Do You Always Ask For Special Handling Of Your Food?

[BlessedMommy]

Do you instruct restaurant staff each and every time about proper handling of your food to avoid CC? Or do you waive the speech in some circumstances? What about restaurants that have an extensive gluten free program and a dedicated prep space and have been certified by the GIG? Do you still ask for special handling of your food each time?

 

What about items (like smoothies or Wendy's frosties) that aren't likely to get CC'ed in the first place?

 

 

[LauraTX]

There is a restaurant with the best gluten-free menu in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, it is ran by a family half of which are Celiacs.  I just say "gluten-free" there and I know they have it.  There is a dedicated gluten-free bakery that I also ask no questions at.  I will order something like a Wendy's frosty as-is, because there really are no precautions to take.  At Chik Fil A, I will have them tell the kitchen staff to use clean utensils if I am inside the restaurant.  If I am in drive-thru, I do not add special instructions to my order, because you are an A-hole if you do that when you are in a timed drive thru, in my opinion. Chipotle I will ask them to change their gloves and not touch the inside of the bowl.

 

Anywhere else that is sit down and has a gluten-free menu, I will do the whole spiel each time unless they demonstrate their knowledge and practices to me first.  Outback and Mellow Mushroom are good examples.  After I order from the gluten-free menu, I will throw in, "Even though the ticket says gluten-free on it, can you go ahead and let the kitchen staff know I am Celiac so they can use clean practices to keep me from getting sick?"  or a variant of that.  I am a silent Celiac and will not conclusively know if I have been glutened, so I try to make sure my bases are covered.  I try to stick with trusted places and limit my eating out.  I also limit myself by getting sick of eating at the few Celiac safe places near me, haha!

[chocominties]

I barely ever eat out.  So there's that ...

 

I do go to Chipotle quite a bit (once a week = quite a bit).  I always figure the chance of cc from having my bowl on the same surface as someone's tortilla wrapper isn't that great, but if I see Skippy playing with the tortillas (whyyyyy do they do that?  PLAY WITH THE CORN TORTILLAS--THEY'RE JUST AS FUN) I will always ask for a change of gloves.  If it's more of a sit down place, I make my needs known. 

 

On the rare occasion that I get actual fast food (usually Wendy's) I just cross my fingers and hope they didn't put bread on my potato. 

[Adalaide]

It always depends on the place for me. In N Out is the most common place I go. There they list it as a wheat allergy on the ticket so now when I order I just tell them I have a wheat allergy (even though that isn't accurate) and that's that. I know in my local joint that I am safe. I do have to get into a whole thing if I decide I want the fried onions though, which I don't do often because it turns into a "thing" and I have to wait a ridiculous amount of time for my burger. When we go out to a local Brazilian steakhouse I don't say anything other than to ask for the allergy "menu" which tells me what is and isn't safe. If you're familiar with Brazilian steakhouses it makes sense, you don't order food, they just bring around meat on skewers. It is like heaven. Even the rolls are gluten free. There is a GIG certified pizza place that I go to and I don't do anything other than order. I only go there during off peak hours though because a pizza joint just isn't equipped to handle us safely during peak hours. Another pizza place (30 minutes away ) has a separate gluten free kitchen and brings the pizza to your table sealed. Again, I simply order.

 

There are plenty of times though that I do get into things. A local BBQ joint that we like, I just remind them because they have a thing with putting huge rolls on the plates. I'll order a Frosty without saying a thing, but ask details every time I want a Frosty and fries. Places like Outback and other similar joints I get into a whole thing. And I will always walk out if I'm uncomfortable with anything, from the words out of the server's mouth to the look on their face. My health is too important to worry about offending someone. I always call ahead if there isn't a clear gluten free menu online so having issues is rare. I don't just walk into a place and expect them to be able to serve me safely without my research first.

[BlessedMommy]

Thanks for your replies!

 

When I got smoothies at McDonald's yesterday, I did mention avoiding CC briefly and I wondered if I could've skipped that, since a smoothie is unlikely to be CC'ed. But, I suppose in theory if a person handled burger buns and then made a smoothie, there could be some risk.

[SMRI]

Thanks for your replies!

 

When I got smoothies at McDonald's yesterday, I did mention avoiding CC briefly and I wondered if I could've skipped that, since a smoothie is unlikely to be CC'ed. But, I suppose in theory if a person handled burger buns and then made a smoothie, there could be some risk.

 

Do they make their smoothies on their blizzard machine or how?  Often McD's is my ONLY choice of a place to eat and I need some safe go-to foods there!!