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
