We've just returned from a family trip out to California for my husband's business school reunion, which meant a whole lot of eating out at restaurantWe've just returned from a family trip out to California for my husband's business school reunion, which meant a whole lot of eating out at restaurants and catered events! Frankly, they weren't always able to accommodate us, but on three separate occasions, that turned into a "systems" conversation about what they could have done differently in their prep that day that would have allowed them to keep us as a customer - from bringing the labels down to the event site so I could read the ingredients in the barbecue sauce to always making sure you have at least one piece of meat that isn't yet marinated back in the kitchen. I was super-impressed by their willingness to join me in collaborative problem-solving for the future: clearly I'm not the first customer they've lost and they've been studying "the memo!" More ...
Totally - that's what made it such a pleasant surprise, and a reminder to myself that I shouldn't presume limitations for myself and my family based oTotally - that's what made it such a pleasant surprise, and a reminder to myself that I shouldn't presume limitations for myself and my family based on the bad attitudes we experienced at restaurants 3 years ago. This is absolutely NOT yet a universal thing, but many restaurants are now seeing that knocking it out of the park for food allergy families creates ridiculously loyal long-term customers! Progress... slowly but surely! More ...