Fast Food

[lstroud]

Was looking for some help....I know it doesn't sound very healthy but often we need to hit the "drive-thru" and I only have one (out of 4) gluten-free child. He's only 20 months and doesn't quite understand but he definitely knows when he can't have what everyone else is getting. Any suggestions and thanks in advance for your comments.

[r-newsome]

Hi there. My 5 year old was just diagnosed two months ago, and this was very important to me also. We are human right (smile). Anyway, McDonald's french fries are gluten-free. Also, just from reading the message board, I have found that Wendy's fries, baked potato, chili, and salads are gluten-free. Yesterday, I just learned that Outback Steakhouse has a Gluten Free Menu. You can go to their web site to look at the menu. Hope this helps.

[angel-jd1]

You might want to check with each Wendy's you visit. I was under the impression that fries there were gluten free until recieving part of a chicken nugget at the bottom of my fry container. YUCK!!!

-Jessica

[wildones]

I have 7 yr old triplets (two of whom are gluten free) so I understand the implications and importance of gluten free fries

Here's a link to the gluten free section on chick-fil-a's web site. I don't know if they have a dedicated fryer just for fries though ? My kids and I have not had any reaction to their fries though.

Open Original Shared Link

[lauradawn]

These may not be fast food, but out to eat anyway. Boston Market is very gluten-free friendly as well as Chapotle. ( spelling?) I don't know if you have those around but they are quick and good.

Keep in mind too, that there are a # of fast food places that offer the atkins friendly bunless burgers. If you can verify the fries are in a dedicated frier and that the beef is 100% beef, you could have a meal out.

[tarnalberry]

It's not a fast food option, but you can also keep food with you. I plan to get a dehydrator, and often keep dried fruits and nuts, and any other non-perishables I come across, with me. (I'm a food snob, and don't want to worry about contamination either. But I tend to get hypoglycemic sometimes and need to know I've got safe food around.)

[debmidge]

Hi All

I want to make 2 points about fast food

First, I have a friend who traveled to Sweden, she knows what celiac is as she has a relative with it, but in Sweden, at I think she said McDonald's, you can order your hamburger on a gluten free bun. Why can't they do this here?

2) Boston Market. I don't find them to be friendly to any special diet. I had it out with a local BM restaurant BEFORE my husband was celiac. We wanted them to provide us with mashed potatoes without pepper (pepper bothers my husband's stomach). I called the headquarters & they advised that the local BM is allowed to serve without the pepper in it, it's up to the local restaurant. When I told the local what the regional said, the manager got a little annoyed with me. The local told me that they use a "package" of spices in the mashed potatoes and they could not omit it. This "package" was an official BM ingredient and they weren't going to make a batch of mashed potatoes without it. So we haven't gone there since this happened and that was about 4 years ago or so.

Debmidge

[debmidge]

P.S. Now that I think of it, who knows what other ingredients are in the "spice package" that Boston Market puts in their mashed potatoes.....it might not be gluten free.

I'd perfer that a restaurant make the food plain - I am old enough to know how to use the salt & pepper shakers at the table. I don't need my food spiced by someone else who doesn't know my taste.

[plantime]

Western Sizzlin once served me mashed potatoes with chives and sour cream mixed in them. I told the waitress no, I ordered my mashed potatoes plain. She came back with the manager, who said that to get them plain, I had to order a baked potato. Funny, the WS in our town closed for lack of business a couple of months later!

[jen-schall]

I'm not much of a fast food person, but I do miss french fries. I just found out that BK french fries contain no gluten, and they are made in dedicated fryers. even in some kind of run-down BKs, the employees still all chimed in, when I asked, that french fries are always kept separate from onion rings, etc. I have had the fries twice since with no problems. just wanted to pass it on!

[jen-schall]

Burger King fries are gluten free. yay!

McDonalds fries are, too, but they have beef in them, and a lot of people don't know that!

Wendy's fries ARE NOT gluten free! too bad. but their Frostys are!!

and Chipotle is great, and gluten-free friendly.

hope this helps!

