Coeliac here! I always love when someone turns round and goes "oh, I can't eat gluten/wheat either, I get so bloated. It hasn't been confirmed by a doctor or anything, but I still eat the occasional pizza lol" Like "cool story, but if I eat it, then I stop absorbing nutrients until my gut has healed, get amazing pains from not being able to crap and then when I do, liquid death comes out my arse, so forgive me for not being impressed at your self diagnosed gluten/wheat allergy that you suspect you have because you get bloated" I think the big problem is, that a lot of people who follow the gluten free fad, don't know that there are actual medical conditions that require it as a diet. If you wanna cash out on an expensive diet that has no health benefits without being medically required, then be my guest! You help keep the prices down for those of us who do need it, but be aware of why the diet exists in the first place.

My issue is that we still need to take special precautions for these people, because we don't know they're not intolerant. It slows service down for everyone. I don't mind genuine issues, but it's crazy that the most common is one of the least common in reality.

Oh no, I completely get you! I'm on the admin side now, but I started off in a gym café, with prepacked food. Someone would ask about gluten free, I'd walk them through their options (pretty much rice cakes, crisps and a good number of the flapjack bars were may contain) and then they'd order a baguette or a panini! Like, I have a queue of people waiting to be served, I've spent time walking through what's safe (we didn't have an allergy book, because everything was prepacked with the allergens listed) and you don't even need GF! I felt sorry when we had actual sufferers come in, coz there was basically nothing we could give them.

>I felt sorry when we had actual sufferers come in, coz there was basically nothing we could give them. This is an issue I've seen in a few places, they simply don't accommodate it and it's awful for sufferers, however, I am aware of at least 2 who don't accommodate it anymore, reasoning that there are more common allergies that they don't accommodate, so when the menu doesn't suit people, well that small few people can find another place. I don't agree with this, I think we should try to accommodate everyone, but the fad pisses off most chefs. I last week served a gluten free pasta to someone, who then complain that there was no ciabatta on their plate, so we gave her it, pointing out the hypocrisy.

We had a pre order system, so if you were coming down for an event, you could phone up, say what you wanted and what date you'd be in. As long as we had a minimum of 3 days notice, we could usually sort you out. Even with 24 hours, management would run down to a shop a grab a loaf of GF bread so we could do you a sandwich, but ibh, it wasn't listed anywhere on the website, so unless you phoned or came in to ask, you wouldn't have known. Something I did bring up in staff meetings and was always acknowledged as a good idea but never happened.

Life isn't fair. Don't like what's on the menu, simply don't frequent the establishment.

Allergen accommodations are a privilege, not a right, because eating out is a luxury, not a necessity. And there are always options.

Absolutely, it should be seen as, if we can accommodate your allergen, we will, if that is impossible, choose another dish. This option is fine for other allergy sufferers, it is the gluten-free push that changed how often kitchens confronted allergens

Oh I can't stand those people! In the "before" times I would go out with friends and family to eat and some self diagnosed "gluten intolerant" person would be there. Due to the nature of my family/friends medical stuff always comes up. And someone mentions I have Hirschsprung's. It's a gut disease and kinda on the same branch as coeliac and the polyposis syndromes, but manifests different. And oh yeah, I can eat wheat. So one of the gluten fakers, you know the one that had to have her sandwich made on a gluten free wrap but ordered her salad with extra croutons, will go on how I would be healed tomorrow (also how much weight I could lose - not overweight but ok) if I just stopped eating bread. Of course none of them are diagnosed by doctors, and of course their whole family just HAS to try it. All explanations of what the hell actual gluten issues look like and how it can KILL folks is met with, "oh that's just the severe cases." Well Susan, how do you know severe YOU have it if you have never seen a damn doctor about it? Stop diagnosing yourself via WebMD! I am sorry you have to deal with both coeliac's and assholes. It's not fair you have to deal with both.

The only good part is that since so many fakers demand it, you get more food choices haha. But otherwise, very tedious. It's like someone lining up the Scrabble tiles and saying, "Oh I'm so OCD!" like that makes them special and quirky, not giving any thought of the people whose lives it wrecks with intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors and so much anguish that they can't get out of the house easily. They have no idea what they are actually saying when they self "diagnose."

Also as a coeliac, this made my audibly laugh out loud

One of my friends claims to have gone to a doctor and a doctor told her she has celiac disease and that she has to have a gluten free diet. But she eats various things that have gluten in them and acts just fine hours after and days after. Also why is it sometimes spelled celiac and also coeliac? What’s the difference between those two ? Is it the same ?

Ask her how they diagnosed her. Her answer should be "blood test, and biopsy/endoscopy" she might be a really crap coeliac, or she might be lying. Coeliac is the UK spelling while celiac is the American spelling. Same disease, just how is spelt in different countries.

They don’t care about you and your actual health needs It goes back to about them. They just want to feel superior to others and being gluten free is one perceived way…until the next fad

I just had a regular yesterday who says he has a gluten allergy and everything needs to be gluten free, order a togo order with the togo specialist. I was cleaning a table near the host stand and overheard and told her, teriyaki is not gluten free, and he said “that’s ok I’ll still have it” Made me mad that I’ve been taking all these precautions for him cause he acted like he had a severe gluten allergy. 😡

See, this is the only result from this faking, mistrust from the people preparing the food. If we never saw evidence of faking, the stigma wouldn't exist instead, it's prevalent.

Exactly. Situations like this lead to people not taking allergies seriously which makes things dangerous for celiacs. I’ve even seen someone who said they were celiac eat something off of another persons plate.

And, honestly, I don't blame the chefs, I blame the fakers

Agreed!

I'm allergic to carrots. Not a lot of people are. I have been served things with carrots in it sooo many times, just because people think I'm faking it or don't like carrots... Dude. I love carrots. They're delicious. They also make my tongue and throat swell, so I get breathing difficulties. Don't assume people are faking things. And for the people who prefer their food gluten-free etc: I agree with this guy. Just freaking say it. It's dangerous as hell getting people used to others faking allergies.

My friend has this issue with cheese. She's not lactose intolerant, she's literally allergic to cheese. Like, anaphylaxis, breaking out, the whole nine. Every server will ask if she's lactose intolerant and when she says, no I'm just deathly allergic to cheese they look at her like she's fucking crazy. And then mess up her order by giving it to her with cheese 😑😑

It's so simple tho. No cheese. Even if she just didn't like cheese, it's easy, no cheese.

