Fine Dining Experience
Dining in at a restaurant is supposed to be a pleasant experience. Restaurants are a place where you can go to eat a good meal, get dressed up, celebrate, or wind down especially if you’re going to a higher-end place. More often times than not, servers are extremely accommodating to all customers’ needs. Whether it is an allergy or trouble from the kitchen, most servers do their best to please the customer. However, if something goes wrong and the manager is needed, most times customers are pleased with the respect and will to get it right, but that’s not always the case.
In this story, we have a couple who we’ll name Bailey and Spencer. This couple has decided to celebrate the day of the start of their love, their anniversary. They decided to celebrate with a lunch. Normally, Bailey and Spencer would just enjoy a simple lunch together at a casual restaurant, but since they had been dating for five years today, they decided to go all out. Bailey and Spencer chose a higher-end restaurant for their celebratory lunch. The couple needed to choose their selection wisely fore Spencer has celiac disease. Spencer was diagnosed before being “gluten-free” was a fad. He is not allowed to have any sort of gluten. No bread. No pasta. No pastries. Nothing. Now since they had been to this particular place before, they trusted it. However, they could have never expected this celebration lunch to go so horribly. The level of disrespect they were given is outrageous.
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Pasta It Is
Even though Bailey and Spencer had eaten here before, Spencer decided to read up on the place to see if any bad reviews had arisen. After scouring through hundreds of Yelp reviews, the decision was a no-brainer. Their menu had specific “gluten-free” products, there were no negative reviews or red flags, and on top of it all, they had dined there before with no repercussions or issues. Bailey and Spencer had made their decision.
This time was different. The lunch rush hadn’t quite hit yet and the couple was seated quickly and able to peruse through the menu deciding on what they wanted. Bailey and Spencer ordered a bottle of vino and toasted to their love and celebration while they looked over their menus. Just as before, the menu clearly stated the gluten-free options available and after seeing raving reviews online about the gluten-free pasta, Spencer was extremely excited. That was one of his favorite dishes if it was made right. The couple decided to question their server about all their inquiries.
Their server, Megan, was extremely helpful. Megan was a kindhearted soul who took her job seriously. She strove to meet all customer’s needs and never wanted to be known as a horrible server. She made accommodations where needed and was there for any questions, comments, or concerns. Bailey and Spencer could tell right off the bat that Megan was a very helpful server, and they were pleased when Megan answered every question they had about the menu. When they asked about the gluten-free pasta entrée, Megan assured the couple that they did indeed have a gluten-free filled pasta but it was served in a slightly different sauce than what was promoted on the menu due to the fact that the kitchen couldn’t promise that the original sauce was safe from cross-contamination. Spencer was pleased with that answer and description and decided to order the filled pasta for his entrée. Along with the order of the filled pasta, they ordered a plain salad for the appetizer.
Things seemed to be going well, and the couple was excited about their lunch. However, things would quickly take a turn for the worst.
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A Simple Order Mishap
As the couple sat and sipped their vino, they reflected on the last five years. They talked, flirted, and enjoyed each other’s company while indulging on their plain salads topped with the best gluten-free balsamic vinaigrette. Time was flying by as the couple awaited their entrées. With every conversation, time seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and before the couple knew it, their entrées were on their way. Here is where trouble started brewing. Bailey and Spencer never expected things to escalate so quickly.
Upon the arrival of the entrées, it was clear there was a miscommunication and it wasn’t just a simple order mix up either. Spencer’s pasta had clearly been made with the normal sauce, and not the gluten-free sauce Megan said it would come with. They knew they had to ask about it and after questioning Megan, it seemed to be just a small mix up.
“It must have been a mix up with a normal meal placed at the same time that I hadn’t clocked in time,” Megan stated. After questioning the kitchen staff, she added that the gluten-free pasta had accidentally been sent out, and the cooks were in the process of remaking the meal the right way. She apologized for the inconvenience and assured that the meal would be out as soon as possible.
She comped the appetizers for the trouble and agreed to do her best to persuade the shift manager for a free dessert for; one being the couple’s anniversary and two because of the mishap and wait for the correct meal. Little did Megan know that talking to the manager who we’ll call Jan would be the biggest mistake she would make all week. Nobody could have prepared for the storm that was coming.
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Demented Manager
Bailey and Spencer saw Megan approach Jan, a middle-aged woman who seemed frustrated with everything. She had fiery brown eyes that could inflame an entire forest and appeared to look “too good” for everyone around her. She was decked out from head to toe in J Jill apparel as should stood by the bar and critiqued her restaurant. She looked like no one to mess with, especially today.
As Megan talked about the issue to Jan, Bailey and Spencer could see the annoyance in her eyes as she pointed to their table. Suddenly, Jan bee-lined toward Bailey and Spencer with smoke billowing from her ears and her eyes squinted downward, looking right at the couple.
“What kind of scam are you two pulling on me and this restaurant,” Jan screamed at the couple as she approached the table.
