Dining with the "Glutard"
That's what Nick calls himself anyway... And this will be a little bit of a rant, so consider yourself warned!
More and more restaurants are catching on - realilzing that people who are gluten intolerent want to be able to eat out with their friends and not worry about getting sick. This was our first trip where it has really been an issue. Before, with the turtle, I was able to make anything - all healthy and gluten free for Nick. It was a simple as cooking at home - just on a smaller scale. Not this time. Although I am pretty dangerous with a microwave and hot pot, sometimes all you want after a hard ride is a pizza. Or a hamburger. But it's more then just food. It's the whole package. Food, drinks, ambiance. And while we got the food at least once, (the other was a little poor - even simple questions like "are the fries cooked in the same oil as the breaded dishes" couldn't be answered. And an extra piece or two of lettuce with the hamburger wouldn't break the bank, would it?) the rest was sorely lacking. If someone is ordering a gluten free pizza, are they really going to get a wheat or barley loaded beer? Not likely. And just because someone is gluten intolerent doesn't automatically mean they like wine. There are plenty of quality, gluten free ciders (not so much on the beer side - that's been a bit hard). Why not offer one on tap or a bottle? Then we'd be like any other group in Fruita, discussing the epic ride over some adult beverages. And we would be happy and more willing to spend money. That brings me to ambiance. If it's so loud the wait staff can't hear a simple question, it's too loud. If I can't hear Nick talking, it's too loud. We are not gonna hang out someplace so uncomfortably loud - especially if there is nothing to drink. It was a little disappointing, trying to eat this weekend. As Fruita is up and coming hotbed of riding and marketing the town heavily, one would hope that people would be at least aware of dietary issues (and acknowledge that there is good money to be made with catering to people with dietary restrictions.)
More and more restaurants are catching on - realilzing that people who are gluten intolerent want to be able to eat out with their friends and not worry about getting sick. This was our first trip where it has really been an issue. Before, with the turtle, I was able to make anything - all healthy and gluten free for Nick. It was a simple as cooking at home - just on a smaller scale. Not this time. Although I am pretty dangerous with a microwave and hot pot, sometimes all you want after a hard ride is a pizza. Or a hamburger. But it's more then just food. It's the whole package. Food, drinks, ambiance. And while we got the food at least once, (the other was a little poor - even simple questions like "are the fries cooked in the same oil as the breaded dishes" couldn't be answered. And an extra piece or two of lettuce with the hamburger wouldn't break the bank, would it?) the rest was sorely lacking. If someone is ordering a gluten free pizza, are they really going to get a wheat or barley loaded beer? Not likely. And just because someone is gluten intolerent doesn't automatically mean they like wine. There are plenty of quality, gluten free ciders (not so much on the beer side - that's been a bit hard). Why not offer one on tap or a bottle? Then we'd be like any other group in Fruita, discussing the epic ride over some adult beverages. And we would be happy and more willing to spend money. That brings me to ambiance. If it's so loud the wait staff can't hear a simple question, it's too loud. If I can't hear Nick talking, it's too loud. We are not gonna hang out someplace so uncomfortably loud - especially if there is nothing to drink. It was a little disappointing, trying to eat this weekend. As Fruita is up and coming hotbed of riding and marketing the town heavily, one would hope that people would be at least aware of dietary issues (and acknowledge that there is good money to be made with catering to people with dietary restrictions.)
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