Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

How Far Would You Travel?

Guest mmc

By Guest mmc
in Coping with Celiac Disease

How Far Would You Travel?  

23 members have voted

You do not have permission to vote in this poll, or see the poll results. Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.

Recommended Posts

Guest mmc
Guest mmc
Posted

My family is really thinking of opening a gluten-free shop/bakery/restaurant in Murfreesboro, TN. Please help us in deciding by answering these questions. (Comments also welcome, especially if you are in TN)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mtraezme Newbie
mtraezme
Posted

I'm actually driving 3 hours to either Phoenix or San Diego pretty frequently to stock up on gluten free foods. I don't go as often to the restaurants though. Could you have a combination store/restaurant? That might draw more customers.

bearly Newbie
bearly
Posted

why not come south a bit towards Atlanta. There are not any good bakerys ine the area. Would give anything to have a good slice of bread or bakery items

Ridgewalker Contributor
Ridgewalker
Posted

I'm in a rural area of NC, and I drive nearly an hour and a half just to get to a Whole Foods. There are no gluten-free restaurants or bakeries within driving distance :( I'd say people would probably drive quite a ways to get there.

-Sarah

Mongoose Rookie
Mongoose
Posted

Go for it! And good luck!

Our local stores are much better stocked now than a few years ago, but we've driven over 100 miles to visit specialty stores in our state and in two other states. Also any time we travel I check out any natural foods or specialty stores to check out what they carry that I can't get locally.

loco-ladi Contributor
loco-ladi
Posted

To get to the nearest "health food" store, I have to travel 60 miles currently, they do NOT have any selection worth looking at, I have on multiple occations mentioned my concern.... they have been ignored. I am NOT the only celiac/gluten intolerant person in the area and if I had the time and money I would open a health food store worth having an open sign in the doorway! Not just for myself and those like me but to benefit all walks of grocery getting. My SIL is diabetic and has problems finding things she can eat and not leave the table starving.

Currently my only 2 options are to order online (I do this for my basic staples by the case when possible to save on shipping) or my only other option is to drive 4 hours into Cheyenne WY shop there and drive another 4 hours home. Yes this takes the whole day and at $3 a gallon for gas, it doesn't happen very often, shipping currently is cheaper than gas mileage! I generally try to buy "new" things to try out then try to find them online by the case or a good deal on shipping.

Lynn

Middle of nowhere USA (also known as Nebraska ;) )

Guest mmc
Guest mmc
Posted

We were thinking sort of a Cracker Barrel type gluten-free shop. A restaurant open for breakfast & lunch with fresh bakery items & all gluten-free grocery items to purchase.

Our only concern is that people won't come since we live about an hour from Nashville. I know I would drive an hour to have a meal out with my family without worrying or to buy my groceries from someone who knew what they were talking about and I knew I could trust.

Another thing we are looking into is accepting Food Stamps. gluten-free Food is normally so expensive and if you are on FS, the places available to you to shop do not normally have a good selection or are incrediably expensive. We just feel that your health should not be negatively effected just because you don't make enough money to afford what you need.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


  • 5 months later...
pollysmama Newbie
pollysmama
Posted
We were thinking sort of a Cracker Barrel type gluten-free shop. A restaurant open for breakfast & lunch with fresh bakery items & all gluten-free grocery items to purchase.

Our only concern is that people won't come since we live about an hour from Nashville. I know I would drive an hour to have a meal out with my family without worrying or to buy my groceries from someone who knew what they were talking about and I knew I could trust.

Another thing we are looking into is accepting Food Stamps. gluten-free Food is normally so expensive and if you are on FS, the places available to you to shop do not normally have a good selection or are incrediably expensive. We just feel that your health should not be negatively effected just because you don't make enough money to afford what you need.

I've never posted anywhere before, so I hope I'm doing this right because I want you to get my message. I live in Murfreesboro and we have a growing community of people who want and need a health food restaurant/store. I would frequent your store regularly and I know several other people who would come as well.

Phyllis28 Apprentice
Phyllis28
Posted

I think the success of the business also depends on the income levels and population in the surrounding area. Specialty Gluten free food is expensive and it is possible to eat gluten free without it. I had to do this for many years because what was available in specialty gluten free foods was limited, not readily available and most of it was not worth eating.

You might consider expending beyond gluten free foods to widen your customer base. Possibly adding organic food and food for allergies and intolerances. Examples are Lactose Intolerance and nut allergies. Everything would need to be clearly marked.

Best of luck in your business if you decide to do this.

  • 3 weeks later...
mparker9 Newbie
mparker9
Posted

Oh my gosh! Please open this bakery/restaurant! My family is moving back to M'boro, and I was just searching out the gluten-free options and found your post! I don't know how prevalent gluten-free is in M'boro, but I know I would be there! Without a Whole Foods or Wild Oats in M'boro, celiacs have limited options as you know. With the publicity on the gluten-free diet as a treatment for autism, I think you would have evem more business from that population. Please open the shop!!

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
We were thinking sort of a Cracker Barrel type gluten-free shop. A restaurant open for breakfast & lunch with fresh bakery items & all gluten-free grocery items to purchase.

Our only concern is that people won't come since we live about an hour from Nashville. I know I would drive an hour to have a meal out with my family without worrying or to buy my groceries from someone who knew what they were talking about and I knew I could trust.

Another thing we are looking into is accepting Food Stamps. gluten-free Food is normally so expensive and if you are on FS, the places available to you to shop do not normally have a good selection or are incrediably expensive. We just feel that your health should not be negatively effected just because you don't make enough money to afford what you need.

