I will caution you here, this story isn’t going to start with the glitz and glamor of a Hollywood movie – it’s going to start a little more like a low budget Zombie flick. But I also promise you, it finishes with a Disney musical number.

Last night we went out for dinner with two of our closest friends. These friends are well versed in the art of eating gluten free, so they suggested we go to Joey Tomatoes. We all know that Joey’s has a great GF menu and why take chances with the night.

So short of the long: We get there and decide to go for it. A nice glass of wine, a rib and rotisserie chicken combo and a great relaxed night. Unfortunately, it was not going to be that easy. All four of our meals arrived at the table and there is one small problem – mine has gravy all over it. I bring this issue up with the waitress who tells me it’s okay because it’s the gluten free gravy and I tell her she’s wrong. Waitresses generally don’t like it when you do this; but it’s my health and I won’t believe someone when I know they’re wrong. So she takes it back, and brings me a new one. I begin eating. Then I notice fiance looking at me funny – damn, I’ve been poisoned.

Side Note: Fiance always knows before I do. He can see something change in my eyes and starts watching me like a hawk. One rib, a spoon full of potatoes and two pieces of asparagus later; I’m so bloated I can’t get my engagement ring to move on my finger.

So now it’s time to decide – say something or just ride it out. I choose to say something. The waitress was ignoring us (happens all the time when they know you’re not well) and I was not appreciating the $20 they wanted me to spend on a meal that made me sick. So I sought out a manager.

Bingo. He listened to my concerns. He understood that it wasn’t about a free meal; it was about safety. He was apologetic and acted quick. He spoke to the kitchen manager and promised me that they would get to the bottom of the issue and let me know what really happened. I was impressed. They cared. They thought it mattered.

And matter to them it did. I received a phone call this afternoon. It was the manager asking me how I was feeling, double checking that I was doing alright and making sure that I was not soured to the experience. He even informed me of what went wrong. After the head chef watched his staff closely for the evening, he noticed that one of the line cooks was using the tongs that handled the GF ribs on the quesadilla’s. Instant cross contamination. I was informed that they have spoken to all the kitchen staff about the importance of safe food practices and the importance of cleanliness and care in preventing cross contamination.

I was impressed.

It happens. We get sick. We are a tough crowd to cook for. I never get mad when I get sick – as long as I know that my concerns are being heard and that they want to make it better. Joey Tomatoes cares about us. They are not perfect – no one is. But they do the very best they can and they are not scared to take responsibility and to take the steps needed to make it better.

To me, that’s all I ask and that is what impressed me.

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