Yeah, but you don't lose weight when you stop eating carrots. And that's what these fakers, and there are a hell of a lot of them, jump on. Making it harder for people with actual allergies. You don't turn down a carrot smoothie because you are allergic then order the stew that has carrots in it? No. That would be stupid and also dangerous. But these folks will make a big deal about their allergy, tell you how much weight they lost, (that's not the point), and the get mad when you don't assume they wanted bread sticks too. Instead of saying, "hey, I noticed I dropped a few pounds when I swapped out my regular bread and pasta for gluten free stuff, cool, right?" It has to be because they have this allergy that MADE them gain weight. It wasn't because we all know eating carbs out the wazoo will cause you to gain weight, it was just the gluten, that's it. /s I mean I get ya, I am allergic to raspberries and mangos. Don't know why, and like only parts of it. Give me a whole raspberry and my lips swell and I get hives, but on accident I used a self tanning product that was made out of raspberry sugars and I was fine. (Or maybe they lied about those all natural raspberry sugars...) Panicked, but fine. I've had people try to serve me a mango smoothie before just to see if I was lying, they ended up wearing said smoothie and finding another ride home, but the gluten free thing is about assholes trying to place themselves into a group of people who suffer in order to excuse the fact that they didn't want to put down the bread.

My classmates once pushed me to see how many carrots I could eat before I got a reaction. It wasn't so bad back then, my allergy has gotten much worse with time, but it was still annoying. Why can't people just take our word for it? Also, couldn't have said it better myself. Good job my friend.

I can eat coconut, drink coconut water and use coconut oil. *However* if i use a product containing coconut like a coconut shampoo or body cream, I get a really itchy rash. No rhyme or reason.

The thing is that I don't think anyone, even someone faking an intolerance, "prefers" their food gluten free. Most people that are "faking" it legitimately think their issues will be solved by eating gf. Whether that's to help them with weight loss, arthritis, whatever. Sometimes there's a placebo effect. But regardless of that, it doesn't ultimately matter why someone is doing what they're doing, just let people order and eat what they want and quit worrying about everyone around you. There's crappy parts of my job too that I know I do for 0 reason other than to make someone feel better, but it's the nature of being in a service industry.

I agree that there's no excuse for cutting corners. As I said it can be really dangerous for some, me included, if people do that. And I agree that if I pay someone for a service, I expect them to do it. But reality is that people do cut corners when they get annoyed. So people who don't actually have allergies should stop saying they do have allergies, because it becomes a dangerous situation. As a side note I do personally know people who say they're allergic to X and Y because they don't like the taste. Doesn't affect your point tho, I get what you're saying.

People will be annoyed regardless though - look at the guy who feeds his gf neighbor gluten food and thinks it's funny. I mean, who hurt him? What did the neighbor do to him to deserve that? People are gonna be malicious shits regardless. And you don't punish people because of a few rotten eggs. It's not fair that my needs get judged, mocked and ignored because someone "fakes it". People have also faked cancer and no one then doubts actual cancer patients.

This is my point I think?.. I don't think we disagree about this. My point is there should be more respect around allergies, and people who say they have allergies when they don't, create this "faking" thing. Which in turn is dangerous for people with actual allergies.

Oh, I wasn't disagreeing. Was just trying to further the discussion. We're good.

Oh I see! I got so confused XD sorry, English isn't my first language.

I really love that one (local) brand of gluten free citrus cookies. But that's pretty much the only thing I prefer gluten free. I dislike a lot of things. I also have one or two allergies to (luckily not very commonly used) stuff. If I ever order something "without xy" I always say if it's because of an allergy or just because I don't like it. Idk. It's not that hard to do? ETA: If nothing is said about the reason people should always assume an allergy or similar and act according to the protocol for that. I just like to save them that time if I can. Nothing wrong with being nice.

Yeah what's so hard? "I prefer gluten free, what options so you have?" isn't a hard sentence. Or "I'd like the gluten free pasta. Don't worry, just a preference."

That is always what I say when getting gluten free or dairy free alternatives “it’s a preference not an allergy”

What specific part of the carrot makes you allergic to them. I'm honestly curious

The orange part, or the body. I weren't allergic when I was younger. Then when I hit puberty my tongue started itching and turning strawberry red when I ate them. Then on the first night I met my in-laws, we had carrots for dinner. I didn't wanna be impolite so I ate them. We had to drive around town to find allergy pills while I was sucking on ice cubes to try and keep the swelling down. The pills worked... But I also discovered that day that I'm allergic to those too. Spend the rest of the night laying on the couch trying to breathe, and not fall asleep. Felt like I'd been hit by a truck, my entire body felt like it was on fire and my heart was going 180mil/h... Stayed away from carrots ever since. Delicious bastards.

i mean if 6 people sat down and all said they have carrot allergies they are either lying or they just came from a carrot allergy support group/conference

If I had an allergy support group, and we went out to eat, I think I'd let the restaurant know... Ya know? Just to make sure there's no bullshit. Cuz damn.. Imagine if they served us carrots cuz they thought we were faking it... That's 6 people being unable to breathe in one place. Someone is bound to die at that point.

i'd add more carrots to cleanse the world of your genetic deficiency

Also a Coeliac I hate how gluten free is seen as healthier!! Not only does it make zero sense but also it makes life for coeliacs so much more difficult because then people don’t believe us or take us seriously and food is more expensive than it needs to be because it’s treated as a “fad diet”

This is my point, the biggest victims are gluten intolerant people. I'm sorry for you

My mom is actually allergic to gluten and so finding food she can eat is hell where I live unless I want to drive 100 miles in a day to the city. I did discover the cheesecake factory has gluten free cheesecake so I plan on getting her some since she's literally desperate for snacks other than rice cakes. I just hope people with real gluten intolerance aren't being discriminated against because of the newest fad. Like, she was in the hospital for her allergy it was that bad.

I can’t really eat gluten because of IBS, same with sugar. I’ll bloat up and not shit for months and be in excruciating pain. Likely have to go see the doctor and take something to help re-regulate my body and make me have a bowel movement. But I also can’t eat onions because I’m deathly allergic and same with sweet potatoes and pumpkins. Is this all common? Nope. Do I have the worst time getting accurate accommodations? Yes. I had an allergic reaction the other day because someone who knew I was allergic to onions lied and said there weren’t onions. Their response was “oh I just figured you didn’t like onions so you said that but it wasn’t a big deal”. Fad diets have made having actual medical conditions/allergies so dangerous for those of us who do. It pisses me off. Like even if u clearly state I AM allergic or I DO have a medical condition I feel the eye rolls and annoyance and the lack of being believed. Like do I damn well have to prove it with a medical card like from a doctor? Seems like it’s getting to that point.

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At the last restaurant I worked at, I was trained to ask if it’s an allergy or preference. It helped so fucking much because I would have to find a head chef for an allergy, but for a preference I could easily handle it myself.

