I Asked A Restaurant To Consider Gluten-Free Options. I Didn't Expect The Response.

The menu sounded interesting, so I suggested gluten-free options so we could eat there. What followed was a lesson in how not to run your business' social media.

I wrote to a restaurant that sounded like it had a fun menu, and I politely asked for them to consider a gluten-free option. Even in New York City, there are relatively few options for dining out with my girlfriend, who has Celiac Disease.

They could have simply written, "Thanks for the suggestion. We'd love to, but we're unable to add a gluten-free option. We'll keep it in mind." I would have loved them for the simple response.

Instead, this is how the exchange went:

Chris Griswold on Tumblr / Via chrisgriswold.tumblr.com

The Twitter conversation, compiled from screencaps

By choosing to make a joke of my request and mocking me, Empire Biscuit turned off an interested, enthusiastic potential customer who might have campaigned for their success. Instead, I'm sharing this story with you.

The Stats

Celiac Disease may seem like a trend to some, but it's an autoimmune disease that my girlfriend and I have to take very seriously. According to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, gluten is "the protein component of wheat and similar proteins found in rye and barley. In people with celiac disease, the body mounts an immune reaction to gluten. … It attacks and damages the small intestine. The nature of this immune response is not an allergic reaction but a delayed type immune response." One unseen tempura crumb in a sushi roll, and my girlfriend was horribly sick for an entire week.

It's not fun.

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center reports that 1 in 133 Americans (roughly 3 million) has Celiac Disease, with 1 in 56 Americans showing related symptoms, likely from exposure to gluten.

That's a lot of Americans going through a lot of pain. It's a big deal.

JupiterImages and Jen Christiansen / Via scientificamerican.com

The Brand

Which leads us back to Empire Biscuit. I've been obsessed with branding since grad school, at the Scripps School of Journalism, and it always amazes me when business owners don't understand that every facet of your business reflects on your brand, whether you'd like it to or not. A restaurant's brand must always instill comfort and trust. We need to be able to trust that the restaurant we're eating in is taking our health very seriously; your food is going inside our bodies. Empire Biscuit is failing itself at this.

I was shocked by the response personally, but It's really disappointing and dismaying to see a business actually attack an interested potential customer on social media. (They actually continued into today before deleting all of their tweets toward me.)

I'd urge business owners to learn from this example. Your brand can convey rebelliousness and the spirit of adventure, but if you're a restaurant, you need to position yourself as trustworthy and reliable, and you need to follow through.

I love my girlfriend, and her health is of the utmost importance to me. So in the meantime, please feel free to send me your favorite gluten-free biscuit recipes. We'll make them at home together.