5 replies to this topic

[Bruisin]

or at least it wasn't for me!

I was told by different online sites that our Chilis (Savannah) provided a gluten free menu.

I decided to give it a try. Ordered completely gluten free stuffs. Explained to them that I not only had celiac but also had crohns, and asked several times to make sure they were indeed gluten free.

I couldn't believe the flare up I had! I called them and asked them about their menu.....they told me that they boil veggies in the same water that noodles were boiled in.....hello???!! That's NOT gluten free.

They apologized and sent me coupons (which was awesome of them btw) and I decided to go back....and the flare up happened again to spite the fact I was even more careful at what I had to eat.

This flare up I had was no joke. I'm simply not going back. What do you do to make sure you don't get cross contamination at resturants?

[luvs2eat]

Simple... we don't eat in restaurants. I had two bad experiences at Chilis in the past showing me that you can talk to the server and the manager, but behind those closed kitchen doors... all bets are off.

[Adalaide]

There is a difference between restaurants that offer actual gluten free choices (P.F. Chang's for instance) and restaurants that are on the gluten free bandwagon and have no freaking clue what the hell they are doing. Places such as Chili's and Applebee's have a "gluten free" menu to appeal to those morons who are gluten free as part of the fad. These places are generally not safe for us to eat. For instance, Chili's says right on the page of their allergy menu that they use shared prep areas and even common fryer oil. Not the sort of place that is safe for us at all. On the other hand P.F. Chang's takes precautions to prevent CC, and while yes, it is prepared in a common kitchen, they aren't bandwagoners. They truly care about providing a safe gluten free meal. (I'm not saying they're a warm, fuzzy, feel good company, I'm saying it is good business practice to get repeat business.)

It is definitely a good idea early on to avoid eating out to have time to heal while avoiding these situations. If you're feeling adventurous though, don't swear off all restaurants... just the stupid and moronic ones who don't give a crap about providing a safe meal. That said, every meal out of your own house, every time, is a risk. We all have to simply accept that.

[Bruisin]

thank you both so very much! i think it's going to be a very long time until I ever venture out again!!

[Mayasmum]

I have decided not to eat out just yet unless it is a gluten-free restaurant.

[killernj13]

I disagree with the comment on Chili's jumping on the new gluten-free bandwagon. They have been offering it for years.

Now I do agree that there could be cross contamination issues based on the restaurant and training.