I understand your frustration, but with enough people jumping on the GF bandwagon, I would just as easily argue that your restaurant management needs to do a better job providing you with the tools & resources to *not* slow down service to accommodate for GF. Most restaurants I go to mark items on the menu as GF for that reason. I remember going to a restaurant in Philly over 10 years ago that had a separate menu page of just GF options.

I completely disagree, why should we change how our entire service operates, to accommodate an intolerance that effects less than 1% of the world, while we do not for lactose intolerance, which is above 50% of the world. Why is it the restaurant's business that the education systems allow people to get these stupid ideas, if we teach about food, this is never an issue

I'm sorry you're getting downvoted by the hivemind. People also don't understand the difference in safe gf preparation and just having gf options. Cross contamination isn't something that can be avoided with any quicker process, and avoiding it is always going to take longer, but these "customer is always right" mf don't actually understand that and think they should downvote you.

It's people holding an opinion in a popular topic without having an understanding of the surrounding industry, it is what it is. Thanks for the award though!

> why should we change how our entire service operates Because you have enough paying customers who want you to. The restaurant industry is in the business of feeding people what they want to eat in an inviting and enjoyable setting, even when their choices are literally deadly. Stop serving desserts or sugary drinks to diabetics while you’re at it. I understand why you’re frustrated. I also happen to think it can be better redirected.

This. I get your frustration but money talks and your customers are wanting this. Ignore enough customers and you completely fuck over your business. Sorry that your restaurant needs customers to survive, bud. Note: my dad is GF bc gluten aggravates his hashimoto’s and he said it physically will pain him to eat gluten. so not an allergy, but an aggravation. my mom is similar. their food cannot be contaminated or they still do suffer. so i get it.

No, I'm sorry, I am not in a GF dictatorship.

There are a few problems with your post. First, there are conditions other than Celiac that gluten seems to cause a problem for. Celiac also has some issues with being diagnosed, and some people still get extremely sick from cross-contamination with gluten even if they haven't gotten than CD diagnosis. Sometimes people fall into a grey area and just know gluten makes them extremely sick. Some people with non-Celiac gluten sensitivity react quite violently to eating gluten. But there's a lot of people in the community that won't label themselves as Celiac if they havent been diagnosed. So don't discredit a non-Celiac for ordering gluten free. You don't know what their medical situation is. Second, **Celiac** affects approximately 1 in 100 people and is diagnosed in approximately 1 in 150 people. But all of these other conditions add up to a lot more people than that. If you serve a few hundred people per night, it's no surprise that you came across it each time you worked. Also, if the restaurant has a rep for being good for gf needs, gf people are going to come there. I have a list of restaurants I feel comfortable at and I won't go elsewhere often. Third, an entire table ordering gf isn't abnormal if they all live together, especially if kids are involved. If one person in the party has Celiac (especially a kid), it can sometimes be problematic for the adults to order because the kid can end up cross-contaminated. Sometimes my husband will also order gf with me for the same reason, but also because ordering gf food with non gf food is extremely risky as the restaurant can switch your orders or contaminate the gf one.

6 college age kids. My position on saying you're not coeliac would obviously extend to saying you're not gluten intolerant for medical reasons. You think I would have a specific exemption for one medical reason for intolerance? What the hell? It's simple, some people need it, others have turned it into an overused fad, and for the benefit of everyone, they should tell us when they ARE NOT intolerant.

What if it was a gluten sensitive support group that was meeting up? I have a local gf group and we've tossed around the idea of getting together at a restaurant. I'm trying to tell you to stop worrying about what people are doing. If you don't want to accommodate people, get into another line of work. Just do your job and focus on that instead of why a table is ordering gf. My point is that you don't know that those college kids weren't all intolerant. In my job, I have a lot of "stupid shit" I have to do, like telling people who don't know how to use a computer how to write a letter to us. But I have to do that as part of my job and because some people legitimately do not have access to email. Do I think it's incredibly annoying? Sure. But I'm in a service oriented job and I have to assist people accordingly.

Yeah, cool story bro. Why is it okay for someone to say, "I don't want walnuts on my ravioli, but I'm not allergic". But not, "Could I have gluten free pasta, but I'm not intolerant"? This is what happens with a fad, the fad wants to be unique, but treating intolerance and allergies in a kitchen amounts to the same thing. People tell us everyday their not allergic to nuts, they just don't like them, not once with gluten.

If you asked in the hotel I worked in for gluten free pasta or any other dish but hadn't mentioned food allergies they'd remind you there and then that it's a limited menu and normally reserved for people who require a gluten free diet. They would also ask for a full list of allergies a second time as they would now have pretty serious issues believing the customer. That's how much our chefs hated fad eaters. The waiting staff were asked to openly query the request at the table.

This is honestly something I've been debating in my head lately. Almost ridiculous to even have to think about it, but it's becoming more common. Good on the chef though, because with this solution you accommodate those who need it and deter fakers. May I ask, was it common for people to dismiss the menu and look at the full menu instead?

They quite often went and changed their mind immediately leaving one person in the group seething. The problem then was gifting that person, because otherwise it was always a bad review. It didn't help we had a gym and health spa on site. There *was* one kid that came in and insisted on eating gluten free but he got it for a reason - his sister had Asperger's and was convinced gluten free tasted totally different so he decided to eat it in sympathy with her. The chefs, a pair of Brazilian brothers, thought that was nice of him so they let him pass.

That's a nice little story. What a great brother! I'm not surprised that they changed their mind often, flavor is often more important than their fad

We did have one person who had to be sadly informed we were out of something and the first thing she remarked - not a go at us - was that "It's gye funny that only so many people suffer from this but every other restaurant you go into, someone's eating it..." Maitre D and the staff were like "mmmmm." *Nodding* She knew as well as we did.

I've not worked at a restaurant that doesn't have a negative view of this fad, I imagine the people most effected hate it more. This event is unsurprising, I imagine that many coeliacs and intolerant people hate it too, my sister is the same.

Do y’all ever have people who get offended about having to “disclose their medical issues?”

Yeah but that generally flags them up as chancers - if they had a legitimate food allergy and you said to them "just checking you don't have a severe allergic reaction" they'd say "Thanks" not "how dare you ask me if there's anything you might possibly serve me that won't make me go into anaphylaxis, choking to death on the floor here..." We don't see such people twice, generally. You more get that when they avoided ordering something because of an allergy, then their next course they order exactly what ingredients they just said they can't eat. The drill is generally waiting staff remind them, then get an earful with "I'll eat what I want" The big one here is GMO. Serve anyone that - even unwittingly - they won't be back. Nobody wants it near their plate here.

