Food allergies and hearing the words "Oh good"

For people with food allergies, hearing the words “Oh good” can be a hard thing to hear, especially when you are out in a restaurant. Sure, that comment might mean something entirely different from how it comes out, but it doesn’t help the person with the food allergies.  Here are some other ways that statement could be worded:

Oh good, I appreciate you letting me know – the staff stating they are happy you let them know about your allergies so they can make the necessary adjustments and let other staff know.

Thank you for notifying me – this one is an ok statement because at least you know that the server understands that you have food allergies.

Oh, I’ll be sure to let the kitchen staff know – this is the statement that I appreciate the most because the server has heard what you have said, and they are going to notify the staff that are involved in making your food.

Oh, I’ll be sure to let management know – this statement is OK, but is there a policy to let management know, and they let the kitchen staff know. This statement can be a little difficult to handle, especially when the restaurant is busy. Your food might be being prepared before the manager is notified, and they can let the kitchen know.

The words “oh good” when said alone can sound like I’m glad it’s you that has the allergies and not me. Having food allergies is a challenge enough when you are in a restaurant, especially when you have one of the common allergies, and it is in the restaurant. In a lot of restaurants that have the electronic ordering system, they have a button that they can press and enter the allergies that you have and that is sent along with your order to the kitchen.

So, if you work at a restaurant, please remember that saying the words “Oh good” can have a very negative impact on the person you are saying it to. If you can figure out a nicer way to acknowledge that you have heard what the person is saying and how to communicate it to the rest of the staff, please try and do that. It is a challenge for both the person with the allergy and the serve to figure out just how to manage saying it and acknowledging it.

Customer service in restaurants

Check and make sure that the people that are seated first are served first because people do see that. We were sitting in a restaurant and a table that was seated after us got attention first. People do see that, and it can really impact how they feel about the restaurant. Of course, on a Friday at lunch time a restaurant can have some unusual spikes of people showing up and making sure that everyone gets served would be a good thing.

Something that we have come to realize that in some restaurants the servers are only working to get their tips and paycheque and aren't there for the customers. You can actually tell by how they interact with customers and how often they are checking their personal devices. There are other restaurants where the staff seem to stick around for ages, and they care about the customers.

One thing we noticed is that if you are nice to a server, you can make them change their attitude. In our case there was a spike at lunch time, and the restaurant seemed to be understaffed which meant people were sitting waiting longer than normal to get served. In our case we were not in a hurry because part of me wanted to spend some time writing. Sometimes there are times when I just want to hide and sit in a spot and write and enjoy watching people.

The nice thing that happened with our server is she thanked us for understanding that they were busy. Just acknowledging that a restaurant can be very busy makes a difference on how you are served. Sure, someone else in a different section might be served before you but if you server has just taken an order before you were seated and the other server is free it can make a big difference.

Our server made sure that we felt appreciated and did everything she could to make our visit a good experience. It does help a lot when you feel appreciated and valued as a customer because there are times you will either spend longer and purchase more, or you will make sure you return to the location.

Eating out with food allergies - one issue I have

Something that really bothers me when eating out is when I am charged 100% of the upgrade your side option when it isn’t my choice.

I understand that there is a cost for upgrading a side option but when I have already told you that I have a severe food allergy to an ingredient that can be in that item why can’t the cost of the upgrade be reduced by a bit. What I am talking about is when I go into a restaurant and they serve calamari which is considered shellfish, and I am severely allergic to shellfish (both types).

Shellfish allergy - There are two groups of shellfish: crustaceans (such as shrimp, prawns, crab and lobster) and mollusks/bivalves (such as clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, octopus, squid, abalone, snail). Allergy to crustaceans is more common than allergy to mollusks, with shrimp being the most common shellfish allergen for both children and adults.

One side that is available most often is French fries and they are quite often cooked in the same fryer as both the calamari and shrimp. This can cause a cross-contamination issue so it is something that I must be extremely careful of. It has been interesting talking to some servers, and I ask if the calamari is fried in the same oil as the French fries or chicken fingers. Some servers are aware and can answer that yesterday and others will go back to the kitchen to confirm. 

