Blue Plate Diner

The following is the text of a recent e-mail exchange regarding an experience at the Blue Plate Diner in Edmonton.

First message - sent to the restaurant through their webpage.

I met with friends at your restaurant last Thursday. We had an hour, and the restaurant was moderately busy. I always enjoy the ambiance of the Blue Plate.

We ordered. As usual, I identified that I have celiac sprue and can't have dishes with gluten. I was specific that this meant wheat, oats, barley and rye. I also have a corn allergy - which is why I happily place myself at the servers' discretion when choosing a meal. The special that evening turned out not to be safe; I was advised to order the stuffed pepper.

It arrived on a bed of couscous. Wheat. And by then there was no time to re-order, so I left.

This is the THIRD time I have been given dishes with wheat in them after telling the servers and kitchen that I can't eat it. I had not been to the diner in almost a year because of the previous hassles.

I will not be back. Much as I like the diner, it is not a safe place for anyone with dietary concerns. I will ask the Celiac Association to place a warning in their newsletter.


Second message - sent by Rima Devitt to me three days later

Dear Timothy,

We expect our servers to be reasonably knowledgeable and respectful towards special dietary issues such as gluten intolerance. Having said that, we also know our serving staff can't all be experts in the fields of allergies, intolerances and nutrition in general and hope that customers who do have special dietary needs come to our restaurant armed with some knowledge of their own. Seeing as you have several allergies/intolerances and have had negative experiences it would seem in our restaurant in the past - would it not seem reasonable for you to perhaps call ahead with any questions about the menu you may have, go on our website, pop us an email, etc.? Rather than coming in during the busy dinner rush and basically putting your health in the hands of our server, who by definition is a 'server', not a 'doctor' or a 'nutritionist'? I believe it states right on the menu that the Stuffed Pepper is served on a bed of couscous - if you would have asked for that to be served on rice instead this whole scenario could have been cleanly avoided had you actually read the description of the menu item.

I respectfully suggest you consider dining at home more often, rather than subject hospitality staff to your bad manners and lack of preparedness.

Sincerely,

Rima Devitt
Blue Plate Diner


Third (and fourth) messages - my response

Thank you, Ms. Devitt.

I was very clear with the server, and the server understood - it was not the server's mistake. The restaurant was less than half full. When I ordered, I was also clear that I like everything, and anything that could be prepared would be fine - including any necessary substitutions. That is hardly a lack of manners. The server was quite upset, because the mistake had been made in the kitchen and she didn't notice when she brought the dish to the table - the lighting was dark enough that I had to confirm with my companions that this was indeed couscous and not broken rice. Calling ahead would not have made a difference if the kitchen staff do not recognize couscous as containing gluten.

I left not because I was upset about the food, but because there was then no time for another dish to be prepared if I was to be on time to teach my class. My companions stayed and had dinner. They were asked for my e-mail so the restaurant could contact me. After a couple of days had gone by with no follow-up from the restaurant, I sent a message through the website.

I do take responsibility when I go to a restaurant. In restaurants where there is any indication from the staff that they do not know what celiac is, I hand them a laminated card with an explanation and a list of ingredients. I do not ask servers to be nutritionists or doctors, but with celiac becoming more and more common I am surprised to find this is still an issue at the Blue Plate. The Creperie has a separate menu; Mata Hari indicates their celiac items on the menu; Bistro Praha has always been most welcoming; Chianti offers gluten-free options on their pastas; Upper Crust has never had a problem, and never made me feel as if I am a problem. My dietary concerns are not unusual, nor are they difficult to accommodate.

You interpret my actions as bad manners and lack of preparedness. While I admire your defence of the staff and the restaurant, blaming the customer for a mistake made in the kitchen is not appropriate. Yes, this situation could have been avoided. It could have been avoided by the kitchen staff knowing what the server meant. It could also have been ameliorated by management sending a timely apology and saying they were asking the celiac association for the latest guidelines so the staff would be better prepared in future. The attitude reflected in your e-mail does not bring credit to your restaurant.

Yours,

(PS. The Blue Plate Diner is one of the restaurants I recommended in an article on Edmonton in the Fall 2008 issue of the national magazine Out in Canada. I would like to think that was not a mistake.

T.)

Okay. So now the commentary:

I like the Diner. I like the idea of the Diner. I like the people at the Diner. I recommend the Diner to other people, as long as the people I recommend it to have no dietary restrictions.

On a previous visit to the Diner, I was served a salad that had croutons. The croutons had NOT been listed on the menu - but I HAD told the staff that I could not have wheat products. The server was apologetic and said he would bring a salad without croutons. A couple of minutes later I had a salad and it seemed like everything would be fine - until I got to the lower layers of the salad and found more croutons. Soggy with dressing.

I'm not overly fussy about things like cross-contamination, or I would never eat out at all. But if I eat wheat, I suffer symptoms that are like those of an intestinal flu. Because I have a fast metabolism, the symptoms can start within about an hour. Instead of throwing together a fresh salad, it seems the kitchen staff had tried to pick the croutons out of a pre-made salad. So there were crumbs in there - and that's all it takes to make me sick.

Fortunately I only feel crummy for a few hours (the other blessing of a fast metabolism).

But what if the customer had an allergy that led to anaphylaxis? Let's say a peanut allergy - and the kitchen just picked the peanuts out, but left a few by accident...

When a restaurant is informed of an issue, they have the option of saying "I am sorry, but I don't think we can safely accommodate you." Then people can leave OR assume their own risk. Don't tell the customer you will accommodate them and then make them sick.

In the e-mail exchange above, Ms. Devitt blames me. I had been clear about the sensitivities, ordered the special and was then told it was not safe - and the stuffed pepper was recommended as an alternative that would be safe. She has a point: I did not read the description of the recommended dish, and I assumed that the kitchen would make any necessary substitution - particularly since I had made it clear that I like all food and would eat anything that was safe.

I was not abusive toward the staff in any way. I did mention that it was the third time this had happened, and that I did not have time for another dish to be cooked (we had been there 30 minutes already). I didn't raise my voice, but I did leave abruptly because I hoped to find something to eat before teaching my class. Is that rude? Considering the circumstances, I don't think so.

As for chiding me and saying I ought to come to the restaurant "armed with some knowledge" - how strange to accuse ME of being the unknowledgeable one when it was the cook who didn't know couscous was wheat. Well, now I do have some knowledge: the Blue Plate Diner not only can't be trusted to accommodate celiacs, but the management blames the customer. That is knowledge that needs to be shared with other people who have food sensitivities so they can do as Ms. Devitt suggests and dine at home instead of at the Blue Plate Diner.