GINA T.
User's reviews
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High Tea Cottage
I have visited this tea room on several occasions (3-5 times) and although I found the owner to be rude and sometimes hostile, I overlooked her behavior because I love having tea with my friends and this particular tea house accommodates individuals with gluten allergies. Today was my final visit. I was so humiliated today that my party of 6 left before we even placed our order. When we made the reservation, we noted that 1 in our party was gluten-intolerant. When we arrived for our tea, we reminded the server of that fact and he informed us that both gluten-free bread and gluten-free scones were available. When I tried to order one of the courses however, I was told that they could not make substitutions (although they had on my previous visits) and I would have to make another choice. I tried to be helpful and assured them that they could make any changes necessary to accommodate me. They could substitute the quiche with just a salad, they could give me less sandwich options, they could forego the cake and just give me an extra scone or a plate of fruit. I was happy to pay full price for half of the items but they refused to serve me. We asked for the owner and she stormed out to our table and in a very loud voice informed me that she would not make the substitutions and then proceeded to interrogate me about my food allergy! She accused me of using gluten-intolerance as a weight-loss ploy and lectured me on how gluten-free foods usually contain a higher fat content. Without raising my voice or using obscene language, I told her that I did not appreciate her inappropriate attitude and that her comments were not welcome as she does not hold a medical degree and has no business diagnosing me. She yelled something about wasting her time and stomped out of the room. I was embarrassed in front of my friends, a room full of strangers, and I was mortified that my health problems were called into question. We left and will never return. I hope that you steer clear as well.