So, my challenge when the French fries are cooked in the same oil as the calamari is always the cross-contamination risk, so therefore I cannot have French fries and must select an upgrade as my side. The restaurants that I like are the ones that have a couple of options for a standard side (soup, French fries, salad) and then you pay an addition cost for other sides. If someone says they are allergic to something and it can be in the basic side option, it would be nice to have the cost of the upgraded side reduced a bit to let the customer know that restaurant understands the challenge.

Chuck's Roadhouse

If you are someone that lives in Ontario and enjoys ribs, streak or good hamburger can I recommend Chuck's Roadhouse.  The one problem that I am going to say it there aren't a lot of locations but if you are close to one give them a try.

We have found quite a few locations are wonderful and have only found one that we didn’t like. Our first experience at a Chuck’s was on a visit to Niagara Falls, Ontario and this location was within a short walk from our hotel as we were staying at the Courtyard Inn by Marriott on Victoria. The Chuck’s Roadhouse is an easy walk from this hotel, so it made it a great place for dinner.  Chuck’s was originally recommended to me but some friends online so we figured it was worth a try. 

When we first went to Chuck’s what surprised us was the price of a top sirloin steak because it was very reasonable and especially in Niagara Falls. The Top Sirloin is 7 oz, and it comes with fries and corn, and it was $15. You can upgrade your side to a Caesar salad, sweet potato fries or a loaded baked potato for around $2. We have been going to Chuck’s for a while now and the prices are still around the same which is nice.

Something to know that they do have specials during the week and knowing about them does help when you are trying to figure out a place to go and have dinner or even a late-night drink and some appetizers. There is a special of ½ price appetizers after 9 pm most days if not every day so that is great when you are out and just want something extra. Now, the special that we really enjoy is the Wednesday special and we sometimes plan to be near a Chuck’s just for this special, and it is Wednesday Rib Day, All Day. A full rack of back ribs is $15 and a half rack of ribs are $10. What we have done is order a full rack of ribs each and cut them in half and then take a half rack of ribs home for dinner another night.

The restaurant isn’t fancy, but the food is really good, and the prices are reasonable. Being able to go out for dinner and have some good food without spending lots of money is always nice. Chuck’s has become a restaurant that we will look for when we are travelling in Ontario because we know that we will regularly get a good meal.

Listen to what someone is saying

Recently we were trying to plan a get together with a friend and it was a challenge because they didn’t hear that given food allergy’s locations were very limited. We nicely explain why their first location wouldn’t work and gave an option. They then same back with an option of a location that yes, was close to where we lived, but wasn’t some where that we went. This specific location was a location where I had a severe allergic reaction so no, I don’t want to go there.

Their explanation for the location was it was close to where we live so that is why he thought it was where we could eat. In a lot of instances, we don’t eat near to home because it is easier and safer to eat at home then eat at a restaurant that is local. The other thing that we have found is that eating at a chain restaurant to so many times safer than eating at an independent restaurant because the chain has strict rules that they need to follow.

The first location that the person thought about going was a location that they never had been before but thought it was a good place. Maybe part of it is because of the prices on the menu that was posted online. How current is the menu that is posted on the website especially when there is no date on the menu or even a copyright date on the website.  We did some research on the location and explained why it wasn’t such a good location given there was an open kitchen that could be very risky given someone with a shellfish allergy. The response we got was “Thank you for the in-depth research. I can appreciate the work to do this level of research! How about something closer that you may have been to” 

The interesting part of this is we had already told them a location that has been safe to go to for the past few years which wasn’t that far away. They immediately suggested a location without really thinking about the location we had recommended. It can be extremely frustrating when trying to explain to someone that we had told you a location we thought was safe so why are you continuing to think of other locations. The location that they recommended was a location that I had a severe allergic reaction at quite a few years ago. Yes, the location name has changed but is it still the same owner or safe and do they still deal with things the same way, that I am not certain, and I don’t want to find out by having an allergic reaction again.

