Restaurant on the radio!!

[Montykat]

Was listening to the radio the other morning and happened to hear a man who owns a restaurant in england saying he will not accept a gluten free order unless the customer has a doctors line!!! I was outraged at this and immediately thought of all the sufferers in this group. What are your opinions??

[Lisahelen]

There are more than enough cafe/restaurants who dont cater for coeliac /gf customers so one more wont make a great deal of difference.

At the end of the day he is the one losing custom and money from the word of mouth repeat eaters who would no doubt frequent his establishment as there are too few eateries who can provide a good balanced meal for coeliac/gf's.

[sufffering]

What did he mean by a doctor's line.

[Montykat in reply to sufffering]

He meant a certificate from gp to say u are diagnosed with coeliac disease x

[sufffering]

Whatdid he mean by a doctors line?

[Hobnobbing]

There is a restaurant in Dublin that has done this. It was slightly tongue in cheek - obviously he won't be demanding a medical certificate to confirm you have a genuine problem with gluten but he was expressing a frustration with people who claim to be GF and then order apple pie for dessert. It can create problems in the kitchen, in fact I know a sandwich bar which has a completely separate kitchen to cater for Coeliac sufferers. He also felt it trivialized a genuinely awful medical condition. It's a double-edged sword - on one hand there are lots more gluten free products available in the supermarket, on the other people tend to dismiss coeliacs as a faddy eating.

[binks in reply to Hobnobbing]

1% of the population are coeliacs. The gluten free industry markets a concept which people are buying into - many of the products are genuinely unhealthy in terms of processing. Magazines and celebrity chefs are selling more of the same and so the whole gluten free thing does a massive disservice to genuine coeliacs. Whilst it reports as unsympathetic, I wonder whether they are trying in a small way to expose what has become a bit of a scam (and is making shed loads of money for the aforementioned chefs etc).

[Beezwax in reply to binks]

I was tested for coeliac (blood test only which can be inconclusive) but GP won't send me for a biopsy of stomache lining (the ultimate test) but has told me to follow an elimination diet, including cutting out gluten products. A letter to confirm this advice will cost me £10. Will these restaurants which have such a policy reimburse me the cost of my letter?

I think restaurants should be very, very careful. There may be recourse to legal action if there is a form of discrimination.

[Whoopdedoo]

It's just ignorance, ignore him.

[Hidden]

Should be named and shamed

[Hidden]

An IBS sufferer may not be a ceoliac but may still be wheat intolerant

[JackoI in reply to Hidden]

Totally agree - people think it odd when I simply limit my gluten intake through my own means. If I don't want to eat gluten they can't tell me I have to.

[Beezwax]

Give the details if you are allowed to here, and we can all write to him. Or make sure everyone we know will boycott the place.

Many places don't have gluten free but to say he will need a doctor's note is something else. It's really disrespectful. Does he need to see a confirmation letter from a GP to allow a disabled person to bring in their wheelchair?

[Polly45]

Did he say the name of his restaurants ? That's what needs to be published!. Hope he never suffers ANY dietary needs. Or even medical treatments. Shop and eat where we are catered for.

[Lexby]

I wonder... does he also require vegans and vegetarians to provide a note from their GP?

As we know, many people choose to avoid certain foods, because they feel better (less bloating and other IBS symptoms), not just gluten.

In fact, I often hear people ask for something to be left off or substituted because they are simply not keen on it.

Likewise, any chef has the right to fill his meals with cheap filler ingredients, such as wheat flower, and not offer better quality food if he lacks the basic skills required.

Furthermore, customers have the right to eat at restaurants where the chef can cook from fresh ingredients without relying on bought in ready made sauces and meals.

Actually, I would rather a chef be honest and say he can't provide gluten free as it's a giveaway that he hasn't used fresh ingredients or can do anything other than heat up readymade meals from Brakes brake.co.uk/