"our Mac & Cheese Is Gluten Free"?

[Georgia-guy]

So tonight I met an old friend who was coming through town for dinner. I spend my break at work looking for a new place to try that has a gluten free menu and found a cafe in the area that is listed on urban spoon as having one.

I asked the server for a gluten free menu, and she said she would check with the manager to see if they had one printed out. (Okay, no big deal.) I hear the conversation with the manager, and the manager tells the server they don't have one printed, but this is what is gluten free.... The server relays "our ....... And Mac & Cheese are gluten free. You can also get ..... And the fajita bowl without rice."

Ummmm...."your Mac & Cheese is gluten free? What kind of pasta do y'all use to make it?"

"Oh, it comes premade."

I wasn't sure I should trust that since premade Mac & Cheese for a restaurant is HIGHLY unlikely to be gluten free.

"As for your rice that is not gluten free, what makes it not gluten free since rice itself does not contain gluten? Is there some type of seasoning on the rice that may have gluten in it?"

"I'm not sure, but it is a spicy rice."

I assumed the seasoning may contain the gluten culprit.

All in all, I ended up going with a salad (which I wanted to avoid!)

I think it may be time to take action on making restaurant aware of what is and what is not gluten. The impression I got was that the manager thought that gluten is only found in bread and grains (but for some reason not the grains used to make pasta?). Does anyone have a preformed information pamphlet that I could give to clueless restaurants about what is and is not gluten? If not, I will be making one myself to give out...

[Georgia-guy]

In the servers credit though, she was completely honest about having no idea what contains gluten, or even what gluten is. So I do give her props on that. But I am upset about the manager listing off false information about what is safe to eat. Can you imagine a newbie going there and being told the Mac & Cheese is gluten free, then ordering it and reacting?

[BlessedMommy]

Honestly, if they are that clueless, I would be a little worried about eating there. 

 

The macaroni and cheese would be a disaster! That would be a full dose of gluten if they used the regular noodles. (which they probably do, I'd be shocked if they used rice noodles)

[kareng]

There are a couple of brands of gluten-free dining cards. These come in different languages, too.

Open Original Shared Link

[Georgia-guy]

Honestly, if they are that clueless, I would be a little worried about eating there.

The macaroni and cheese would be a disaster! That would be a full dose of gluten if they used the regular noodles. (which they probably do, I'd be shocked if they used rice noodles)

That is exactly why I went with the salad. And tomorrow I plan on calling and speaking to someone in the corporate office to get a copy of the gluten free menu, and ask them to do some sort of training (especially with the managers) on the importance of the gluten free diet and need for accuracy for people with celaic and NCGI, even if it's just a couple page thing for the managers to read quickly. They don't need to be experts, they just need to be aware that the corporate produced gluten-free menu is the final say, and that celiac is about as serious as a peanut allergy to someone with celiac or NGCI.

[BlessedMommy]

Good job!

 

I think that restaurants should only have a gluten free menu if they take the proper precautions to do it right. If they don't, what's the point? Who are they catering to, the fad dieters?

[Georgia-guy]

You mean like Domino's? A dominos employee told me one day they have gluten free pizza...I laughed and said "you mean gluten free pizza crust?" Then examined why their pizza is NOT gluten free.

[BlessedMommy]

If you want real gluten free pizza at a restaurant, go to California Pizza Kitchen. It's a little pricey, but the pizza is safe and delicious. They've certified with the GIG and take all kinds of precautions to ensure that the food is safe, including dedicated containers of toppings, no wheat flour in the kitchen, etc.

[BlessedMommy]

"Gluten free: I do not think that means what you think it means."  

[Georgia-guy]

If you want real gluten free pizza at a restaurant, go to California Pizza Kitchen. It's a little pricey, but the pizza is safe and delicious. They've certified with the GIG and take all kinds of precautions to ensure that the food is safe, including dedicated containers of toppings, no wheat flour in the kitchen, etc.

Mellow mushroom is my choice since California pizza's closest location is 50 miles away. :-/

[LauraTX]

Mellow Mushroom is good, I keep wanting to try  California Pizza Kitchen but it is quite a drive.  

 

I would run far away from that restaurant.  Run.  Run fast.

[ravenwoodglass]

Next time you are in a new place ask the waitress to check with the cook for the gluten free info on what they have. The manager is going to be clueless. The cook will be the one most likely to be able to help you eat safely and be happy to do so if you aren't there at the busiest time of the day. 

You were right to be cautious but who knows maybe they get frozen mac and cheese for their gluten-free customers. I think you got a waitress very new to the waitressing world as she definately asked the wrong person. 

[user001]

I have been really wanting to try california pizza kitchen! Its on my list with PF Changs. I actually downloaded this app called "find me gluten-free" and it does a gps location of where you are and finds gluten free stuff nearby. It specifies if it just has a gluten free menu, caters to food allergies, celiac friendly or if it is a dedicated gluten free place. It has been so helpful to me. There is also reviews from other users and they usually say stuff like "oh the waiter had no clue about the rice" or "they were very knowledgeable and actually had a clear wall by the kitchen where i could see they had separate prep areas".