GF how could you be confident a dish is nut free, especially when many restaurants buy in some of their dishes and sauces ready made.

Agree

Why do you feel ‘sorry’ for restaurants using a flag system to ensure confidence for customers and servers relating to allergens?

Surely it’s just a sensible business practice?

@NoSourDough it is not worth the risk to have eaten it. I have DC who have coeliac disease and I’ve been told “they are fussy” (!) when I said they cannot eat something that is not GF - drives me bananas!! The damage lasts longer than 3 weeks (6 months + at a minimum!) and increases your chances of developing lymphoma and other cancers. It truly is a hideous disease; my tough as boots, rugby playing son will be sat on the loo in tears after being glutened - it’s horrific, not to mention brain fog / sickness / infertility etc. Absolutely awful.

I would complain to the restaurant management; they could’ve jeopardised your health long term.

I've got allergies - if they'd have initially brought out a wrong one, I wouldn't be risking it either as they'd have shown they'd already made mistakes. I'd be mistrusting too, better to be safe than sorry imo.
Sounds like their attitude is crap too.

They could stick the little flag in the wrong one..?!

So ‘not dying’ as a result of eating out is the bar now?

What about being horribly ill for a week with an increased risk of developing cancer or other life threatening conditions?

Usually when I order out, I state my allergies and the food comes out with a little flag in it saying "allergy"
There should have been one in the DH's for his ice cream in my experience

You feel sorry for restaurants having to take a simple, quick and cheap step to keep their diners safe? If you had a severe allergy or intolerance would you feel the same?

DS has severe allergies and even at 6 he wouldn’t risk eating anything if someone was temporarily perplexed about what was in it.

Deleted due to duplication.

But it is their responsibility to do that to make it very clear which was which. OP could have been extremely ill if she ate the wrong pudding.Its not a good preference for her it's an illness.
Most restaurants would have very clearly marked the gluten free one and the lactose free one separately. Not served them in identical bowls with no identifiable difference . The waitress could easily have mixed them up
OP was right not to eat it.

@OxfordQuestion hands up if you know sod all about coeliac disease?! Honestly, what a bloody ridiculous comment - people with coeliac disease who are exposed to gluten are at high risk of developing cancers / infertility and being made SEVERELY UNWELL. Understand the OPs dilemma now? Yes??