One-star review of hotel that didn't provide gluten-free bread at funeral goes viral

'It was a funeral not a party'

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A mourner’s one-star TripAdvisor review of the hotel which catered a family funeral has gone viral after it was shared on Twitter.

The Elmbank Hotel in York was slated on the review website for not providing enough gluten-free food.

The mourner, Jan, explained that they had called three days before the funeral in June to tell the hotel about their dietary preferences, but were left disappointed.

(TripAdvisor (TripAdvisor)

“I attended a family funeral here recently and despite phoning three days prior to the event, they were unable to cater for my gluten-free preference,” Jan wrote on TripAdvisor.

“I was told they don’t have gluten-free bread but if I wanted to take my own they’d make a sandwich for me!!??

“In this day and age, you’d think they’d get their act together, it’s quite a common dietary requirement. I had to sit there, at lunchtime, munching on a chicken drumstick and some lifeless salad. Next stop, Tesco’s on the way past!”

And they added that they weren’t impressed with the coffee offering either: “I even had to specifically ask for decaf coffee too, frankly I wouldn’t go here again.”

It wasn’t until a screengrab of the review was shared on Twitter in early September that it went viral.

“The wrong person died,” joked journalist and restaurant critic Grace Dent.

Some people criticised the reviewer for being gluten-free by choice rather than by necessity.

“The genuine coeliacs I know would never complain about this sort of thing,” one person wrote.

And some Twitter users simply highlighted the point that perhaps the food choices at the gathering shouldn’t have been a concern: “It was a funeral not a party,” said one person.

The Elmbank Hotel has been contacted for comment.