Applebee's

[Lisa]

Today we had lunch at Applebee's as I watched my husband eat what I wanted to, I ordered a Ceasar Salad (without the Croutons). I asked the manager if it was made with distilled vineager and he came back and said that all their salad dressing were made with distilled vineager. So, I chomped down, while drooling at my husbands plate.

Three hours later I had the bad stomach girgles and a lengthly bathroom visit.

Although still healing after two months, this also may come from the ruffage being not suitable to a damaged intestine.

Has anyone eaten a Ceasar Salad with parm. cheese at Applebee's and had a problem?

Welcome a response.

Lisa B.

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Did you ask for dressing on the side?

If you just asked for no croutons, they will toss your salad in the same bowl as the ones that are tossed with the croutons. That will make you sick.

Dressing on the side always (or toss it in a clean bowl -- but I am rarely that trusting)

Hope this helps...

[zakismom]

I did not have a great response to Applebee's. My coworkers and I were to have lunch together for a going away party and they were all ordering from there. I called ahead and asked to speak with the manager to ask if there was anything appropriate for me to eat there. She was totally clueless so I had my lunch from another place. I checked their website when I got home and they don't have any list of ingrediants for any of their meals and their official response to my e-mail was that they get their supplies from too many different sources to be able to accurately tell what is in each dish. I won't be eating there myself.

[Guest barbara3675]

When you go to Appleby's order the grilled salmon, which comes with rice and a veggie and specifically tell them no sauce or seasonings. I have ordered it several times and carefully explained why/no sauce. I have felt fine afterwards. However, the Applebys that I go to/the manager has a child with allergies and they are a little more sensitive there. You must speak up and make sure the sever understands your needs.

Barbara

[Lisa]

Thanks for your input. I am still in the beginning stages of deal with eating out.

I used to LOVE it, but now, it's better if I eat at home......that's the pitts. I have been a far better cook than any restaurant that I have been to locally. So the money that is being saved from eating out, should go to my grocery money....don't you'all thing. Probly sooooooooo.

We live in a small town and everyone meets at a local grill/restaurant and we talk and eat and see lots of folks. I usually order a hamburger, cheese, lettuce, onion, hold the bun and a baked potato. That seems to carry me.

Next time, if there is one, I will order the grillled salmon.

I love this when you can bounce off others experiences...........I guess that's what we all are about.

Thanks Barbara

[2Boys4Me]

Lisa, I wonder if it might have been the dressing.

I make homemade chicken caesars all the time, but use store bought dressings and have only found one w/o wheat as an ingredient. We don't have any Applebee's so I have no idea what they use for dressing.

[LLCoolJD]

Caesar Salad dressing usually has wheat, doesn't it? I suspect that is what caused your problem. Having worked at Applebee's for a spell, I have to say that they don't have much in the way of gluten free food on the menu. Their desserts are really awesome, too, which is a bit frustrating.... Anyway, some of the steaks (Applebee's has bad steaks, I've found) and maybe the grilled salmon without seasoning (as someone mentioned) might be gluten-free if you could get them prepared carefully.

You have to realize, though, that everything is cooked on the same grill. And don't expect the kitchen to be able to handle such a special order during a hectic lunch or a weekend rush. If you want a special order to be followed, it'd be safer to go in to a restaurant for an early (11:15-ish) mid-week lunch, when the grill has been cleaned and the kitchen isn't very busy. It's much more pleasant to dine when it's quiet, anyway.

The only thing I can think of from Applebee's that I'd feel safe eating would be a no-crouton house salad w/oil and vinegar, and garlic mashed potatoes (probably a double order of those). That's not a large meal by any stretch of the imagination, but throw in a cup of coffee, and it'd work for a lunch.

[minamoe]

I am new to the whole gluten free diet thing, I was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago, but I am also a Wweight Watchers member and know that places lie about their dressings being fat free...so unless you explain your condition to them, they most likely lie about the dressings and their ingredients as well. I ate the riblets without sauce and had no problems. That was the first time I've eaten out and not gotten sick in almost 2 years.

Today we had lunch at Applebee's as I watched my husband eat what I wanted to, I ordered a Ceasar Salad (without the Croutons).  I asked the manager if it was made with distilled vineager and he came back and said that all their salad dressing were made with distilled vineager.  So, I chomped down, while drooling at my husbands plate.

Three hours later I had the bad stomach girgles and a lengthly bathroom visit.

Although still healing after two months, this also may come from the ruffage being not suitable to a damaged intestine.

Has anyone eaten a Ceasar Salad with parm. cheese at Applebee's and had a problem?

Welcome a response.

Lisa B.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[shawnalava]

I work at applebees so I can tell you how he salads are prepared. Tossing the salad is not an issue for 2 reasons. First, the cooks toss the salad in single use plastic bags in which the lettuce was originally portioned. They throw the dressing in there, put some air in the bag and toss it around. Second, croutons are added at the end, so they'd never be tossed in the first place.

That being said something about the salad is not gluten free. It glutens me every time. Even when i make the salad myself, fresh gloves, I open new containers of dressing and cheese and get my own lettuce from the back.

I've come to the conclusion that the parm cheese is not gluten free, or causes a reaction for some reason. It's on the gluten free menu in one place and that's on the napa chicken and portobellos, but I still don't believe it. Every time I eat this shaved parm cheese on anything, I get glutened.

Next time, try the salad with chicken and dressing only and it's still pretty tasty. Hope this helps.

[kareng]

Please note:  The original posts are from 2005.  I know Applebys has added a sort of gluten-free menu since then.

[Juliebove]

I know this is an old post but two things come to mind.  One is...  What is the salad served in?  If it is a wooden bowl, that could be retaining gluten.  I don't like Applebees so will never darken their door again.  I honestly don't know how the salads come.

 

Another thing is that I have found salads to be a very unsafe item to order in a restaurant unless that restaurant has no croutons whatever in it.  There are a few that do not serve them at all.  I can't tell you how many times they forgot that I said "No croutons" and then thought it was good enough just to pick them off.  But I also have additional food problems such as not being able to have egg or dairy.  I have sometimes gotten a salad with egg on there even though the egg isn't listed.  Or gotten halfway through the salad and finding a shred of lettuce.

 

One reason I dislike Applebees is that so much of what they serve is glopped up with sauce of some kind.  I prefer going to places that offer at least some plain food.  Like fruit.  Or bacon.  Plain foods like that are usually safe, but you do have to order several different sides.