[tchef]

“Cooking with a loaded Gun”


Another day at the office sitting here with all the usual aches and pains, tired & of course hungry. I ‘m still pondering over last night’s service “why do they do it? With the Restaurant nearly full & all covers happy we take a CHANCE 2. I say chance because after taking there order the waiter informs of a short list of Food Intolerances???? No this No that la la la, my message back to our chance table is a simple one “Please leave” and on that note they did the honourable thing and promptly left the building, and no they didn’t cause much of a fuss although I was expecting some kind of an apology from them.

Now this might be a Can of Worms and some might find this a little arrogant on my behalf. I can assure you that this is not the case……Choice for the clients of course, and Choice for myself and my Brigade. They will go away knowing that our Kitchen didn’t give them any cause to complain or call back 2 days latter claiming that They have just spent 24hours in intensive care and what’s the name of our solicitors. Head chef that I am can now sleep without any cause for concern, maybe there was flour in the stock, and maybe the nuts did get into the Pate blah blah. No instead another great shift without a complete Intolerance Kitchen Meltdown.

My message is simple “you’re not welcome, go home and be safe”

My esteemed colleagues Opinions are a great thing-however Options would be a compromise “I like my food the way it is, its purpose, texture, exacting ingredient, balance of flavour but above all the pleasure it gives”

What’s your thought?

[Psycho Chef]

On this side of the pond that would be completely unacceptable. Even in the snobiest of French places. I actually kept a printed card(provided by the client)with an extensive list of her severe allergies. It was always a challenge to cook for her, but there is nothing I love more than a challenge.


There is another side to that card with even more common stuff but I think I've made my point.

[shroomgirl]

A good % of my income comes from providing alternatives for vegans, celiacs, nut allergies......Works for me. I know what goes into my food. There are no set menus. Frankly I use olive oil/butter alot. Vegetables are predominent in my kitchen (as is meat). Generally not an issue to make sure there is enough for a vegan to eat off a buffet....and enjoy it.
I've called prior to showing up, and normally not at slam time with a friend who has severe gluten issues. If a kitchen isn't setup with non-gluten dishes on the menu or willing to sub, then a NO works better than frustration of not being able to order.

One would hope that someone with allergies would say so when they make reservations to see if you are accomodating. Would save time/embarrassment/etc.....

It's not arrogant, it's your business. If you choose not to adapt they can (and will) find someone(s) who will......still a free marketplace.

[fozzy]

I have to agree with shroomgirl. There have been many instances where I have gone out to talk to a table about there food intolerances and have fully satisfied them. The one thing I make sure I do is to talk to the table personally so I know exactly the nature of the problem, discuss with them what they can and can not have and make sure they enjoy their time in my place. I also inform them that if they are going to come in again that they phone in advance and inform us of their allergies and that way we will be more prepared and possibly able to offer them a choice or two not on the menu. This way we have everything ready to go for them when they get here and there is no chance of anything being wrong with their food.It really is not that big a deal and to accommodate people takes so little extra effort on our part and gets us great free publicity from our customers telling people about our place.

[foodnfoto]

You turned your back on a huge opportunity to garner favorable word of mouth advertising, succeeded in alienating and inconveniencing people who were ready to give you money from their pockets, fostered a sizable amount of negative word of mouth advertising, forgot your place as a member of the service industry, and acted like a big jerk.

The golden rule of word of mouth advertising is that a pleased customer will tell 1-2 people of their favorable experience, but that an unhappy customer will tell 10. So, in your case, assuming the table was a 4 top, you can now be assured that 40 potential customers in your target market will not patronize your establishment.

But hey, you really stuck to your guns and gave them the what-for, didn't you? That'll teach them not to ask for a little accommodation for their health, won't it?
They'll know now not to mess with that big bad chef! and will happily patronize another restaurant who shows a little care for their specific needs.

