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Gluten Free At Fast Food Place?

Fenrir

By Fenrir
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

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Fenrir Community Regular
Fenrir
Posted

Not that I really want to eat at a Fast food place but once in a while I end up in a situation with few choices.

 

Is there a list somewhere that compiles the gluten-free stuff at various chain fast food places?

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  • Replies 52
  • Created
  • Last Reply
kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

A lot of people have good luck with Chick Fila , IN and Out burgers, Five Guys, Wendys (say allergy & get a baked potato unwrapped or chili or Frosty), most frozen yogurt places...

BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

I avoid most fast food places but I've had good luck with Wendy's and Qdoba's. At Wendy's I say "allergy" and ask them to change gloves and I do the same at Qdoba's.

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

Chipolte  is  another....burger king

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

In N Out is the top of my list. I'll occasionally do a Wendy's if I'm in a pinch, starving and can't get to an In N Out.

Fenrir Community Regular
Fenrir
Posted
  • Author

Looks like Chipotle has Tacos, Burrito Bowls and Salads. Taco Bell has the XXL Steak Taco. Chick-fil-A has a good number of things. No in-and-out here. Qboda actually has some good looking stuff on the menu and I love Wendy's chili.

Good to know I have some good choices out there.

 

Thanks!

LauraTX Rising Star
LauraTX
Posted

Qdoba is very similar to chipotle and also good.  Chips are fried in shared oil.  They have queso!  (mmmm queso) The one near me has wonderful employees who are great once you say gluten.

 

Chipotle, Wendys baked potato (ask for it wrapped) and chili and a frosty, but I get sick of wendys because I am always stuck eating there on road trips.

 

Chik fil a is awesome.  I usually get the grilled nuggets and a side salad, when I feel naughty I get fries.  Also great workers at the one near me.  Ice cream in a cup if I am feeling like being fat that day.

 

I just took a look at taco bells gluten-free menu, and it looks like a lot of their breakfast stuff like the meat and eggs may be doable.  But I think I would rather starve than go that route.

 

Five guys can be doable as well, but I haven't tried it, I think they are overrated.

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mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

We love  Red Robin  but Five  guys  burgers we think has a weird  taste, at least  in our  area.....I just  don't  trust  Taco Bell...  our Taco bell has  Pizza Hut in with it...

BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

After getting glutened at Taco Bell, I won't eat there. CC is a major issue for Taco Bell. If I'm faced with the choice of Taco Bell or skipped meal, I opt to skip the meal. 

Fenrir Community Regular
Fenrir
Posted
  • Author

Well, I went out and ate at Chipotle. Had a great experience. I just told the employee that I can't eat gluten or I'll get sick and he took his gloves off, washed hands, regloved with new gloves, then put a fresh paper in the bottom of a basket as to not contamitate it with the stuff they just slide down the bar.

He was training in a new employee in and he explained to her that when someone says they can't have gluten that they need to "be careful to not cross contaminate and we need to really take care of these folks so they don't get sick.".

I plan to call in and tell the manager I appreciate how his employees are doing a great job looking out for Celiacs.

BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

I'm glad that you had a good experience! It is nice when employees really take the time to listen and cater to your needs. 

Fenrir Community Regular
Fenrir
Posted
  • Author

I'm glad that you had a good experience! It is nice when employees really take the time to listen and cater to your needs.

Yeah, this Chipotle location won my business when I need to grab something quick.
psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Five guys can be doable as well, but I haven't tried it, I think they are overrated.

Overrated? No. Overpriced? Maybe.

They are expensive, but the portions are enormous, and they do take gluten-free seriously. A small fries is enough for the two of us to share and be filled.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I don't know why anyone with Celiac would try to eat at Taco Bell. They have a total of 3 food items that are gluten-free. And that is without part of the ingredients.

"Suggestions for Wheat and Gluten Sensitive Individuals:

Express Taco Salad (order Chicken instead of Beef)

Tostada without Red Sauce

Fiesta Taco Salad (order Chicken instead of Beef; order without the shell and without the Red Strips)"

Open Original Shared Link

BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

Yeah, you are all but guaranteed to get CC'ed there. Same with Subway, I won't touch their food with a 10 foot pole. 

LauraTX Rising Star
LauraTX
Posted

Overrated? No. Overpriced? Maybe.

They are expensive, but the portions are enormous, and they do take gluten-free seriously. A small fries is enough for the two of us to share and be filled.

