Companies with a Conscience - Opa Greek Restaruant

Hello!

As promised this is my second post for Companies with a Conscience!

This bi-weekly post is to encourage positivity online and highlight restaurants that are doing good for the community.

For the weeks of 11/1/2015-11/15/2015 I am highlighting Opa Greek Restaurant!

I have chosen to highlight them due to their knowledge and ability to cater to the allergic community. I recently placed an order and when I asked my normal questions about latex gloves, possible allergens and my safety, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge the staff had. For the first time in a long time, while trying to receive answers pertaining to my allergies, I wasn't made to feel like I was burdening anyone.  I had an extensive conversation with them about my allergies and am so impressed with how allergy friendly they are. I would encourage everyone to visit Opa Greek Restaurant!

Opa Greek Restaurant
260 Islip Ave
Islip, NY 11751
631-650-0620
www.OpaGreekRest.com
Instagram: @OPSOFISLIP

Congratulations Opa Greek Restaurant for being a Company with a Conscience!

*If you would like to submit a "Company with a Conscience" for upcoming posts, please use this link Companies with a Conscience Submission Form *

Education...the Key to Saving Lives

So, I have been doing quite a bit of eating out recently, and have had some interesting experiences that I wanted to share.  By now, we all know my devotion to food and latex allergy awareness, and how important it is for someone with allergies to share with their food server and the establishment that they have an allergy.  If I didn't check the gloves that restaurants used I would just always be in the hospital.

**Disclaimer: These are my experiences with the restaurants at my time of service, I do not know current policies or changes in gloves.  If you have a latex allergy or sensitivity, I would suggest you check each time you go to a food service establishment before eating there, in case there are any changes**

There are a couple of restaurants that I would like to discuss here today, Medieval Times (Lyndhurst, NJ), Houlihan's (Bridgewater, NJ) and then a hotel located on Long Island.

Let’s start with Medieval Times, this is a HUGE chain with locations everywhere, hundreds of people per show, certainly not concerned with one individual...WRONG.  My experience at Medieval Times was rocky to start, but the initiative that was taken by the manager changed my experience completely.  I first sat down, and immediately asked my waitress if I could see the box of gloves because I have a latex allergy.  She seemed to know what she was talking about and said "oh I'm sorry they are latex! Are you allergic? I will bring you anything pre-packaged that I can so you can still eat!" Obviously, this was a very accommodating environment as she was willing to do extra work so that I could still enjoy my time; but from her information, they used latex gloves and I just accepted that.  A couple minutes later the manager walked over with a box of gloves and said, "You have a latex allergy? I just wanted to let you know that there is no latex in our kitchen, and I wanted to bring you the box to show you."  I was so impressed with his professionalism and care in regard to allergies. This manager made my experience very enjoyable and made me feel safe because of how concerned he was.  According to Medieval Times main hotline, they are each individually owned and operated so there is no corporate latex-free policy.  (I reached out to the castle to find the manager’s name so that he may get the proper credit, so as soon as I hear back, I will post it here with the proper thank you!)

Houlihan's was also a mixed experience, I had called ahead to find out what kind of gloves they used, the hostess who answered the phone told me they used latex, when I asked her if she could read the box to make sure, she seemed very annoyed but did it anyway. She came back to the phone and told me that they used vinyl and then hung up on me.  I was naturally upset with her lack of understanding, but went to eat there anyway.  When I got there, I asked the waiter to see the box of gloves, and was greeted by the manager shortly after, who had the box and seemed knowledgeable on allergies and the risks involved.  I told her about my experience on the phone, and she was very apologetic and compensated us with an appetizer. From then, everyone was nice and understanding of allergies so I felt comfortable enough to go a second time. The second time I went, our waitress was fantastic! She asked as soon as we got to the table if there were any allergies she should be aware of so she could tell the kitchen and I rattled them off to her.  I was impressed that she asked at all, because it’s very rare that waiters and waitresses ask, let alone are aware of it.  We spoke briefly and she shared with me her concern for those of us with allergies, even though she does not have one herself.  Because of the kindness shown by employees of Houlihan's in Bridgewater, I feel very comfortable eating there and feel like it is a safe environment.

I had a negative experience at a hotel, and I rather not share the name but I wanted to explain why it is so important to continue to be an advocate for your allergies, so those who don't have an understanding of what we go through every day can learn a little bit more. I had asked the waitress what kind of gloves they use in the kitchen (which as you can tell, I ask everywhere I go) and she immediately said "latex", naturally, because of my experience, I asked her if she could go check the box, her response... "Seriously?!" with the biggest attitude I have ever had a waitress respond to me with.  (The gloves were in fact not latex).  We will all have experiences like I just explained, but it is important to not let people who are just unaware affect how you feel.  For a brief moment, I actually felt embarrassed to have asked, like I did something wrong. It wasn't until this moment that I realized how I was letting her control how I was feeling.  I was giving this random waitress the power to make me feel ashamed.

