Restaurant told me not to bring my own food anymore

[Gloria]

I rarely go out to eat these days and when I do, it's to make DH happy. We go to a local chain which has pork chops and lamb chops on the menu so I can have some meat. I've been there before and each time I ask them to either put my meat on aluminum foil or cook it on the metal plate they use to serve it.

I had a new waiter and he had to check with the manager, who also must be new. The waiter said I would have to wait 25 minutes if they cooked it on the metal plate, 15 minutes if cooked right on the grille. I told him if I got sick if they cooked it on the grille, I couldn't eat there anymore. I asked him if he could reheat my noodles if I waited 25 minutes. He said he could, and that's what we did. I've had this restaurant do this other times for me. I also brought a corn muffin and a jar of mango jelly to eat while I waited for my meal (and watched DH enjoy his salad, onion soup, bread and butter).

Imagine my surprise when the manager came to our table after we were done and told me that I wouldn't be able to bring my own food anymore. She said they would prepare my vegetables the way I wanted, but the health code doesn't allow personal food to be brought into the restaurant. If someone got sick, there would be no way to determine if it was from the restaurant food or their personal food. I told her that the only food I can eat there is their meat. They've never had asparagus and their cauliflower is prepackaged with butter. If I can't bring my own sides, I won't be able to eat there because I wouldn't get enough to eat. I paid for a whole meal, but only was able to eat the meat. She told me I could order carry-out. It didn't sound like she wanted my business very much.

That was the last acceptable restaurant on my list. I don't care if I eat there anymore, but I could see that DH was pretty sad, which made me sad. Sure, he could order take-out and eat at home, but I think he likes the "date" atmosphere of a restaurant. I guess I could eat at home before we go and watch him eat in the restaurant.

Gloria

[tex]

Tex

[Polly]

Oh Gloria,

This stinks! Do you have an Outback Steakhouse nearby? They are very tuned in to food issues.

I guess we don't have the same health code here - my neighborhood cafe has never told me to stop bringing my own food. I would feel the same way you do if they did. It is the one nearby place hubby and I can go out to eat - which he loves to do.

There is an Italian restaurant we go to at the beach, and the chef is so acommodating. I hand him a list of safe foods, and he makes up a dish on the spot from my list. For example, he will saute in olive oil shrimp/scallops, mushrooms, peppers, garlic, broccoli rabe, spinach, zucchini, etc. and put it over GF pasta that I bring with me. It is so fresh and delicious, in fact, that hubby often requests the same thing I'm having.

I hope you can find at least one cooperative restaurant. You would think that, with the increasing incidence of food issues, all restaurants should be making acommodations.

Love,

Polly

[Martha]

Dear Gloria,

I'm so sorry that the restaurant won't permit you to bring your own food any more.

I wonder if the health code forbids it if you eat entirely your own food, eating none of the restaurant's food except perhaps a drink. That way there would be no confusion of whose fault it was if you got sick.

Eating out should be fun. I hate that MC has taken that away from us.

Love,
Martha

[tex]

Frankly, I would be surprised if the health code even addresses such an uncommon event.

Tex

[TXBrenda]

Gloria, I would check with the health code inspectors (supervisor) myself.

[JessesMom]

That doesn't make any sense to me. Especially because you paid for your full meal. It's not like you brought an entire meal of your own into the restaurant and didn't buy any of their products. Also did you tell them that the past management and employees never had a problem with you requests?
I also agree with Polly that if you have an Outback near you that you should try eating there. They are very flexible and knowledgeable about the food choices they have.
I also agree checking into the health code laws and maybe calling the local Health Department to ask them about it.

[Gabes-Apg]

Gloria
i am really sorry this has happened,

I think that niativity is the main issue, If people do not understand about food intolerences they will tend take this type of approach.
trying to educate someone who doesnt get it, takes lots of energy.

I hope you and DH can come up with a way to continue to have date type activities

[gluten]

Hi, Send me name a contact number for the resturant and the town it is in. I will check with the owner and then call the resturant inspection agency if necessary. I do this for the members of a gulten intolerance support group who encounter this problem. Jon

[Sheila]

Gloria, I think the new manager is insecure and/or rigid and afraid to do anything a bit out of the ordinary. If the restaurant is a chain, I would go up the chain of command right to the President. Explain your situation and ask for help. As many others have told you, small chef owned restaurants can be very flexible. I have also found that any of the chain of restaurants that include Outback are accommodating. Good luck and don't give up!!

Sheila W

[jgivens]

I agree. This just does not sound right. I think it is something the manager made up. They clearly felt inconvenienced by your requests. I would let Jon look into it for me. Somebody needs to do some advocacy and if that is what he does, let him do it.

I am so sorry that you had to be so embarrassed and treated so poorly. If this is a chain restaurant, I would certainly write to the corporate head.

[Gloria]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll check the county health code to see if there is such a restriction. I know someone who owns a small restaurant in my town (seafood - darn!). He could probably tell me about the code. If there isn't any such code, I'm going to contact the owner, or I might take Jon up on his offer to check on it.

I think the manager was irritated by my requests and would just as soon not have me as a customer.

I have gone to Outback Steakhouse in the past. I was still eating beef, potatoes and ghee back then and used to bring my jar of ghee. They messed up my order a couple of times, but they made up for it with a free meal or some other consolation. It's further away than the local restaurant, but I probably should give it a try again for DH's sake. He'd love to go there again.

Gloria