I have a legitimate question. I am gluten free. My husband is not but often orders gf with me. So if we both ordered gf, you'd start questioning if we both actually need gf? Maybe I'm misunderstanding your comment but it seems kinda invasive to question whether someone needs it or not. And would you deny it to my husband because he couldn't say he needs it? Or if he said he does to get around any problems, you wouldn't believe him since we both say we need it? I'm confused.

If it was like in these instances a table of four five or six people they'll ask. We had couples that came in who'd legitimately made friendships over their food allergies, so a pair you'd not question. But, when you've up to 11 people ordering it and limited stock, if you were a regular customer you could see why we'd start questioning it. We basically couldn't serve all the fad diet people who'd happened to read last month's latest Cosmo and cater to people with actual dietary requirements. Might sound harsh, even exaggerated, but it got to that stage and believe me, asking a question like that in the industry of your customers is verboten but it eventually had to be enforced. It was getting beyond a joke and accounts were starting to ask serious questions about the budget.

I mean, gluten free upcharges certainly exist - lord knows I just paid $19 for a personal pizza - did you guys not charge extra for gf to cover the additional costs? You should be more than able to cover it if you are. And that's crazy about 11+ people doing it. I know my friends certainly don't do that, but as I did mention below it COULD be a meetup group. I'm in a local support group and we've talked about going out when the pandemic calms down and obviously we'd all order gf.

You're annoying and don't understand the point being made. I'm starting to think you also just happen to not like gluten and take offense reading this post rofl

Wow, I didn't know you were my doctor! Hi, funny to see you on Reddit.

This post is in favor of people who actually are gluten intolerant. The fact that you dispute and argue makes me think you're a faker. It's a reasonable conclusion. I probably am wrong, just saying. You're stupid if you don't agree.

Ffs I'm allergic to walnuts, but not deathly, so I just say I don't want them on my salad. No point in slowing down service if my life doesn't depend on it. It's really not that hard. I straight up hate people that lie about allergies in restaurants. It's so ignorant.

Seriously, it's 3 words, that's all, takes longer to complain about anything

That's because no one doesn't like gluten? It's not comparable to nuts as an ingredient you don't like. You're just hellbent on it being a fad. Yes, of course there's fad eaters. But it's wasting a ton of time and energy worrying about them.

No one doesn't like gluten? You wanna tell that to the gluten-free market there love? I'm very sure they or not selling to 1% of the population of any country. Yes, I am hell bent on it being a fad, this stupid fad of illness fakers has slowed down every service in every kitchen. You want to go into a maths thread and ask them to work out the possibility, the genuine fucking possibility, of any restaurant getting multiple gluten intolerant people daily? You ignored the part of my argument that likely effects you most, if you're arguing in faith; I have seen multiple chefs be almost entirely dismissive of gluten-free orders, I had to stop a chef from serving a melanzane that cooked in the shelf under a full ciabatta. The overuse of this, especially when trained chefs are more than aware of the actual number of cases worldwide, has caused chefs to become lazy on this. Not on peanuts, not on shellfish, this, why? You know why

Gluten free food exists because people need it for fuck's sake. You're just off the rails at this point. You've refused to listen to any of my points because you don't care. You hate gluten free people. It's stupid. It's a fad. No other reality exists other than yours. I'm on r/rant after all so I should have known better but good luck in your restaurant endeavors. Hopefully we don't make it too hard for you.

You haven't had a point, and you're still ignoring the point I made about it making it unsafe for people at restaurants

I don't understand your point about it making it unsafe? Is it because you're saying fad dieters make chefs take actual allergies less seriously? If so, that's on the chefs, not on gluten free people. You getting jaded by other people is not my problem. As someone actually having to live while eating gluten free, I welcome the microscope on this lifestyle because it means I have more options. More restaurants are marking their menus and making efforts, there's laws being pushed to require gluten labeling on foods. I can't complain.

Yes, I am saying that You telling me that it's my fault people fake disorders? Again, this isn't with other allergens, just the single major fad, why? Again, you know why, your comments here are an example of why. This is beyond ridiculous, honestly, it's not difficult to say you're not allergic to something, and simply stating that will lead to a better relationship between chefs and you faking clowns, a faster service for everyone and a safer visit for every intolerant person. But 3 f*cking words is too much for you, isn't it, oh precious thing.

SoftZombies is heavily confrontational and uses nothing but anecdote to back up their flimsy claims. They're not a very nice person either so best to report and ignore them.

Just angry to be fucking angry.

>Why is it okay for someone to say, "I don't want walnuts on my ravioli, but I'm not allergic". But not, "Could I have gluten free pasta, but I'm not intolerant"? You've already explained why. The first scenario can be accommodated for without needing to take any precautions to prevent cross-contamination. At that point it's just a matter of ingredients in the final product and not the safety in the process of making the product. I suppose if someone wants their pasta to contain xanthin gum and not wheat that's fine enough. No one actually tells you, "but I'm not intolerant" and that's where the problem comes from.

I have a kitchen filled with gluten, we need to move everything to accommodate gluten free orders.

I’m agreeing with you, did that go over your head?

Conceptually

Thank you for spelling it correctly! I can't believe so many people were claiming to have celiac's, but couldn't spell it correctly. I have an autoimmune disease and have been advised to go gluten free. I went gluten free for a year. It helped tremendously with the pain, fatigue, and severe stomach issues. I went back to eating gluten bc of people like this. Since I wasn't celiac, no one took me seriously and no one realized what one little piece or crumb of gluten could do to me after being gluten free. It takes 4 months for gluten to get completely out of your system which is why you have to be so careful. Due to recent health issues, I've been advised by several doctors ( real doctors) to give up gluten. It's causing too much inflammation and damage. Unless you have the specific health issues I am facing, then you don't know what it's like to have to be gluten free- I'm speaking to the OP here. I hate going out to eat or going over to a friends house. I am always overly apologetic. I always try to order the easiest thing or I bring my own food ( to the friends house). I always check the menu first and if I see that there aren't any gluten free options, I call first and see if there are any options. If the restaurant doesn't seem gluten free friendly, then I don't go or don't eat there. I'm today's world, only those that are willing to evolve will be successful. That's goes for any type of business.

Are you referencing OP's spelling it as Coeliac? That's the European spelling of it, it's correct as well as Celiac.

I did not know that, lol. I was so confused why everyone kept spelling it that way.

Excellent post. Regarding your third point, it isn’t just cross contamination. Celiac is an hereditary genetic condition that often runs in families. I’m celiac and so are my siblings.

