This Innkeeper Is Not Playing That Game!

[YellowSocks]

We had jammies just this week... and we've robes had robes a couple of times, but mostly only when the guests already know who will be at the breakfast table with them.
=)
Kk.

 

[Morticia]

Sorry, know this one is old, but...just put out snacks and expressly told allergic guests (self-declared allergy) what was in the snacks so they wouldn't take them by mistake and get sick. Guest jumped up from porch and ran in to get some. Am no longer concerned about breakfast.

 

[muirford]

Sorry, know this one is old, but...just put out snacks and expressly told allergic guests (self-declared allergy) what was in the snacks so they wouldn't take them by mistake and get sick. Guest jumped up from porch and ran in to get some. Am no longer concerned about breakfast..

That's funny. I just had the opposite - checked-in our gluten-free guest and pointed out the peanut butter cookies sans gluten. She was grateful and said she always resigns herself to not eating any of the extras when she travels.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

Sorry, know this one is old, but...just put out snacks and expressly told allergic guests (self-declared allergy) what was in the snacks so they wouldn't take them by mistake and get sick. Guest jumped up from porch and ran in to get some. Am no longer concerned about breakfast..

That's funny. I just had the opposite - checked-in our gluten-free guest and pointed out the peanut butter cookies sans gluten. She was grateful and said she always resigns herself to not eating any of the extras when she travels.
.

Our moderate to severely restricted folks are eternally grateful that they have so many delicious choices here and because of my wife's background and skills, we're happy to accommodate whatever restrictions we get thrown our way.
One severely gluten intolerant guest has been so thrilled both times she's been here that she posted this gushing praise for us on the blog for the www.celiac.com website.
About all we ask of folks with this level of restrictions is that they don't spring it on us upon arrival and that they give us some kind of idea of what exactly they can and can't eat.
For the specially baked stuff we offer, we usually will put it on its own plate on the buffet with a little table top sign on it or put it in the guest's room to make sure nobody else grabs it.

 

[user 26]

tim, where on the celiac website is the review? is a big site and i didn't know where to look. would like to read the review.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

tim, where on the celiac website is the review? is a big site and i didn't know where to look. would like to read the review..

It is a big site. Took me a while to find it again.
An observation after rereading it again.
Definitely proves we don't prod for reviews anywhere because we would never tell somebody to mention a second party booking engine we aren't even listed on, or try to steer people to one that we pay such a huge commission for.
Or that this was her first stay with us, when it definitely was her second and we fully catered to her dietary needs both times.
Must have been so excited about sharing her positive experience that a few details eluded her. A real sweetheart and one of our favorite guests each year.
http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=57279

 

[user 26]

wow! so she didn't tell you ahead of time that she had celiac disease but there were gluten free muffins and breakfast for her? i applaud but i worry that others reading that might think gluten free dishes can just be whipped up when i think the effort is actually extraordinary. working at a bakery where gluten free muffins and cookies are available (is the guest correct?) would be enormously helpful but i really have zilch experience with this kind of cooking ~ and am not seeing any gluten free things available for purchase nearby ~ i don't know anyone with this kind of dietary restriction ~ and would need recipes and ingredients and advance notice! do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?

 

[gillumhouse]

wow! so she didn't tell you ahead of time that she had celiac disease but there were gluten free muffins and breakfast for her? i applaud but i worry that others reading that might think gluten free dishes can just be whipped up when i think the effort is actually extraordinary. working at a bakery where gluten free muffins and cookies are available (is the guest correct?) would be enormously helpful but i really have zilch experience with this kind of cooking ~ and am not seeing any gluten free things available for purchase nearby ~ i don't know anyone with this kind of dietary restriction ~ and would need recipes and ingredients and advance notice! do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?.

do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?
Yes. I keep the flours needed to make a loaf of bread.

 

[user 26]

good for you, kathleen! so all flour doesn't have gluten? is it the wheat, barley, oats and rye that is a problem? told you, i'm clueless.

 

[Proud Texan]

tim, where on the celiac website is the review? is a big site and i didn't know where to look. would like to read the review..