When someone has a severe food allergy you need to listen to what they are saying and not immediately continue to recommend locations that you want to go to. Maybe what you are showing is that you don’t understand about allergies, or you don’t seem to care. I know a lot of people care about someone with food allergies but this individual even after multiple times explaining to them the issue just didn’t seem to get it.

If you know someone that has severe food allergies it is very important that you listen to what they are saying. Them saying locations that they feel safe eating at is something that you have to understand. Maybe it isn’t a place that you would at first want to go to but remember if you want to see that person you have to make some compromises. Listening to what they are saying needs to be considered if you want them to be safe when you get together.

Furniture Placement

Why do hotels and restaurants put their furniture in the most unusual places?

We have been looking at this in various locations and have found that with some hotels why have placed either desks or a drawer arrangement over part of an outlet. This means that you cannot plug your devices in to recharge in these plugs. A lot of hotels don’t have a lot of outlets to begin with, and putting furniture that blogs the outlets doesn’t help.  In today’s world, people have more than one device that they want to use while away, and they also need to charge these things. It is always interesting to see the locations of the plugs because sometimes they are behind a piece of furniture, and you can’t reach them or there just aren’t enough outlets around. It would be nice if more hotels ensured that there is an outlet near the bed so that devices can be changed in the evenings.

Restaurants are another place that have very odd placements of furniture. Pictures are placed on the wall and then the furniture is placed, and it ends up that the picture is partly blocks but either part of a booth or by other items in the restaurant. I have also seen that restaurants have placed pictures with writing on them up at a high level, making it nearly impossible for most people to read the words on those pictures. If you are going to be placing pictures with words on them, make sure that people can see the writing and read it.

Some fast-food starts have started to place outlets near booths so that people can charge devices while they are having their meal. This can be an advantage as well as a disadvantage. The advantage is you can possibly top up your device while you enjoy a quick bite, but the disadvantage is that people end up spending hours sitting at a table even when the fast-food location is busy. If you are going to be charging your device while at a fast-food location, please try and limit how long you are sitting there because there may be others trying to charge their devices as well.

The placement of furniture is quite often a challenge, but it would be nice if you could enjoy the environment you are in and not have to fight to plug something in or enjoy that artwork that is hanging on the wall.

Restaurants and service

There are times when I have wondered if the restaurants actually do any training for their staff or do they just throw them into the job.

We have been at a few restaurants and I have noticed that some of the servers don't seem to really understand what is expected from them. The latest situation was a mix up with an order. We ordered a chicken fajita salad and it came out as a beef fajita salad. The server told us that there was only the beef option on the selection menu where she punches in the order even thou the menu only stated chicken was the option. We checked the menu and it did state chicken and her comment when we wanted to send it back was “now I have to pay for this”. We should never had heard that from the server. She then asked if they could just remove the beef and put chicken on the salad and my husband said yes no problem at all. He then said if that couldn't be done he would have bangers, beans and mashed which was his second choice.

Now this is where the situation goes from bad to worse. The server then comes over and states that it was her mistake that the chicken fajita salad option was on the selection board and she didn't notice it. After saying that she says she was order the bangers, beans and mashed for my husband. We then let her know that she had offered the chicken as a replacement on the salad which is what he wanted in the first place. She said “oh, I just order the bangers, beans and mashed, now do you want to be cancel that?” By this time we were both extremely frustrated and he said he would eat what she ordered for him.

Now the situation could have been handled so differently and I don't think either of us would have been frustrated. The server should never of said “now I have to pay for this” almost saying to us, you just have to eat what I ordered even if it is wrong. The order could have been easily corrected if she had of just replaced the beef for chicken on the salad. Instead it meant that we were both extremely frustrated with the order and that meant that our dinner wasn't enjoyable.

There are so many times that servers will actually either say “I didn't hear you request ....” or “oh, the kitchen made the mistake”. It doesn't matter where the mistake happens us as customers shouldn't hear where the finger is being pointed. If there is an error because of an error in an order it should be corrected without the finger pointing that so often happens. A good server will identify that there was an error and try and get it resolved so that the customer has a good experience.