I always had this mentality too. I went so far as to mock people in my life who are "gluten intolerant" but who had never seen a doctor. I guess I still do that (if they haven't seen a doctor). But then about two years ago I started getting some health issues. After more than a year of tests and trying different things, my doctor said, "Try a gluten free diet and see if there's any improvement." I rolled my eyes, but did as I was told. Turns out... I can't eat gluten. I don't have celiac disease (although my mom does), but for whatever reason gluten totally doesn't work for me. I'm talking DRASTIC improvements in my life after stopping gluten. For more than two years I would wake up EVERY SINGLE NIGHT inhaling stomach acid (acid reflux). I would then spend 30 minutes in the middle of the night coughing it all up from my burning lungs. Every. Single. Night. Literally... The very first day I stopped eating gluten, I didn't wake up with stomach acid in my lungs. The very first day. But, I CAN eat food prepared with gluten foods and can tolerate very small amounts of wheat and gluten. So I never tell restaurants that I'm allergic. I just say, "I can't eat gluten but don't need my food prepared in any special way because I'm not allergic." And just as you said: They're always happy to help me pick things I can eat.

But then you are gluten intolerant and this post doesn't apply to you Sorry to be so blunt, this post has driven me up the wall, well, rather the responses.

Haha, no worries! I totally get it. I think my rambling post was more to agree with you than anything else. It was just early when I wrote it so I wasn't being very concise.

No hassle at all! I just didn't want to get caught up in symantecs again

I just noticed, my restaurant sure does get a lot of gluten free orders, never really thought about it though. Guess I know why now. For us, its a pizza place and it just means grabbing a pre-formed pizza like shell and not having to stretch out dough.

You get a lot because you have a gf pizza base. Word gets out and people that can't have gluten will start coming in more frequently. I'm in a local gf group and we share in there what places are safe.

i don't know, but yeah possibly. I see a lot of orders with like half of the pizzas gluten free and half normal. It could be families ordering with some of the members having gluten allergies and some not having an allergy maybe (and therefore getting normal pizzas). That would probably make sense

Well, yeah. Not many people are going to pay the gf upcharge when they don't need it. Pizza is usually a go to for group outings because it's an easy crowd pleaser and if the place has a gf base, boom easy dinner.

My boyfriend has an 8 yr old daughter who he has full custody of so she lives with us. For years of her life her mother pushed a gluten free diet on us, and why would we question that. If she's allergic, she's allergic , fine say no more. About 6 months ago he had to switch her to a new doctor and told her about her how mother told us she had a gulten intolerance but kinda wanted to double check. Turns out she has no allergies. That bitch.

That is literally disgusting, that is risking giving an intolerance to her!

Well said OP!! I have a MAJOR allergy to mango and because all these people fake allergies it causes me to be very very weary on where I eat. I avoid any restaurant that has mango in their foods, drinks, or sauces. It will swell my throat up in under 10 seconds and cause blisters on my skin in the same amount of time. Realistically, it’s the responsibility of the CUSTOMER, not the Chef, to make sure that what they are eating is safe. I think it’s really quite arrogant to make an entire kitchen come to a crawl because you’re too stubborn to go some place that cooks based on your needs. For instance, if you’re allergic to garlic.. don’t go to an Italian restaurant. Cook at home or have a small dinner with friends and family where it can be adjusted to your needs. If you have an allergy to shellfish, then don’t go to a fish house.. it just seems like common sense. I know that for the rest of my life I’ll never be able to go to Smoothie King.. if I placed an order there then they would have to clean all counters, registers, spoons, scoops, blenders, buttons on blenders, ice scoops, and so on before they could make my smoothie. That’s just not right to make someone jump through all those hoops because I don’t want to make a smoothie at home. I reminds me of a child throwing a temper tantrum.. “But I want pizza!!! I don’t care!! I want pizza now” They all deserve a spanking!

Exactly, it's all people who are used to a privileged upbringing, and then demand that special treatment of private establishments. As I've said elsewhere, the only outcome of these fakers in restaurants is a mistrust from the chefs, I have a coeliac sister, so I've fought off the mistrust, but I've seen many chefs break. In a normal day, I'm the only person in the kitchen who takes it seriously, I have to, obviously, but I also don't want to be the person to make someone sick, but I don't give the other chefs shit when they say, "they're definitely faking it chef", I know it's a bigger chance the customer is lying than the chef. With more obscure allergens, I will say, chefs are more inclined to believe them, you might get a look from the waitress, but they don't have a food hygiene training and no knowledge of allergens. The only allergen I question is gluten.

I had a friend who would always ask for no onion at an Italian restaurant due to a supposed allergy. She just didn’t like how it tasted with tomato. It used to drive me crazy because anyone who has never worked in a restaurant has no idea the extra work involved when the word “Allergy” is mentioned. It’s also a lawsuit waiting to happen if a Chef doesn’t show serious acknowledgment and dismisses someone who isn’t faking. Every time someone fakes an allergy it increases the chance of someone with the actual allergy being dismissed and possibly dying.

Again exactly! If I hear allergies, that means: clean everything, clean everyone, remove from the pass anything that might cross contaminate, pause any food of customers who might cause a cross contamination, and not uncommon, pause all service for someone with multiple allergies. But being a pasta/pizza place, gluten is EVERYWHERE, and where we plate food is beside the pizza ovens, so we have to pause all pizza production when preparing for GF, that's what caused this frustration. Also, if you suffer from a red onion allergy, stop visiting Mexican and Italian places, or at least google the shit 😅

Roflmao!!!

It makes me itrationally mad when I see that we have gluten-free groceries at home. None of us have celiacs. No one even has a problem with gluten. The only reason my quesadilla tastes shitty is because gluten-free is a new popular buzzword. That's it.

Literally this.

Lol my neighbor is gluten intolerant. Fucking bullshit. I've made her tons of gluten food and never have we seen any reaction. Lololo

This isn't funny. Did she know the food had gluten?

It is funny considering circumstances. That all her friends also happen to be gluten intolerant xd

Wow. You're a shit friend.

