My first thought is...
Duh.
You think a chain with thousands of locations can make a guarantee there will be no chance of cross-contamination? And that all employees will follow the proper procedures 100% of the time? Of course not. That's just asking for trouble...
In the sue happy world we live in, making a guarantee would mean people can sue for getting sick. Or for not getting sick. What's the chain gonna do, ask to see a biopsy slide showing damage? If someone sued the chain, they would likely give in, settling out of court, so they don't get bad publicity.
I, for one, am happy they have this disclaimer. They leave the choice of whether or not to risk the chance up to the consumer rather than making a false guarantee.
I think just about any restaurant offering gluten-free items will have a warning that there is a chance of cross-contamination. If they don't, I think they are setting themselves up for problems. Even the most experienced chef can't make a guarantee.
I've even read comments online about those with Celiac Disease saying they themselves have made mistakes in their home with gluten eaters and have glutened themselves. If it can happen in your own home, it can happen anywhere.
In conclusion, I think people need to realize that any restaurant without a dedicated gluten-free kitchen is going to have a disclaimer that gluten may contaminate the food. There's just no way around it... unless of course, you expect them to outfit all Domino's with a special gluten-free kitchen with separate ventilation to eliminate any possible risk of flour settling on your food.
:)
I appreciated the disclaimer. We are in risky situations any time we eat out but what got me is that they take no effort to have the pizza stay Gluten Free. This is where I give props to Pizza Pizza here. They have a separate prep area and even separate utensils and toppings just for the GF pizza. To me Domino's sort of jumped on a bandwagon to make money. The day they released the pizza news they were super busy tweeting the celebs who say a GF diet is great for weight loss...
ReplyDeleteYou make good and valid points, Jax. I feel that anytime we eat out, we put a great deal of faith into that kitchen and staff. Are all staff given training in GF cooking? In this economic time, I would doubt that any staff are given more than the absolute minimum information.
ReplyDeleteWell they just opened a Dominos not too long ago near by us...so I thought I would try it. Although perfectly pleasant the girl was unclear if they even used different utensils to cut the pizza with or at a minimum washed them before use on a GF pizza. Sad really as although I am perfectly prepared to accept responsibility for the potential of cross contamination I think they could do a whole lot better at taking a minute or two for simple things like using separate utensils/tools and washing their hands.
ReplyDeleteThe issue to me is more the fact they don't use separate tools or any work space. It's not a chance, it's a near guarantee.
ReplyDeleteI get they won't have separate ovens but to not have separate pans?