[web monkey]

Originally Posted by tchef

ay knowing that our Kitchen didn’t give them any cause to complain or call back 2 days latter claiming that They have just spent 24hours in intensive care and what’s the name of our solicitors. Head chef that I am can now sleep without any cause for concern, maybe there was flour in the stock, and maybe the nuts did get into the Pate blah blah. No instead another great shift without a complete Intolerance Kitchen Meltdown.

My message is simple “you’re not welcome, go home and be safe”

What’s your thought?

I'd go for it, but leave out the "you're not welcome" part.

Some people with severe food allergies can be brought to death's doorstep by very tiny amounts of substances you didn't even know were there. Maybe the tahini came from a machine that previously ground peanut butter. Who knows?

I'd probably have a very nice explanation written up and printed that the server could show the customer, explaining that you value their safety more than their business, and if they actually have a severe food allergy, you can't guarantee the absence of the allergen, and that they should leave.

Doesn't seem like it should be a big problem. What's the customer going to complain about? That you refused to risk their life?

Terry

[lentil]

Severe food allergies scare me to death! I can understand why you do what you do, but I don't think it would go over well with many. In fact, there are so many people out there these days with allergies that you'd lose a good portion of business.

About the celiac thing...Shroom, I have a job later in the summer and in a group of 30ppl, 3 are celiac, 1 is vegan, and another few don't eat sugar. The hostess wants me to prepare food for EACH special need. I'll surely do it as it means more $$ for me, but I've suggested that she allow me to do salad and/or entrees that are vegan, sugar free, and celiac friendly rather then 3 seperate ones. She's buying me new cutting boards and paying have me shut down and cover my baking area and all tables with plastic wrap prior to working on her food as the 3 celiacs can't even have thier food in a room with flour.

This is not a party I am looking forward to!

[foodpump]

I dunno, foodnfoto. There is a difference between an a'la carte restaurant where the guest springs it on the server, and a catering event where you have prior knowledge to guest's diets. Now if the Customer would have called up the restaurant and said something like "we have reservartions for 8pm and one of our party has allgeries to _blank_, it would be a little different too. But this was in your face, no prior warnings, and the knee-jerk reaction is to cover your hiney is a survival instinct. Lawyers and lawsuits will do that....

I understand the severity of allergies. My kids are healthy, but I remember at daycare peanut butter was VERBOTEN, and the care-givers had to go through EACH kid's lunch, EVERY day because one kid was deathly allergic to peanut butter. For people who make a decision to follow a certain diet, I don't have that much compassion, but I do have respect.

[kuan]

You can say it nicely. For example:

Unfortunately sir, we are not equipped to handle your request. Try as we might, there is still a risk of contamination. This is partly due to the way the kitchen was designed, and partly due to the way the law regarding our food sources is written. We would rather not take the chance and have you live to enjoy another meal elsewhere than to ruin everyone's day by having to call an ambulance.

[the_seraphim]

Originally Posted by lentil

Severe food allergies scare me to death! I can understand why you do what you do, but I don't think it would go over well with many. In fact, there are so many people out there these days with allergies that you'd lose a good portion of business.

About the celiac thing...Shroom, I have a job later in the summer and in a group of 30ppl, 3 are celiac, 1 is vegan, and another few don't eat sugar. The hostess wants me to prepare food for EACH special need. I'll surely do it as it means more $$ for me, but I've suggested that she allow me to do salad and/or entrees that are vegan, sugar free, and celiac friendly rather then 3 seperate ones. She's buying me new cutting boards and paying have me shut down and cover my baking area and all tables with plastic wrap prior to working on her food as the 3 celiacs can't even have thier food in a room with flour.

This is not a party I am looking forward to!

de-sensitise.... do what i do... cook the food, do your best, and think to yourself "odds are they were making it up anyway, they just dont like dairy products" and vegans are on my "shut up you moaning gas bag" list as well as vegetarians who make a big deal out of it...

veganism is stupid... vegetarianism is fine, just dont try and put across that being a veggy makes you better than me or ill slip some meat in your food...

most allergies i will accomodate and simply add that "while every precaution blah blah blah, not my fault blah blah blah, you couldnt sue if you wanted to i warned you blah blah blah"

i warn them, then serve them, if they die, its their fault not mine... order something simple...

dont order a nut soufle and expect me to pick out the freaking nuts... get used to garden salads people... its the future!

or go to your doctor and be de-sensitized to your allergens...