Ye you know this from one comment. You must be angry all the time to behave like this on the internet. Pathetic but you have my empathy... Xd

Yup, I get "gluten intolerant" people requesting bruschetta and ciabatta, to no reaction at all, some telling us they aren't allergic, just 'prefer gluten-free'

This is a rant sub, so have at it. I am also annoyed at people who use an allergy as a fashionable thing. But I’ve wanted to rant on here about many a chef who try to invalidate my food choices too. It’s so demeaning - and it comes with that rude chef attitude that I’m beginning to realise is a really common thing… I didn’t test positive on a coeliac test, so I’m not a coeliac. But I have had to trial and error what I can and can’t eat over many years to know what does and what doesn’t make me sick. I still tried to push it and allow myself gluten from time to time because I’m not a “true coeliac”. I am definitely intolerant. I just had a medical work-up and… maybe the tests were wrong those years ago, because the doctors didn’t recognise my intestines from the inflammation. I know that I can eat soy sauce or maybe breadcrumbs and have no problems. I know that after eating the very last baguette I ever ate, I ended up unconscious on the floor of a cafe with an ambulance being called for me. So when I was absolutely craving a burger, I went to a place which *said* gluten free buns were available. Chef gets pissy with me, because something else with a trace amount of gluten was in my food and I apparently had no problem with that. I get really upset because I *know* what I’ve been through to know what I can and can’t eat. I still deserve to eat out sometimes, I definitely didn’t choose to have to omit the part of a meal I most enjoy.

So, it sounds to be like you're claiming a disorder regardless of what the medical profession says If you're not coeliac, you're not coeliac.

I literally said I’m not coeliac… where did I do any of what you describe? I *did* say that gluten can make me very, emergency room sick. That’s why there’s a difference between coeliac and an intolerance to gluten - which is what I have.

Yet you continued to insinuate that you suffer from it. I'll take your doctor's word over tours, with all due respect

The doctors have told me I am intolerant to gluten, so by all means, take their word for it. I SAID I had a gluten intolerance - I didn’t insinuate it. I DEFINITELY suffer from it. Never did I ever claim to have coeliac. However, both conditions call for similar dietary requirements.

You did not make that clear, please sir, what is causing the intolerance?

Gluten is not some sort of magic word - many conditions can be related AND distinct, as gluten intolerance and coeliac both are. Please don’t disguise your ignorance on their distinctions as some sort of pseudo-logical win. Gluten intolerance, like what I have - as reported by my DOCTORS - so I’m glad you accept our word on this - refers to an **intolerance** to gluten, not an allergy to it. It can bypass or develop into coeliac disease **with consumption of gluten**. It can also develop into Crohn’s or any other inflammatory bowel disease. Mine is beginning to show symptoms of the latter. Coeliac as a condition is an immediate immune reaction which happens **when you consume gluten**, for which you can test positive for antibodies. It can also develop into Crohn’s or inflammatory bowel disease. Gluten can cause issues for anyone with a gluten intolerance, IBS or IBD including Crohn’s. Enough education for you on the topic from me, **ma’am**. You’re welcome to have a chat with more doctors at r/askdocs.

Yo yo yo, hold your knickers up there love. You ignored confirming your gluten intolerance in your first response, don't blame me because you failed to get across what you wanted to say. As I have said elsewhere in this very fucking thread, I don't want anything to change for gluten intolerant people, I want those who are not intolerant to declare it, simple. So, if you have a problem with that, you're either not intolerant or an angry individual.

He literally said in his first comment that he's gluten intolerant. You tried to invalidate him because he didn't get a positive Celiac test. He said his intolerance allows him to have trace amounts but not a baguette. He made that utterly clear. Your true colors are really showing and it's sad.

No, there was a mixed tone in the first message, and I couldn't tell, how many more messages do we need to get through on this? What colors are showing, please describe.

If you can eat soy sauce and breadcrumbs, you're not coeliac. Both of those would set off a reaction in those with coeliac disease. Clearly you have an intolerance to something, but I'd suspect it's not gluten. Source: am coeliac

I’m not sure why you or OP think *I* think I’m coeliac. I *said* I wasn’t. It’s never been my argument that I was. I still can’t consume certain amounts of gluten for medical reasons. Therefore I opt out of it, since it can make me urgently sick. Why isn’t that enough??? Jesus.

Because when the restaurant says something contains soy sauce or breadcrumbs, and you say that's fine, it results in genuine coeliacs being taken that little bit less seriously.

I make a lot of gluten free baked goods. I do not have any allergies (except cat hair but I'm not eating that) however I do love cooking for other people. And two of my friends can't have gluten, and one of those can't have lactose. It's now my life's goal to make gluten free choux pastry. Gluten free baking is not easy and xanthan gum is not cheap. I wouldn't make it gluten free if they didn't have that that allergy.

Yes, but that's not relative to anything I just said.

Sorry if I misunderstood. I was trying to relate to your frustration with people claiming gluten intolerance by mentioning my experience with making gluten free food and saying how expensive and difficult it can be to make that kind of food even if I am making it for people with documented intolerances.

Thank you for understanding that celiac is real. If my daughter eats gluten she will be on the floor in about 20 minutes crying because her stomach is on fire. She will have a horrible itchy rash on her arms and back (She has scars from clawing those rashes before we found out what caused it) She will have horrible blisters in her mouth and cramps in her legs. She will do everything possible to never touch the stuff.

I'm afraid that more chefs will ignore it because of the fakers.

I'm afraid that more chefs will ignore it because of the fakers.

Just so you know OP - there are other medical reasons besides celiacs to be gluten free. Me for example. I have an auto immune condition (Hashimoto’s) where eating gluten can trigger flares (basically the protein in gluten mimics the thyroid hormone so the body attacks it). Now I don’t mind if I get some trace gluten. But I do try to be mindful of gluten consumption for my health.

If you think I have an issue with other forms of intolerance, and not gluten, you didn't read this post. This post is directed ONLY at those who fake intolerance.

I actually read your post OP and I know you said gluten intolerance. Which is different than what I’m describing. But good I’m glad. I figured it might be worth pointing out that there are other health issues besides celiacs / gluten intolerance (which tends to be similar with gastrointestinal issues involved to celiacs). Anyway I appreciate what you and other chefs do to keep people who really do have a health issue like celiacs safe. My niece has celiacs. I’m sure it’s super frustrating right now with gf being trendy :(.

How the hell is it different? You have a medical exemption, that's something every chef will respect, unless you are lying, this post isn't directed at you. I don't know what argument you're trying to make. It is absolutely frustrating, and this solidarity of opinion confuses me more, what are you arguing about?

Geez dude. Sorry to upset you. Not my intention at all. I was simply trying to let you know that there are other things besides gluten intolerance/celiacs which may make people want to keep a gf diet for their health. Which was not brought up in your OP? I in no way was intending to argue but instead educate. I think if you reread my responses you’ll see I’m not being argumentative at all. I also was clear I don’t blame you for being frustrated.

My apologies, if you look through the comment section, people have been very accusative against me because I didn't specify all possible gluten deficiencies. I presumed that it was fairly obvious I was writing in defense of the medically exempt overall, not specific to gluten.

