Today, I been thinking a lot about restaurants, and wondered how many Celiacs work in a non Gluten Free restaurant. I was thinking how hard and awkward it must be to be a waiter or waitress in these restaurants. In restaurants, patrons often ask how a certain dish tastes, and this would be difficult for a Celiac to answer, since we cannot eat food containing Gluten. This would put the waitress and the patrons in an uncomfortable situation. What if a restaurant the Celiac is working in does not have a Gluten Free menu? This would make things even worse.
This is why I think it is important for all restaurants to have a Gluten Free menu. For most meals, you can make a Gluten Free option. The waiter/waitress may be better able to help the patron in making their meal choice. The Celiac may not know what the dish tastes like exactly, but, they can give the patron a good idea of what the meal would taste like.
Work Discrimination
Despite the fact that most places state that they are an equal opportunity employer, Celiacs that are looking for jobs in the restaurant business may have a slightly higher chance of not being hired due to their dietary restriction. Not only because we are unable to taste test the food, but, also the fact that if we are "glutened," we can become very ill, and unable to work. I'm not saying that this will happen, I'm saying that there is a chance of this happening.
Any thoughts on this? Celiacs in the restaurant business, have you encountered discrimination in the workplace? Have you had an awkward experience talking to patrons about the food at the restaurant?