It is a big site. Took me a while to find it again.
An observation after rereading it again.
Definitely proves we don't prod for reviews anywhere because we would never tell somebody to mention a second party booking engine we aren't even listed on, or try to steer people to one that we pay such a huge commission for.
Or that this was her first stay with us, when it definitely was her second and we fully catered to her dietary needs both times.
Must have been so excited about sharing her positive experience that a few details eluded her. A real sweetheart and one of our favorite guests each year.
http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=57279
.

...Or that this was her first stay with us, when it definitely was her second and we fully catered to her dietary needs both times.

OMG! The pressure! Now you will forever have to live up to these standards!

Hope you don't get performance anxiety!

 

[Morticia]

wow! so she didn't tell you ahead of time that she had celiac disease but there were gluten free muffins and breakfast for her? i applaud but i worry that others reading that might think gluten free dishes can just be whipped up when i think the effort is actually extraordinary. working at a bakery where gluten free muffins and cookies are available (is the guest correct?) would be enormously helpful but i really have zilch experience with this kind of cooking ~ and am not seeing any gluten free things available for purchase nearby ~ i don't know anyone with this kind of dietary restriction ~ and would need recipes and ingredients and advance notice! do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?.

do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?
Yes. I keep the flours needed to make a loaf of bread.
.

do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?
Yes. I keep the flours needed to make a loaf of bread.

We have the ingredients on hand as well. Still, it's nice to have notice before hand so everything can be prepped at our convenience. The guest gets a wonderful meal but we don't stress over it.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

wow! so she didn't tell you ahead of time that she had celiac disease but there were gluten free muffins and breakfast for her? i applaud but i worry that others reading that might think gluten free dishes can just be whipped up when i think the effort is actually extraordinary. working at a bakery where gluten free muffins and cookies are available (is the guest correct?) would be enormously helpful but i really have zilch experience with this kind of cooking ~ and am not seeing any gluten free things available for purchase nearby ~ i don't know anyone with this kind of dietary restriction ~ and would need recipes and ingredients and advance notice! do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?.

"so she didn't tell you ahead of time that she had celiac disease but there were gluten free muffins and breakfast for her? "
That is another detail she kind of got tripped up on. Her husband did the booking both times and let me know each time. Maybe he didn't her tell that he gave me that information.
Nonetheless, she was a very happy camper each time.
We were flattered by her unsolicited reviews and praise on various venues like TA, B&B.com, but a few of the details she got wrong could turn into a headache for us if those type of dietary restricted guests took us at HER words.
It really isn't that big of a deal, its knowing what alternative flours to use and how to bind them together. At least watching my wife do it, it doesn't seem to phase her in the slightest. The stuff looks like "regular" and the few things I've tasted aren't bad, not great in comparison to the regular, but edible.
"i don't know anyone with this kind of dietary restriction"
I'd be willing to bet that you do and they probably don't even know it. For many its pretty mild, but more and more people are finding out that this is the cause of lots of their general health problems and especially digestive issues.
"~ and would need recipes and ingredients and advance notice!"
She has tons of resources and does it as her full-time job outside the B&B, so its like second nature for her. You should hear some of the horror stories she comes home with at night. "Do you have any spelt or amaranth flour, agave sweetened, nut-free, non-yeasted, organic ingredients only, humanely harvested eggs, that are kosher and not prepared in ovens where anything non-kosher was baked in muffins or bread?" "Oh, and I only want one"
"do you keep certain ingredients on hand at all times?"
She has a baker's cupboard with all the alternative flours on hand next to the regular stuff. There are a few pre-mixed things that I think she also stocks but it seems like she doesn't care for the results very much.
Up at 6,000 feet elevation, baking is a little more of a challenge, but in five years, I can count the number of things we wouldn't serve or she had to quickly redo that morning on one hand.

 

[gillumhouse]

good for you, kathleen! so all flour doesn't have gluten? is it the wheat, barley, oats and rye that is a problem? told you, i'm clueless..

The recipe I use has soy, brown rice, tapioca flours and cornstarch. I also have potato flour. I quite frnakly an not sure what all is in there. I keep it in the bread draw of my 1950s sink.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Gluten free, no problem
lactose free, no problem
additive free, organic, no problem
If I have specifically gone out of my way and baked/cooked a special breakfast because of their dietary restrictions and then I see them inhale all the goodies I provide which they have been told have the ingredients they can't eat, that's when I have a BIG PROBLEM.
Now I have a new one...no excitotoxins and she is lactose intolerant, can't have all purpose flour (can have whole wheat), no "natural flavors" and a variety of other issues. It seems that excitotoxins are additives such as msg, nutrasweet, etc. Again, not a problem since I use organic & bake from scratch recipes.
You just have to smile, say "oh, it's no problem" and then hope they don't all tell their friends with dietary issues about us!