The more finger pointing that happens between the restaurant staff the move it shows that they is a lack of training on how to handle these situations. If a restaurant wants to succeed in business they have to know that the servers who are the ones that are dealing with the customers are ensuring that each customer has a good experience each time there are in the restaurant.

Training servers and all staff in a restaurant is very important. Making sure that customers feel welcome and satisfied is the key to a business succeeding. Without the customers coming into the store there is no business and bad reviews are also a way to destroy the business. If a customer isn't happy when they leave they will let their friends know about their experience and the restaurant may never know how many customers they really lost.

Dining out

It is interesting to watch the interaction of customers with restaurant staff.

Recently we were away on a Saturday evening and were going into a restaurant for dinner. We had made reservations and I am very glad that we did because the restaurant was full at 6 pm and there was a waiting list. When we approached the hostess there was a family looking for a table. The mother was with her two teenage boys and she was looking for a table. The manager nicely explained that there would be an approximately 15 minute wait for a table but she was more than welcome to sit in the waiting area until a table became available. The manager also explained that they could eat in the bar/lounge area of the restaurant if a table came available but couldn't sit at the bar as her boys were under 19 years of age. The mother didn't like having to wait for a table and her comment was “Get me a table as quickly as you can”. The manager nicely said “we will do our best” and that is all they can do when the entire restaurant is full.

During this same restaurant business there were people that wanted quick service and others (like us) that just understood that the servers were very busy and we may have to wait a coupe of minutes for attention. It is always interesting when you are out and you watch the interaction of customers with restaurant staff. Some people treat the server as a lower class but most people are very friendly and understanding when the server takes a couple of minutes to do something.

Eating out is something that we do as a treat now and most of the time we don't eat out on a Saturday night as it is just too busy out. We were eating out on a Saturday evening this time as we were away on vacation. Of course, being in Niagara Falls on a weekend is always busy especially when there are events going on. The only time Niagara Falls isn't extremely busy on a Saturday is in January and February when it is cold out and not many people want to be walking around.

When you go to a restaurant for a meal understand you are not the only customer looking for a seat or wanting service. If you are in a hurry, you need to ensure you are flexible with where you are going to have your meal. When we are in a hurry and are eating out we normally go to a fast food restaurant so that we don't have to worry about wait times.

If you are eating out on a Saturday evening remember there are going to be a lot of other people doing the same thing. If you want a seat, at a specific restaurant, at a specific time I would suggest that you make reservations so that you get that table. It is always interesting to see how busy some place is and how they try to ensure everyone is happy with their experience. To make the experience work both the customer and the server need to work together.

Eating out is always interesting and if you want to have some fun, just watch how other people interact with the servers. Also, remember that when you are eating out others are watching your interaction as well.

Buffet restaurants

Have you noticed how much food is really wasted at buffet restaurants?

What is amazing when you go to a buffet restaurant is seeing how much food some people put onto their plates when they are selecting their food. Of course everything does look good but the idea is you can go back more than once to select food.

The idea at the buffet is to select a few items (not heaping plates full) and go back to your table and eat what you selected. If you just wanted a taste of a lot of different things than the amount on your plate should be a taste size not a full serving of everything you want to taste. In a lot of cases the first trip to the buffet table is to see what is available and maybe get a few small portions of food so that you can decided what you really want to have when you go back to get more.

What I have noticed is that when some people go up to the buffet table they have a heaping plate and just pick a few mouthfuls off of that plate before leaving the remaining food on the plate and go and get some different food. If you are unsure of what you really want then just take small portions until you know. The people that leave the first heaping plate of food then normally come back with another heaping plate of food only to do the same thing again. Most of the food that they are put on their plates never gets eaten and it is just wasted.

You wonder why buffets are so expensive, well someone has to pay for all the food that is wasted by being put on plates and just thrown out. It would be really nice if people did a little bit of thinking when they are doing their selection instead of grabbing lots of everything. The basic idea of a buffet is to be able to have a selection of foods and be able to go back and get more if you need more food. Of course there are people who have heaping plates of food and can actually eat everything they selected. Those are the people that really enjoy the buffet experience and will get the best value for the price.