[debmidge]

About 6 years ago I went on Atkins diet (I am not celiac, my husband is) and I was talking to a co worker in the office where I work, whose family owned restaurants here in NJ. She told me never to order tuna fish salad (mayo with tuna, no bread, etc.) at a diner as it isn't low carb because they deliberately add bread crumbs into it to stretch it out. I told her that that practice was a terrible thing to do. At the time I didn't know celiac even existed, but I knew that putting an ingredient into a food when the customer was depending on the food NOT to have that ingredient was unethical. She didn't take the criticism well and I didn't make any friends by saying what I did, but it did teach me back then not to trust restaurants.

[KayJay]

About mcdonalds, I just went to their website and found that only the caeser salad is listed at gluten-free. I have been eating the other salad with bacon with out chicken and balsamic dressing instead do you think the bacon is gluten-free?

--Also they have apples now they are really good I ate them also thinking they are gluten-free. I am not sure about the dipping sauce what do you think?

[lovegrov]

McDonald's bacon most definitely is NOT gluten-free. If you go to the site where they list all ingredients, both the bacon AND the bacon bits have wheat protein. Only the second bacon I've ever seen that has gluten.

richard

[plantime]

In regards to fries and such:

My son, who works at Sonic, told me that they use one basket for fries, another for tots, another for chicken, and so on, but for me not to eat anything deep-fried because they use one huge vat of oil for all of the baskets.

[anglepoise]

I ate out at Boston Market the other evening. I had some chicken, steamed veggies & potatoes & felt no ill effects anytime thereafter. I also bring my own gluten-free salad dressing (Amy's Naturals) to restaurants, so at least I can usually eat a salad, though I have to make sure to inform them not to add crutons....

AngelOpen Original Shared Link

[dana-g]

Whoa! Richard, thank you for that info on McDonald's bacon! No wonder I had really bad GI symptoms after eating their grilled chicken salad. And I thought I was being extra careful by avoiding the dressing because it had dextrin in it! Now I know better! Sometimes I think I'm going to lose what little mind I have left!

[Lily]

Be careful of Wendy's. I got zapped there a couple weeks ago and still feeling the effects. I had the chili and a baked potato. I know they say their chili is gluten free, but I don't think it was. It seemed a little watery that day (to make it stretch maybe?) so I'm wondering if someone got too much water in it and used flour to thicken it up. Just a guess, but I know my body isn't wrong.

Good luck,

Lily

[Kim]

Although corporate offices may say some fries are gluten free, I am always concerned about cross contamination when they use the same fryers. I strongly recommend asking at that particular location each time to be sure. I have had contaminated fries at Burger King, and other times/locations, no problem.

Having said that, I had good luck at Fuddruckers who had a dedicated fries fryer and they were gluten-free. (they also offer baked potatoes).

Apparently, Donato's pizza has a crustless pizza that is gluten free. (we don't have Donato's here so I don't know, but it's worth checking out).

Good luck.

[maddie96]

i worked at a BK for a few days...and even when they remembered to use the dedicated fryer...the same utensils are used for the onion rings- also the two often get mixed up in the area where they are kept prior to being stuffed in a carton. just a warning

[dianne]

Don't count on Wendy's salads being gluten-free. I used to get the Chicken BLT salad. I later found out that the chicken used is covered with flour. You can't make any assumptions.

Dianne

[Guest NitaB]

Thank you everyone for all these great ideas! I've been trying to get home, just to have lunch. Now I can get something out.

Nita

[Guest NitaB]

I found this list on Wendy's website. I've never tried posting from a website before, so hope it works! (my daughter tried to tell me how, so hoping it works!)

Nita

02/26/04

Gluten Free Wendy

[khyricat]

I am allergic to beef products.. BK is the one place I cannot eat.. I have never eaten at any of those without having a major reaction even to fried things. what it appears to come down to is a major cross contamination issue. even when they use a seperate section of the grill for veggie burgers- they use the same tongs, etc..

[jen-schall]

meh... I was afraid of that...