Shocked and confused, Bailey and Spencer sat silently. What was this woman talking about and why was she being so confrontational?
“That pasta you received was definitely gluten-free and you had no reason to send it back,” she claimed angrily.
Spencer interrupted her rant by explaining the issue with the sauce. He explained that the only issue was with the sauce and not the pasta itself because they were told that the normal sauce was unsafe for celiacs. This must have hit Jan’s angry switch because that’s when the issue was taken to a whole other level. Jan completely lost it on Bailey and Spencer, and they were completely unsure of what to do or say.
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It’s Just A Fad
Jan snarled at the couple. She (screamed) how she was so fed up with the craze. She was tired of “kids” like Bailey and Spencer and the rest of the millennial generation that are SO sensitive that they need all those special labels. She was completely ignorant of the fact that celiac disease existed, and how it causes serious problems for people like Spencer. She ranted on and on about how it was all just a fad and unnecessary.
In the midst of Jan’s yelling, Megan was on her way with the newly cooked gluten-free pasta. You could see the fear in her eyes as she approached the table and saw Jan. Just as Megan went to place the newly cooked dish in front of Spencer, it was snatched away in an instant. Jan had grabbed the dish before Spencer even got a chance to look at it. Jan strutted to the kitchen with the newly made dish in hand going on and on about how the “precious” table was not able to eat anything unless the chef told her that it was safe. Jan was acting truly crazy. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Spencer could become extremely ill if he ate gluten. She kept thinking that it was all just a choice.
Bailey and Spencer sat speechless. It was at that moment that Bailey wished they had left, but she also felt bad for Megan. Megan looked so nervous, she was as white as a ghost and was clearly shaken up by the incident. Bailey felt it was necessary to stay because Megan needed support and also deserved quite a big tip after what she had to go through. Bailey and Spencer had no blame for sweet Megan, she was a great server, it was Jan where the problem laid. Just as the group thought the mess was over with, it wasn’t. Jan came back yet again to stir the pot some more.
What happens next is truly ridiculous.
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Food At Last
About ten minutes later, Jan came strolling back with food in hand. The whole time she continued to make sarcastic comments about the safety of the food. While laughing at herself she even asked if she should bring out the head chef taking him away from his job to please them. Nobody was laughing except Jan. She had alienated herself and was acting demented. Spencer was always a very chill guy, he never wanted confrontation and was always calm and collected even in the worst of situations. Once Jan placed the food in front of Spencer, he thanked her for the level of care and assured her that everything was fine. He scarfed down his food partially because he was starving but more so for the fact of leaving that mess behind.
Bailey was about halfway done with her dish when Spencer received his, they both finished quickly and got ready to head out. Bailey was convinced that the entire anniversary was ruined because of this berserk woman. The couple was looking forward to leaving and turning their day around. They wanted to pay and run far away from that restaurant. Just as they thought their day was turning around, the worst was yet to come.
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The Suffering Continues
As soon as the couple finished their meal, they flagged down Megan to grab the bill. Megan was extremely apologetic and understood the frustration and rush to leave, she apologized for everything and went back to grab the check.
Megan was gone for a bit and came back to the table as white as a sheet. On her snow-white face, she displayed a nervous and upsetting reaction. Bailey and Spencer were confused and worried.
Megan explained that as she was grabbing the bill, she went to check on another order and noticed something peculiar. Megan saw a pasta dish that looked a lot like Spencer’s sitting under the warmer alone and to the side. The dish appeared to be untouched and when she questioned the cook about the dish, worry set in.
The cook stated that the dish was the one that Jan had brought back from the table. The table being Bailey and Spencer’s. This meant that the dish that Spencer just consumed was the wrong dish, he ate the pasta that contained the gluten. She questioned the chef more about the incident.
“She told me to drain some normal pasta and serve it with the gluten-free sauce for a particularly demanding customer who didn’t ‘need’ the gluten-free pasta,” said the chef explaining the situation to Megan.
Megan was furious. Why would Jan do something so cruel? She realized she had just served Spencer the wrong dish and now had to tell the both of them the scary news. Megan was devastated. After telling Bailey and Spencer what had happened, Megan comped everything but the vino on their bill. Bailey insisted that they pay for all of her meals, and ended up giving Megan quite the tip. Bailey felt that Megan shouldn’t have to lose out on a whole table because of the actions of her boss. Bailey and Spencer paid the bill and proceeded to head home not knowing the consequences of eating the dish. Soon enough, the bad would take over the rest of the day.
For the remainder of the anniversary, Bailey sat at home taking care of Spencer. He was shut in the bathroom all night spewing from both ends of his body. He appeared to be at least seven months pregnant because of the extreme bloating and spent the whole night on the bathroom floor.
Spencer will be suffering the repercussions of the gluten for weeks, maybe months.
Since the incident, Bailey has reached out to Jan on a personal level and even got professional consulting on the matter. She doesn’t plan to let this incident fall through the cracks. No one should be treated the way they were and something should be done about it.
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