Next time you are at a buffet restaurant look at the plates of the people around you. How many eat almost everything if not everything they have selected and how many leave most of their choices on the plate only to be thrown out. It is amazing to see how much food is really wasted at buffet restaurants and the people that normally complain about the price of the meal are the ones that are leaving piles of food on their plates each trip to the buffet table.

So, next time when you are at a buffet table remember, you can go back and get more food after you have finished what you selected. It is best to take smaller portions until you are sure what you really like especially if you are trying something you are unsure about. Pace yourself because if you eat too much too fast you are just going to be uncomfortable and really not enjoy yourself.

A buffet is great for when you are unsure of what you really want as you can have lots of small bits of a lot of different foods.

Food allergies and restaurants

Dealing with severe food allergies is always a challenge and more so when eating out. I have a severe allergy to shellfish which means if calamari is fried in the same oil as other food it limits what I can eat in any restaurant.

What I have been noticing the last while and it is starting to bother me is I feel like I am being punished or discriminated against because I have such a food allergy. Recently I went out for a lunch to a new restaurant and decided to have a hamburger and yes it was to come with fries. I asked if I could possibly have something other than the fries because of my severe food allergies to shellfish. The girl immediately said yes and said I could have either a garden or caesar salad instead of the fries. I was pretty happy that they would make a substitution without any issues until I got the bill. Because I substituted the fries for a caesar salad I was charged an additional $2.50 for the salad but never told that the charge would be made. If I had of been given a choice of maybe a garden for no charge and the caesar for a charge I may have done for the garden salad.

The problem that I am really having issue with is, being charged and not being told up front that an additional charge will be incurred. I understand that some substitutions would cost but I would like to know up front what the cost is and let me make a choice of what I am going to have. This surprise charge on a bill is very upsetting to me because this is happening more and more.

I did talk to a server at another restaurant and she was saying that they have to notify the customer of any additional charges for substitutions or extras. I think this is what all restaurants should be doing because the extra cost should be my choice if I have it or not. Also please explain why something that is being substituted costs so much extra. You are doing away with one food and replacing it with another. Now I understand a caesar salad may cost a little bit more than fries but really $2.50 extra that would probably be like adding another side to the meal.

I can see restaurants charging something for some substitutions especially if you just want to replace something. For those of us with severe food allergies it would be nice to get something without always having to pay for the changes in some restaurants. I didn't ask you to fry the calamari with the other foods so why am I the one that is being punished for your method of operation. What I also want is if there is a rule that all substitutions incur a cost let me know that the cost of the substitution is and if there are different costs for different choices and let me decide what I want.

For me what I don't like is feeling like I am being punished because I have the food allergies. I didn't ask to have them and I don't like having them but I have to live with them. Food allergies aren't something that we can simply forget and ignore when we are eating out because one wrong step could result in a hospital visit or worse.

Eating out and children

This last week, we decided to go out for a nice and relaxing dinner at a local restaurant that we enjoy.

Remember, I did say relaxing dinner.  It was nice and relaxing until some people were seated near us and the entire experience changed.  The table was two mothers and two little girls (maybe around 3–4 years old).  As soon as I saw the way one of the mother's talked to her daughter, I knew we were in for some trouble.  Within minutes, the little girls were running up and down the restaurant and were only told "don't run".  This warning was told to them after they almost ran into a server carrying drinks on a tray.

The "don't run" turned into two girls on their tip toes almost running around for quite a while and also screaming.  Again, "don't run" was warned to them, but it took quite a while before the other mother finally got up and got the girls to come back near their table.

When people go out for dinner with children, I know that the children get bored, but please ensure that you have something for the children to do to keep them entertained at your table.  I have seen some parents bring portable DVD players or iPads so that the children can watch videos to keep them happy, and I know as another guest in the restaurant I also appreciate this. 

I know it's hard to keep children entertained through a meal, but please remember parents that other people are also going out to enjoy their meal.