When TikToker @eatglutenfreewithme, who runs a channel all about living with celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome, recorded herself ordering at a restaurant to show her viewers what it was like she wasn’t expecting be slammed by the wait staff for daring to go to a restaurant while disabled—but that’s exactly what happened.
@eatglutenfreewithme For those wondering, I was recording this bc I wanted to show how I order food at restaurants & then this happened. #fyp #celiac #celiacdisease #celiactiktok #autoimmunedisease ♬ So crazy rn – Mimi
The purpose of her video was to demonstrate the particular ways she has to ask for modifications to menu items to make sure they’re something her body can actually digest. Something which is admittedly inconvenient for both her and the restaurant staff, but also something that every business should be willing to do to accommodate customers with chronic conditions.
However the waitress, who had already been told about the TikToker’s conditions, responds to her request for substitutions with, “You’re also allergic to other things?”
While @eatglutenfreewithme politely explained that no, she just had a “very specific stomach”—referring to her IBS and Crohn’s disease, disorders that can be triggered by even small amounts of a large variety of foods—the waitress continued to press the issue.
The server claims her mother-in-law “goes to restaurants with a spread sheet.” She continues, “I hate you, please stop doing this,” directed toward her mother-in-law’s specific requests. The waitress then jokes that the TikToker shouldn’t eat at restaurants. Uncomfortable laughter can be heard in the background before the recording ends.
“WAITERS pls don’t make jokes like this,” she wrote in the text overlay on the video.
The TikToker clarified in her pinned comments that she’d also called ahead to ask the restaurant if they could accommodate her, and that they’d said that they could. She noted that there was more to the conversation that she didn’t include in the video, but said “her behavior was uncalled for” regardless.
Some viewers thought that waitress was joking around and trying to be relatable.
“I think she was just trying to relate to you lol,” one user suggested.
“Aww. I think she was trying to seem relatable but failed. I too suffer from foot in mouth disease,” another argued.
However, others weren’t convinced.
“Nah she knew what she was doing. Straight up rude all you have to do is take the order & mind ya business, one viewer argued.
Multiple current and former servers chimed in to argue that despite her intention, her comments were wildly inappropriate.
“I was a server for ten years and I have celiac. If I ever heard a server say this I’d lose my shit it’s so disrespectful,” one viewer said.
Due to the gluten-free fad of recent years, where people without health problems that preclude eating gluten have decided to cut it out of their diets, a lot of people, including restaurants, don’t take requests for gluten free food or claims of gluten intolerances seriously. The TikToker notes this in another video.
@eatglutenfreewithme I came unprepared and it bit me in the ass :) #fyp #celiac #celiacdisease #autoimmunedisease ♬ The World At Large – Modest Mouse
However for people with celiac, an auto-immune disease that causes the immune system to attack the tissues of the small intestine when exposed to gluten, even ingesting small amounts of gluten can be very dangerous. Short-term symptoms of gluten exposure including stomach pain and gastric distress, while long-term consequences include malnutrition and nerve damage.
@eatglutenfreewithme Everytime I get cross contaminated it takes me a couple months to brave going back out. #celiac #celiacdisease #celiactiktok #celiactiktok ♬ original sound – Jack sparrow Fanpage
The Daily Dot has contacted @eatglutenfreewithme for comment.
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