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Here we go again,
I have guests right now who both are gluten intolerant. I just refreshed their room and guess what's in the trash? An empty box of crackers where the first ingredient is Enriched Wheat Flour!
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

 

[swirt]

Here we go again,
I have guests right now who both are gluten intolerant. I just refreshed their room and guess what's in the trash? An empty box of crackers where the first ingredient is Enriched Wheat Flour!
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Here we go again,
I have guests right now who both are gluten intolerant. I just refreshed their room and guess what's in the trash? An empty box of crackers where the first ingredient is Enriched Wheat Flour!
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.
.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.

hahaha I know what you mean! Let's splurge and eat some crackers! Oy! But they also had some deli pasta salad in their fridge. When they made the booking I was told that it just makes them feel better when they don't eat gluten. I made some Bob's Red Mill gluten free bread today and it's much better than some of the cardboard stuff out there.
Once again it's a matter of the guest not really realizing how it ads more work for us. But I just grin and bear it.

 

[JBloggs]

Here we go again,
I have guests right now who both are gluten intolerant. I just refreshed their room and guess what's in the trash? An empty box of crackers where the first ingredient is Enriched Wheat Flour!
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.
.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.

I think they tell you because you ask. Does that make sense? Just like diabetics - who drink soda after soda. Ask them, they will tell you they are diabetic and aren't supposed to drink sodas.
My niece has this issue, we were out eating pizza and on her second piece her face turned beet red and she said "I think I have had enough wheat for the day" could have had something else, but wanted pizza.

 

[EmptyNest]

Here we go again,
I have guests right now who both are gluten intolerant. I just refreshed their room and guess what's in the trash? An empty box of crackers where the first ingredient is Enriched Wheat Flour!
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.
.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.

hahaha I know what you mean! Let's splurge and eat some crackers! Oy! But they also had some deli pasta salad in their fridge. When they made the booking I was told that it just makes them feel better when they don't eat gluten. I made some Bob's Red Mill gluten free bread today and it's much better than some of the cardboard stuff out there.
Once again it's a matter of the guest not really realizing how it ads more work for us. But I just grin and bear it.
.

"makes them feel better" what the ??? so they really aren't on special diets and I wouldn't go out of my way to do anything special for them then...grrrrrr. YOu are not a restaurant with "made to order" breakfast.

 

[gillumhouse]

Here we go again,
I have guests right now who both are gluten intolerant. I just refreshed their room and guess what's in the trash? An empty box of crackers where the first ingredient is Enriched Wheat Flour!
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.
.

Seems like an odd intolerance to fake. Especially since most of the gluten free stuff tastes like crap. As the test stomach around here I remember trying a lot of gluten free items that I thought tasted horrible until DW finally developed/modified some to the point where I called them servable or good.
I mean I can understand the people that wanted SouthBeach Diet but then had doughnuts in their room ... they were cheating..makes total sense. Doughnuts are at least a good temptation. Gluten intollerant cheating for crackers??? Seems silly.

hahaha I know what you mean! Let's splurge and eat some crackers! Oy! But they also had some deli pasta salad in their fridge. When they made the booking I was told that it just makes them feel better when they don't eat gluten. I made some Bob's Red Mill gluten free bread today and it's much better than some of the cardboard stuff out there.
Once again it's a matter of the guest not really realizing how it ads more work for us. But I just grin and bear it.
.

"makes them feel better" what the ??? so they really aren't on special diets and I wouldn't go out of my way to do anything special for them then...grrrrrr. YOu are not a restaurant with "made to order" breakfast.
.

But if an innkeeper wants to show she "cares" she does it. YOU may think it is above and beyond but the guest thinks that is why they go to a B & B. I do a lot of things that many think are outrageous - but it is what keeps my guests coming back. We may grouse, but each will do what is necessary to keep the business coming.