I quickly escaped this mind set, but was reminded of an important lesson.  Even with an allergy, you should let that empower you, not limit you.  Through education we can come together and encourage one another to be advocates.  There will always be bullies in life, there will always be people who will try to bring you down, but it is up to you to educate those people and stand up for yourself, and the millions of us who suffer from allergies.  Eight years ago I made the decision to be my own advocate and demanded to be heard about the severity of these allergies.  We can change the lives of many, make a difference, and we can all help the cause. 

Thank you for helping change the way of looking at allergies, and for helping spread awareness regarding severe allergic reactions! Education is key to saving lives!

-Leanne

Binghamton University Makes Advances in Offering Allergy Free Foods

Today I wanted to write about something that I found very interesting and amazing all at the same time.  I was walking through the dining room in C4 at Binghamton University, and noticed that a new station was opening up offering allergy friendly foods.  Binghamton University's food service is ran by Sodexo, which services many different campus' as well as other on-site services. These Allergen Free foods are made in a separate area in the C4 dining hall without the use of the top 8 allergens.  These allergens are Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish, Shellfish, Soy, and Wheat.  I found this very interesting because as you know, I am an food and latex allergy advocate and have been for the past 7 years and to my knowledge there are no other universities that offer this. Binghamton already has a Latex Free Facility, so there is no use of Latex gloves in the food service establishments across campus, but this is something new. Through my online research, I have found that some universities have offered compromises for students suffering from allergies, but nothing like this has been done. Being a Binghamton University student, I expect nothing less than our University to set a precedent for other Universities across the country.

News as recent as January of this year, there has been a legal struggle against Lesley University in Massachusetts for not providing foods for allergy suffers and thanks to the students who were apart of the law suit, the allergy advocates world is celebrating from their strives.

"DOJ's Civil Rights Division announced last month that the Americans With Disabilities Act applies to students at Lesley University in Cambridge, Ma., who claimed that the school's food services and meal plans were inadequate for their needs. It was the first food allergy-related settlement under ADA in higher education, says a DOJ spokeswoman.

In the agreement with DOJ, Lesley is required provide gluten- and allergen-free food options in its dining halls, offer special meal plans for students with allergies, and pay $50,000 in damages to the students who filed the claim in 2009, among other measures." NPR News

The day the station at Binghamton opened up, I decided to stop and speak with Tammy Coroa the manager of C4 and asked her a few questions that were on my mind about cross contamination and the station itself.  With food allergies specifically, there is a very high risk of cross contamination and usually very hard to prevent it in a setting like the resident dining halls.  Ms. Coroa had explained to me that her employees are trained and continue to be trained about the severity of allergies, as well as how to avoid cross contamination.  All of the utensils and cooking supplies for the Allergy friendly section are a light purple color, indicating to staff that they are only to be used in this one section. I had noticed they are using this kit in this facility, as well as other supplies from the same company, San Jamar. I also came across this video explaining their products  

Also they are trying to prevent cross contamination by not allowing students to place their trays down on the counter by the food, as well as giving each student a new plate if they order food from this station.  I think the concept is a great idea, and a step in the right direction to help students with food allergies feel less excluded as well as provide safe meals for them.  Like I said, definitely a step in the right direction.  

This dining service is calling Simple Servings which I think fits perfectly because again, it does not scream "I have an allergy" and I believe that is extremely important. I know I am very proud to be going to a school that is constantly making strives to keep everyone healthy and safe and is constantly setting precedents for other Universities.

There also is nothing mentioned on their website about the new allergy friendly options, so I am not sure if and how they plan to advertise this, but when they do, I think it will become a great success. As an Allergy Advocate, I love seeing this type of progression, especially when its at the school I attend!

If there are any advancements with this I will be sure to share! 

Feel free to contact me with any questions or opinions about this! I would love to hear and share with Sodexo!

Character Band-Aid Drive for Cohen's Children's Hospital

Hello Everyone!

I am holding a Character Band-Aid Drive in support of another fundraiser for Cohen's Children's Hospital being held by an adorable girl named Taylor.  Taylor is has been a patient at Cohen's Children's Hospital and has been on chemo for 20 months of the past 2 years being treated for Neuro Degenerative Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.  Her mom says that picking out her Character Band-Aid after treatments was always her biggest decision.  Taylor's goal is to collect 300 boxes of Character Band-Aids to donate to the hospital, and I would love to help her collect more than that!

I will be collecting the Band-Aids until August 28, 2012 because after that I go off to school, but the fundraiser will be until September 30th, 2012, if you still want to donate!

They are also looking to collect Latex-Free Band-Aids, and as you may know, is very important to me.  I can only imagine how hard it must be for a child going through chemo, and not be able to pick out a Character Band-Aid because of their Latex Allergy.  I know if people make an effort to donate Latex-Free Band-Aid's the children will be thrilled they can pick out a Band-Aid like the other kids, instead of having to take a plain one.

If you are looking for a Latex-Free Band-Aid, look for this logo:

Also, Curad brand Band-Aids are usually Latex-Free, but make sure to check the box anyway, just in case! 

I appreciate all of the support that is received from everyone!

To read more about the Band-Aid Drive, visit the Facebook page!  Character Band-Aid Drive Facebook Page


Have a great night!!!

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