This list of food requirements given to a restaurant by a diner is next-level stuff
People with allergies and food intolerances have to be very careful when dining out, and nowadays most restaurants are all too happy to comply with customers’ instructions about what they can and cannot eat.
Sometimes, however, it can seem that some customers cross the line from making perfectly reasonable dietary requests into being the most entitled of what our parents might call ‘fussy eaters’.
Here’s one such jaw-dropping example.
It started when restaurant critic and writer, Jay Rayner, tweeted this exasperated message to his followers…
Blimey, the reader emails i’m receiving today, which are great in number and essentially come down to WHY WON’T RESTAURANTS CATER TO MY EVERY SPECIFIC NEEDS AND WHY WON’T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
— Jay Rayner (@jayrayner1) April 16, 2023
There were many sympathetic replies from those in the restaurant trade, but this one in particular was truly next-level…
This is a list given to us by a diner the day before their visit. An all too common occurrence these days….. pic.twitter.com/aA9U51gYNn
— joanna riddle (@Jo_Riddle) April 16, 2023
Let’s take a closer look…
Wow! They’d be ok with fish and chips, we suppose, but there’s not a lot of room to work with.
Jay Rayner had this sarcasm-laden response –
How to have a great time in a restaurant. https://t.co/BQCpmAO4DZ
— Jay Rayner (@jayrayner1) April 16, 2023
Here’s what other Twitter users made of it…
1.
this drives me barmy. I have a severe allergy to peanuts & cashews & always ask a if I can be catered for but I also use a bit of common sense & look at the menu before booking to see if it’s even a possibility. if I had to avoid this lot I’d never expect to be catered for!
— Vicki GTTO 🇪🇺 (@squirrel_pigeon) April 16, 2023
2.
This makes me so angry bc it minimises folks like me who genuinely have certain foods we cannot eat (also, I do my research before I eat somewhere and will email in advance to ask any questions I might have and I don’t show up with an annotated wishlist of ingredients!)
— Pocket Full of… ME (@PeaKayEff) April 16, 2023
3.
What exactly were they expecting you to do with this??? Spend the whole day coming up with their custom meal to be nice and ready in time for their visit like a personal chef??? They can read the menu and if they’re not sure they can eat something then don’t or ask 😅
— Bennie and the Jess (@Jess5_11) April 16, 2023
4.
“I believe there’s been a misunderstanding. We give you the menu, not vice versa.”
— Jack Letourneau (@[email protected]) (@jlet) April 16, 2023
5.
Crikey – I have severe intolerances and generally just pick a meal that most matches and ask for the odd element to be removed. Socialising is important but this is crazy.
— Katie (@ktbevell) April 16, 2023
6.
It is good that they are okay with hot and cold water.
— Kate A Peysner (@KPeysner) April 16, 2023
7.
Probably someone who has a health condition related to their gut. By the looks of it, given it says “for the moment” it is a gut cleanse with some foods being reintroduced gradually. No doubt social isolation is also impacting them so hopefully someone could serve something.
— Connaire McGreevy (@ConnaireMcG) April 16, 2023
8.
I’m a vegetarian with pretty severe food restrictions because of IBS (and now lactose intolerance on top). Even my list of food to avoid doesn’t look that (not that I’d ever dream of sending one into a restaurant!)
And ‘I only eat Aberdeen Angus, not supermarket meat’ 🙄
— αmαи∂α ṧтᎥƚтʐ 🐀 (@AJS71) April 16, 2023
9.
They can eat salt and they can eat butter, but they can’t eat butter with salt in?
— Gill (@RIddlesdenGill) April 16, 2023
10.
I’ve worked in catering. Was advised at a banquet by a guest that they needed gluten free. Kitchen went into a spin and provided a GF meal at every course. Guest wanted chocolate cake at the dessert buffet, when I mentioned it wasn’t GF, they said I can have a little, it’s ok 🙄
— Pap Rika (@PapRika_99) April 16, 2023
Liverpool Wanderer succinctly captured the mood.
I'd just show them the door.
There's catering to those with allergies and dietary requirements but this is taking the piss. https://t.co/ojYxf7JIIp
— LiverpoolWanderer (@LiverpoolWande1) April 16, 2023
Food for thought…
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This restaurant’s response to a customer’s dietary needs is off the scale ridiculous
Source Jay Rayner Image @Jo_Riddle, Timbigger on Pixabay