 

I do think the one time I went there pre-celiac days, I may have had a bad lot (and didn't know 2 small fries would feed a large family, lol).   There are a ton of good burger places around here but of course most of those I can't eat at now.  May be time for me to give them another try.  I bring dinner to my husband at work quite a bit, and there is one next to the chipotle I always go to, and it isn't nearly as busy at dinner as it is at lunch time.  I can bring a gluten-free bun and slap it on there in the car... haha!

moosemalibu Collaborator
moosemalibu
Posted

Yeah, this Chipotle location won my business when I need to grab something quick.

Yay! I have yet to venture out to eat at any of the places mentioned but I now have a chipotle where I live so it's on my list!

Telith Newbie
Telith
Posted

I occasionally eat at Jimmy Johns, but I also know half of the staff personally so they all automatically switch gloves when I come in and they all are now experts at making lettuce wrapped "unwiches"

 

Burger King and McDonalds will both make their burgers without a bun if you ask, if they give you "deer in the headlight eyes"  you're probably going to want to explain exactly why, and what that means.  I've received a Big Mac with only the middle bun missing and had to explain to a very embarrassed worker that I meant none of the bread and had to ask for a fresh one.  Burger King's fries are supposed to be safe, McDonalds are a shared fryer.

 

I will usually pick Wendy's or Burger King when I have a choice. Qdobo is excellent, but I have trouble finding them around me.  Noodles and Company is also expanding their gluten free options...fun fact.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I occasionally eat at Jimmy Johns, but I also know half of the staff personally so they all automatically switch gloves when I come in and they all are now experts at making lettuce wrapped "unwiches"

 

Burger King and McDonalds will both make their burgers without a bun if you ask, if they give you "deer in the headlight eyes"  you're probably going to want to explain exactly why, and what that means.  I've received a Big Mac with only the middle bun missing and had to explain to a very embarrassed worker that I meant none of the bread and had to ask for a fresh one.  Burger King's fries are supposed to be safe, McDonalds are a shared fryer.

 

I will usually pick Wendy's or Burger King when I have a choice. Qdobo is excellent, but I have trouble finding them around me.  Noodles and Company is also expanding their gluten free options...fun fact.

McDonalds only fries fries and hash browns in their fryers. At least, that is the company policy and the fries are cooked at different temp than other things.

BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

Not all Burger Kings have dedicated friers. It varies from location to location.

Telith Newbie
Telith
Posted

Last I heard the hash browns weren't gluten-free which is why it's a problem:

 

HASH BROWNS: 
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*, Citric Acid [Preservative]), Salt, Corn
Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Extractives of Black Pepper. 
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK. 
*Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.
kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

 

Last I heard the hash browns weren't gluten-free which is why it's a problem:

 

HASH BROWNS: 
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*, Citric Acid [Preservative]), Salt, Corn
Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Extractives of Black Pepper. 
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK. 
*Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.

 

 

 

It says the same ingredients for the fries.  For reasons I don't completely understand, the fries have been tested as gluten-free.  The tiny bit of wheat is used in the pre-fry stage.  Looks like it it the same with the hash browns.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

In the United States, there is a wheat-derived ingredient in the flavor added to the oil in which the McDonalds fries are partially fried before freezing.

Independent testing by Dr. Steven Taylor, a recognized expert at the University of Nebraska, has found no detectable gluten in the end product.

Make your own decision. The question has been debated endlessly here since February of 2006.

See the last paragraph in the quote; search this site for thousands of posts over the last eight years.
kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

See the last paragraph in the quote; search this site for thousands of posts over the last eight years.

I thought it was interesting that the poster only noticed the " wheat" on the hash browns. :0

Ok. I finally understand why. For some reason, this clicked this time. I knew they were gluten-free. It's one of those things that is so processed ( the flavoring) that there is no gluten left in it.

Still........ My hips, etc didn't need to know this...... :)

HavaneseMom Explorer
HavaneseMom
Posted

I ate at Chipotle a few months ago. It was delicious and I had no reaction. After that, just out of curiosity, I did a web search on them and someone had commented that they had noticed that they were using the scoops that are in the different toppings to smear the toppings across the flour tortillas and that it could cause cross contamination issues. This was a older post, and I am wondering if anyone noticed if they still do this, or do they plop the toppings on the flour tortillas now? Their food is really good, so I am hoping they train their staff not to let the scoops touch the tortillas now since they seem very Celiac aware.

Taco Bell also has gluten free Cantina Bowls that my husband really likes. I agree with other that cross contamination risk could be high there so I avoid it myself.

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