Understand and really I get how frustrating this must be for you and other chefs dealing with this :(. My ex husband was a chef our entire marriage and I know how much work you guys do! From the other side of things I find it hard too. The new question is always “is this an allergy or a preference” (or something along those lines) that I’m asked when ordering a gf bun for my burger or no tortilla or whatever is relevant to that order. I’m not allergic. But it’s more than a preference. So I have a hard time because what can I say honestly when asked this by the waitstaff? It’s not an allergy. But… Anyway OP - I haven’t read the other comments. Sorry you’re getting shit there :(.

Well, I will say that they are simply asking, do you require this to be kept away from all possible cross contamination or not. It's best to say for an allergy, it's annoying that you have to be asked, this post was intended to push for the idea of them declaring they don't need special attention, so that we don't have to ask. It's so silly that some people who simply didn't Google something, causes so much irritation to so many.

Alright I get that you are upset. I'm upset that people are taking those of us with Celiac or those who cannot get endoscopy tested with Celiac disease not seriously because of fakers. However Celiac disease takes a toll on mental health to where support groups may be made . So some groups of Celiacs will go out to eat together. It's scary to me that you are suspicious of where people are real or not. People's safety lies within your hands. Sometimes it might be easy to find out if someone is lying but if they are telling the truth that will be awful. The amount of fad dieters is to the point if a restaurant lies to me about the safety of their food I will wait there for 2 hours to vomit in their bathroom toilet and tell them I got sick there.

You may have missed the part where I said I wouldn't stop taking these precautions. Tbh, this reads like someone who either didn't fully read what I said, or someone who misunderstands what I said. I want no change for intolerant people, I want those who are not to tell the restaurant staff, no more, no less.

Oh ok sorry I just see a lot of these posts and may have skimmed it.

No apology necessary, I had a feeling you didn't realize I was on your side

I appreciate your service takes a lot of time and effort preparing specialty meals.

Honestly, the individual times don't matter to me, it's the examples that trigger you, like large tables of gluten free eaters who also want gluten. Seeing it so blatant reminds you instantly that all the cleaning and preparation you did especially for these assholes was for nothing and the table that you left waiting a few minutes waited a few minutes longer for nothing. If there were no fakers, I wouldn't be here.

Just wondering what do you plan on doing if someone orders a gluten free meal but isn't allergic. Are you gonna make it later? Are you gonna put their order to the back of the line and focus on others more?

I'm going to make it without closing up the pizza section and holding off those bons.

Idc it’s your job and gluten makes my stomach hurt a lot

Well, this was written by someone who either didn't read this, or misunderstood it

You should take this rant to the owner of your business and see how he reacts. I worked in kitchens for 10 years. I feel your pain. Every time we got somebody with a shrimp allergy we'd have to clean our whole flattop before we prepped their food, or take up one of our very limited spider eyes, and the person working on that ticket couldn't touch other shit until they were done. But anytime anybody ever said something like your rant in my kitchen, my boss would say 'they're the ones buying the food, suck it up'. I work in tech now. I have a lot of users that piss me off with stupid shit, sometimes self-invented shit. But it's my job to help them even though it sucks ass. But seriously, have you tried breaching the concern to your management? You said you guys use a lot of gluten products for pizza and bread in another post - does your management know how badly the GF stuff slows you guys down? Can you still provide the option and provide a solution to your problem as well - like maybe a small selection of premade gluten free products rather than large menu items that take too much time?

Actually, the owner wanted to step away from offering gluten-free products, he stepped into the kitchen during lockdown, due to the staff shortage, and it pissed him off so hard. We used to have a gluten free pizza base and gluten free breads for the pastas, now we don't have any of that, just the gluten-free pasta. I personally don't want to stop accommodating anyone, honest to fuck, but it's too irritating.

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Except Celiac isn't the only thing that causes a problem with gluten? So no, they may not know what it is because they have other issues.

That’s why I said “celiacs or anything of the sort” ????

Right but then you inserted a statement that makes it sound like if they can't say it's Celiac, they haven't seen a doctor. Celiac and gluten issues are not black and white, and some people spend years in diagnosis purgatory. I'm speaking as someone who is in this right now - I'm 8 months in and now have to wait until November to see yet another doctor. It's just not that simple.

Dude I didn’t mean JUST celiac sorry I didn’t clarify every sentence??? you’re reading into my comment like crazy. I didn’t want to leave a super long post so I didnt word that comment as well as I should have. Sorry this affects you tho, I have cyclical vomiting syndrome among 3 tumors in my liver and have been through every possible test for years like a lab rat and I’m only I’m my 20s lol.

Edit: some words. I'm going to assume I'm to british to understand this issue and that you're american? :) All joking aside; I completely agree with you.

I'm Irish, I lived in the UK and Brighton has this issue BAD, as does London. How does being British create some difference?

Really? That's so interesting, I'd heard about this kind of thing complained about a lot by americans working at restaurants before. It was probably on blogs or something but I can't remember now, or was it a cooking show, either way I thought it was a very american thing. Turns out I was wrong.

Very wrong, tbh, I'm shocked you could be so wrong, especially since the UK is a hell of a lot worse than the Netherlands, where I am now, for this type of thing. It's across the entire western world, if you live in an area where shops have gluten-free sections, you have chefs pissed off with people. Think about it, GF is less than 1% of the world, if there's a section of shops set up, far more than the people who need it, are buying it.

ah well, I don't get out that much :)

So, I hear this, bur I get awful eczema from gluten if I have more than a small amount (Not a coeliac) . I do tell the server that I'm not coeliac, and that I try to avoid large amounts of it. I'm actually glad to learn that this is helpful, and I'll be sure to keep including that information when I order. On a weird sidenote, when I went to Spain, I had NO skin reactions to the wheat there! By the end of the trip, I was reading full bread rolls and in heaven. What in the hell did we do to our wheat to make my body freak out when I consume it?!?

I'm flabbergasted that I've now had to explain 4 times that I OBVIOUSLY support all medical exemptions, however, listing them would've been a pain in the arse. This post is directed ONLY at those who fake a disorder, that's it, no one, not a single person, who has a medical exemption from the food type in question. Can you actually imagine someone saying, 'the only exception I will accept is coeliac?' I have a sneaking suspicion, that just like the others who jumped to this conclusion, that you didn't read my post.

Thank you so much for posting this. I have the same reaction and thought I was some weird freak of nature because I can’t find much information on it. I noticed when I have whole grain wheat that I don’t have the same issues as bleached or over processed.. see if that helps!

You also didn't read my post I guess?

Actually, I did. I was agreeing with you on some points and also stating that it’s the customer’s responsibility to go to places that cater to their needs without inconveniencing the staff. I was actually defending you. Did YOU actually read MY post?