[tchef]

Debates are often healthy and bring their own challenge and we may read into things without really thinking them through. I ask for thoughts of yours, and you bring on verbal nonsense in an effort to justify your “own” practises, philosophies, and theories. With scorning words and bitter taste like some rampant Cooking Buda on a politically arse injected world changing Mission.

Ok maybe my message was a little harsh, how much clearer can I make it!

I will no be held accountable for your own Illness, way of life, requirements, special needs, blah blah….. Pshyco chef, don’t think me rude we all love a Challenge, but there’s a challenge and there’s challenging & sometimes its easy to forget the empathy of our dinners & our own standards in circumstances OUT with our control. So please don’t preach the old I give a xxxx routine as it doesn’t wash, “my craft has no prejudices your all welcome here, my house na na na Oh and if you don’t like the chair covers let me know, we will gladly get some new ones for you”. By the way what is “the snobbiest of French”???

Foodnfoto, you are without doubt a food critic and I might add a true indication of what quantifies you to write with such detail, and truly gripping reviews. “me a jerk! So what!! Cant wait for your next enthralling, mind blowing e=mc stats blah blah blah” Oh Golden rules now theirs food for thought.

Regards

[bughut]

Catering in all its forms has changed over the years. Our clients are more discerning. They want to be thrilled and they also want to be pandered to. If you want to keep up with trends, i think you also need to keep up with the hype. Ok so many gluten free's are just playing on a bit of wheat intolerence but if it makes them feel good that you made an effort for them, well thats the business we're in... Keeping the customer satisfied.In a corporate buffet lunch for 15 i had a gluten free/ gluten free vegetarian/ vegan /and a dairy free... I was gob-smacked... Gave them all the same Thai beancurd spicy salad with lentil pupodoms.
To end. I would challenge any of you to complain/refuse to serve/ make less than a supreme effort to keep client safe/ or generally be pissed off at a customer ordering a mega- allergy meal, if you were a high end head chef trying to keep a reputation for excellence to a high profile customer.
Let me put it another way. If your most highly respected person in the world walked into your establishment tomorrow, asking far all the above, would you really show them the door...

[tchef]

asking far all the above, would you really show them the door...[Symatics, normal people behave normaly Your idea just wouldn't happen]

[lentil]

Originally Posted by the_seraphim

de-sensitise.... do what i do... cook the food, do your best, and think to yourself "odds are they were making it up anyway, they just dont like dairy products" and vegans are on my "shut up you moaning gas bag" list as well as vegetarians who make a big deal out of it...

veganism is stupid... vegetarianism is fine, just dont try and put across that being a veggy makes you better than me or ill slip some meat in your food...

most allergies i will accomodate and simply add that "while every precaution blah blah blah, not my fault blah blah blah, you couldnt sue if you wanted to i warned you blah blah blah"

i warn them, then serve them, if they die, its their fault not mine... order something simple...

dont order a nut soufle and expect me to pick out the freaking nuts... get used to garden salads people... its the future!

or go to your doctor and be de-sensitized to your allergens...

I used to have pretty bad allergies when I was a kid, but through desenitizing, or outgrowing, I no longer have many at all. BUT, that's me. Some people are debilitized with thier allergies and I don't believe there's anything they can do but to stay away from whatever bothers them. I know the woman who hired me for this job and I remember when one of her daughters was very ill before they knew what was wrong. The daughter was around 30 and hadn't had any trouble before. They were afraid she was going to die. That's why they're so hyper-alert to the whole celiac thing.

I think veganism is more of a political statement. To each his own, but I agree with you- I don't want them to preach thier dietary choices, or any other, for that matter, to me.

[bughut]

Originally Posted by tchef

asking far all the above, would you really show them the door...[Symatics, normal people behave normaly Your idea just wouldn't happen]

What do you mean?