Can a restaurant "wash off" a non-compliant marinade?

[JLaq143]

My family is going out to dinner at an Afghani restaurant tonight for my sister's birthday, and, being a good little Whole30er, I called the restaurant before they opened (when they wouldn't be busy) so I could ask all of my questions about compliant oils, marinades and seasonings, etc.  Just based on ingredients, Afghani food seems like a good choice, because it's primarily grilled meat and vegetables -- and this restaurant even uses grass-fed beef and lamb!

Anyway, the store manager told me that ALL of the meat is pre-marinated in corn oil, even the ground meats, but that customers with allergies in the past have ordered grilled chicken or beef with the marinade rinsed off before grilling, and that they haven't had any problems.  I think I already know the answer, but... would this be acceptable?  Otherwise I'll be going to this amazing restaurant and just eating a bowl of plain lettuce.  Not the end of the world, but not exactly enjoying my life either.  Can some moderators chime in on this?

Thanks!

[ShannonM816]

Unfortunately, marinades are not just on the surface of the meat, they soak into it, so there's no way to rinse it all off. 

None of their vegetable choices were compliant either? That really does suck. 

[JLaq143]

1 minute ago, ShannonM816 said:

Unfortunately, marinades are not just on the surface of the meat, they soak into it, so there's no way to rinse it all off. 

None of their vegetable choices were compliant either? That really does suck. 

I figured that would be the answer, so I'll just get salad and eat my protein at home.  I was so disappointed about the meat that I forgot to ask about the grilled veggies, but they did say that their salads are just dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, so I can have that, and some traditional Afghani tea (without sugar or milk), so that should still give me the sense of having something special that I can't make at home.  Thanks for talking me down! haha

Something that might still make this post useful to others is that, while looking for a solution to my dilemma, I came across SO MANY posts about people "accidentally" eating something non-compliant and not wanting to start over.  I know it's a personal decision, but my view is that, as long as something has an ingredients list, there is no "accidentally" breaking the rules.  Part of doing a Whole30 is about learning how to read labels very carefully BEFORE putting something in your mouth, not after.   How much easier would it have been for me to just go ahead and eat the meat at this restaurant and then afterward say, "Oh no, it turns out they use corn oil in the marinade, but I didn't know!" It's part of the learning process to find out about these things.  Anyway, that's my two cents.  Maybe I'm just bitter now because I'll be eating salad at a birthday party, but if I can make that choice, so can others.