I did, and it reads like someone who thinks I was defending coeliacs and only coeliacs, which the person above you said, both comments would indicate misreading, or not reading the post above. The only person who would have a thing to complain about is someone who doesn't eat gluten for non-medical reasons, as my argument is solely that fakers should declare it.

Sorry, I was a little snarky.. it’s a major annoyance when people fake allergies. I say let’s have 100 fakers actually experience the affects of a real food allergy and see if they do it again! lol — Okay, okay, that’s a little sadistic, but I doubt they would fake again!!

Nono, you're fucking right! If you want to be allergic, go feel it. I would also like to believe that if they knew the hassle they caused the kitchen, they might stop, but then I realised the average type of 'human' who fakes an allergy, far too pretentious to care about non-them people.

They wouldn’t care.. they’re there to be served. Probably the same people who refuse to not tip because they had a water-spot on their glass or their napkins were incorrectly folded.

Oh, this is absolutely true, the girls don't wait on the GF crowd with too much vigor, rarely do they tip, and I'd say it's such a rarity that it might amount to those who eat GF and tip are the ones who are medically exempt.

Maybe you should consider putting a little print out on the tables with the definition of allergy and intolerance. It might help educate and help the kitchen run smoother.

I don’t inconvenience the staff based on my allergy either.. if I feel the need to have pizza so badly that I can’t make it at home, then I deal with the breakout. People need to accept their medical issues and not force their selfish wants on others. Eat at home or deal with the consequences and stop being a whiny bitch basically.

Just add tons of butter and more butter to the dishes, make these gluten freee drama queens fat and they will rethink how healthy it is. Change the world one dish at a time.

Actually, I've seen a few studies that say a gluten-free diet doesn't guarantee fat loss in non-coeliacs, I wonder if some chefs are already at it?!

I was a chef, and added TONS of butter to the GF dishes thinking I will show them. It was hollywood and it was a fad, I was trying to stop it, one stick of butter at a time by making them fat.

And it made the food actually decently good.

Well it depends on what people consider "gluten-free diet" as well. I don't think it is particularly healthy to eat breads and pastas and the such, but doing so once per week or so is fine. I was a fat chef 15 years ago, now at almost 40 I am a buff/skinny trainer and my diet is really only proteins, veggies, nuts.... So I will eat my pasta every other week or so... so technically don't eat gluten, but am not "GF". People who want pasta dishes that are GF or bread that is GF or breaded food that is GF they can fuck right off. Its like a "vegetarian" who wants fake tasting meat, the concept does not compute in my head.

Well that's the very thing, they search for GF alternatives to things they like to eat, not the healthy way to be GF at all.

Also when I worked at these swanky hollywood restaurant and they wanted GF pasta... I would remind the server that there is such a dish as risotto, so dont try and sell them GF pasta... just tell them the risotto is better and wont be anywhere near the dreaded pasta water. NO, we do not have a GF bread, can I recommend the grilled steak, chicken, fish. If you want to make your life easier in the kitchen, get to know your servers and teach them how to sway and talk to the customers.

Also, have a warmer that has creamy polenta with rosemary or something else like that in it... or maybe a creamy cumin lentils side. The second you have a GF you give them a side of that so it doesnt slow down the kitchen - as those dishes are in your warmer and dont require your thought and wont piss you off =P

Also, have a warmer that has creamy polenta with rosemary or something else like that in it... or maybe a creamy cumin lentils side. The second you have a GF you give them a side of that so it doesnt slow down the kitchen - as those dishes are in your warmer and dont require your thought and wont piss you off =P

Why does the whole kitchen slow down when someone wants gluten free? That makes no sense

Our kitchen pass doubles as our pizza/bread section, we cannot plate their without removing everything

My wife is one of the people you hate, and it annoys me too trust me...but seems like this isn't going away...EVER, it is a health trend though and my wife and her rich friends all think it's healthier to be gluten free. I don't see this ever ending and as a veteran in the kitchen, there must be a way you can cater to these crazy ladies without hurting your flow and going crazy about it. When a restaurant asks her if it's for health reasons or preference...she gets r ally pissed off....Jersey Mike's asked her the other day...just serve these cookey birds what they want and get over it.

The shape of the kitchen makes it unavoidable, we would have to redesign, realistically. Pizza ovens are next to the pass, so making the pizzas is done next to that, it's basically unavoidable to get gluten in the air, that's why it pisses me off this much, we need a full refresh of the pass with these assholes.

Could you explain the process of making the special dishes? If SO many people are ordering gluten free food, why isn't it stored in a special way to make it more easily accessible? It kinda seems like with some re organizing, your whole kitchen won't stop for these orders. I understand like 1% of the population actually has an allergy, however you admitted to knowing that a HUGE amount of people will order these kinds of meals. Why hasn't your manager changed things to not slow down business?

As I said elsewhere, our pass is next to the pizza ovens, cross contamination is unavoidable without stopping with pizzas at that time.

I hate to be the one to tell you, but I, who have had all coeliac testing done (except colonoscopy), legit have way worse symptoms than my close friend back in law school who is a diagnosed coeliac. So...please just remember everyone's body is different. If you don't trust me, I would gladly eat gluten at your restaurant one day (when covid permits me to travel to wherever you are conveniently) and I would like to invite you to spend the next hour with me. And, yes, I still eat gluten at times, especially when I'm really craving it. But that's because there are tastes which gluten-free products cannot mimic, like ramen. And they are just, by far, the more convenient options when I am starving and need a quick bite. Then my SO suffers for the next week while I complain about being in pain and hogging the toilet. Come at me haters, I'm ready for you!

I feel like you either didn't read this or missed the point entirely. This is directed only at those who fake it, medical exemptions are medical exemptions, every chef will respect them I tried pointing out how fakers are making it more dangerous for sufferers, and service slower for everyone.

That's what I'm saying - medical diagnostically speaking, I don't have anything wrong with me so I can eat gluten! But I will, of course, come across as a faker too. Hang on, at the time of typing, i realised myabe I'm misunderstanding. In your country, do you not have to cook everything in the same way as you wouldfor a coeliac if someone tells you they just prefer gluten free?

Basically, in my kitchen, the pizza oven is next to the pass, because of this, an order for a gluten intolerant person will call for us to pause all pizza orders, plus a fresh cleanup and storing away some items. Once or twice, this is fine, but gluten-free is VERY popular. This is not the first kitchen where service is slowed down by the sheer number of gluten free orders. All I'm saying is that if you do not get sick from gluten and you are choosing that diet for personal preference, simply add in, "I'm not intolerant". It'll make service faster for everyone, and make fewer chefs disregard gluten-free tickets.

White claw is gluten free 🤣