The results of my latest Celiac.com survey indicate that 71 percent of 983 respondents dine out less often now than before they went on a gluten-free diet.  Further, 74 percent of those who do eat out are now more nervous and uncomfortable during their dining experience, and 50 percent of them felt this way because it is either too much trouble to explain their diet, or because they felt that restaurant employees are in too big of a hurry to worry about their special needs.  As a resident of San Francisco, a city that supposedly has enough table space in its restaurants to seat everyone in the city at once, these results disappoint me.  Not because I eat out less due to my gluten-restricted diet, or am uncomfortable when I do so, but because I don’t believe that anyone with celiac disease who ...

Celiac.com 05/16/2014 - More than half of U.S. chain restaurants plan to expand their gluten-free menus in the next year, according to a national menu price survey by restaurant supply-chain co-op SpenDifference.
"Operators recognize that a growing number of customers have health-related dietary restrictions, and they are revamping their menus to include choices for them, as well as for those who simply want more healthful choices,” said SpenDifference president and CEO Maryanne Rose.
Currently, 55 percent of restaurants surveyed serve gluten-free menu items. According to the new survey, the majority of those businesses will be expanding that selection in the coming year.
The survey supports projections that indicate that the demand for gluten-free menu items “will be with us ...