1 /5 Jennifer Velez: Theyll posion you and misgender you all in one sitting! On Black Friday we decided to head to Palm Springs to support some small businesses for Christmas shopping. We kicked the day off with lunch. We researched a place that had Gluten Free options and landed on Boozehounds. My child was excited because we hadnt heard of it before and the whole place being themed around dachshunds was exciting because we have our own little doxie poo at home.
We all ordered burgers and French fries. When my childs burger arrived, the bun looked like the most magnificent gluten free bun Id ever seen. Before my child started eating I said to the waitress, "That is the most beautiful gluten free bun weve ever seen. Do you make them fresh in house or purchase them?" She smiled and said she wasnt sure. I explained normally theyre dry and crumbly and we were impressed to please tell the chef.
My child eats their meal and has to run to the restroom. We assume it was because of the long drive and now lunch on top of that, they were gone for a long time. My partner went to go check on them and we realized the bathroom options are: "male identifying" OR "female identifying". My child has just recently come out as non-binary and struggled through a suicide attempt from bullying at school.
My partner finds our child in the "male identifying" bathroom having a horiffic allergic reaction, thank god we went to check on them! Theyre not only incredibly sick at this point but sad and embarrassed because they were stressed about which bathroom was for them.
Palm Springs loves to rave about being a gay inclusive place but some how forgot about trans inclusion along the way.
My child ended up being incredibly sick. Days of migraines, vomiting and diarrhea as happens with being glutened.
The manager was apologetic but explained that they made an error and never marked the meal as needing to be gluten free. The bun that I inquired about, not gluten free, the fries NOT from that special gluten free fryer they rave about having.
My child was poisoned AND misgendered. Then the rest of our holiday weekend was ruined.
Your apology means very little at this point.
Dont market yourselves as being a gluten friendly restaurant, if your staff doesnt take it seriously. We dont avoid gluten for fun or because it is trendy. It is because it is an allergy. Do you know what eating allergens doe to a body?
Second, shame on you for the bathroom labels. Your pictures paired with the language "male identifying" and "female identifying" almost had the attempt at being inclusive but to choose scientific anatomical titles shows just how much you dont understand the LGBTQIA+ community at all.
This is an experience that my child is finally psychically recovering from but is still processing mentally. The part thats breaking my heart the most is that my child kept apologizing for not knowing which bathroom to use while we were there.
So my review is: careful when heading to Palm Springs for the day, you never know what type of trauma you might incur. If youre trans or have an allergy be sure to skip Boozehounds as they dont take your identity seriously across the board.