Please don't get offended .... this is just my 2c.

Much as its convenient for the store to be close to you it makes business sense to put it where the customers are.

How far would I personally travel REALLY varies .... I have made special trips on quite a few occaisions of a few hours but these are pretty much novelty.

When I travel I will sometimes hunt out gluten-free places (restos or stores) that I would never bother with at home.

As an example, I live in central London UK so I have LOTS of choice. I have a five minute max walk to a supermarket that sells some gluten-free produce .. limited but OK. Within a 10-15 min walk I have a lot including speciality stores with a much bigger choice.

Anyway my shopping habits are 90% of the time I don't buy ANY speciality gluten-free stuff at all. From time to time I buy some gluten-free pasta etc. but this is perhaps once in 3 weeks?? Every 6 months I make the trip to buy speciality stuff like gluten-free soy sauce, whilst I'm there I will buy some novelty stuff ....

What I buy EVERYDAY is fresh vegetables, fruit and meat/fish. If the gluten-free pasta was better/cheaper I might buy it more often but ...

a) Its nowhere near as good as REAL gourmet pasta/bread .... it might be as good as cheap stuff but its not so great as real good stuff...

B) I just won't pay that for a mediocre experience. (sorry but its never AS Good)...

I would happily pay a lot occaisionally for really good bread or really good fresh pasta but .... its just so much easier to make naturally gluten-free stuff and put up with the occaisional poor gluten-free bread for sandwiches...???

If you did a real good resto I'd travel further.... I guess I'm a bit on the foodie side...but to me the EVENT happens eating... so travel to a gluten-free store is OK but a bind and then the actual event is back home when you cook. A resto on the other hand the event is there... you take your friends etc. so even if the gluten-free pasta isn't quite so good as the real thing.... you have a great time feeling safe.

So I think people might travel occaisionally for gluten-free food buying up to 30 mins... but any longer and it might turn into a 3 monthly shop and buy what they can locally inbetween. A cafe ... I would think would not have the same pull except for novelty... (people would come once or twice) but a really good resto in combination and you might get people travel for a special meal out and take advantage of the shopping...

Eitherway, I wish you luck...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. AlwaysLearning
      - AlwaysLearning replied to Colleen H's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Gluten related ??

      Get tested for vitamin deficiencies. Though neuropathy can be a symptom of celiac, it can also be caused by deficiencies due to poor digestion caused by celiac and could be easier to treat.
    2. Colleen H
      - Colleen H replied to Colleen H's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Gluten related ??

      Thank you so much for your response Yes it seems as though things get very painful as time goes on. I'm not eating gluten as far as I know. However, I'm not sure of cross contamination. My system seems to weaken to hidden spices and other possibilities. ??? if cross contamination is possible...I am in a super sensitive mode of celiac disease...
    3. Jmartes71
      - Jmartes71 replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      My only proof

      EXACTLY! I was asked yesterday on my LAST video call with Standford and I stated exactly yes absolutely this is why I need the name! One, get proper care, two, not get worse.Im falling apart, stressed out, in pain and just opened email from Stanford stating I was rude ect.I want that video reviewed by higher ups and see if that women still has a job or not...
    4. AlwaysLearning
      - AlwaysLearning replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      My only proof

      We feel your pain. It took me 20+ years of regularly going to doctors desperate for answers only to be told there was nothing wrong with me … when I was 20 pounds underweight, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, and in a great deal of pain. I had to figure it out for myself. If you're in the U.S., not having an official diagnosis does m...
    5. AlwaysLearning
      - AlwaysLearning replied to Colleen H's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Gluten related ??

      If you're just starting out in being gluten free, I would expect it to take months before you learned enough about hidden sources of gluten before you stopped making major mistakes. Ice cream? Not safe unless they say it is gluten free. Spaghetti sauce? Not safe unless is says gluten-free. Natural ingredients? Who knows what's in there. You pretty much...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,082
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    MelanieR
    Newest Member
    MelanieR
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • AlwaysLearning
      Gluten related ??

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      Get tested for vitamin deficiencies.  Though neuropathy can be a symptom of celiac, it can also be caused by deficiencies due to poor digestion caused by celiac and could be easier to treat.
    • Colleen H
      Gluten related ??

      By Colleen H · Posted

      Thank you so much for your response  Yes it seems as though things get very painful as time goes on.  I'm not eating gluten as far as I know.  However, I'm not sure of cross contamination.  My system seems to weaken to hidden spices and other possibilities. ???  if cross contamination is possible...I am in a super sensitive mode of celiac disease.. Neuropathy from head to toes
    • Jmartes71
      My only proof

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      EXACTLY! I was asked yesterday on my LAST video call with Standford and I stated exactly yes absolutely this is why I need the name! One, get proper care, two, not get worse.Im falling apart, stressed out, in pain and just opened email from Stanford stating I was rude ect.I want that video reviewed by higher ups and see if that women still has a job or not.Im saying this because I've been medically screwed and asking for help because bills don't pay itself. This could be malpratice siit but im not good at finding lawyers
    • AlwaysLearning
      My only proof

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      We feel your pain. It took me 20+ years of regularly going to doctors desperate for answers only to be told there was nothing wrong with me … when I was 20 pounds underweight, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, and in a great deal of pain. I had to figure it out for myself. If you're in the U.S., not having an official diagnosis does mean you can't claim a tax deduction for the extra expense of gluten-free foods. But it can also be a good thing. Pre-existing conditions might be a reason why a health insurance company might reject your application or charge you more money. No official diagnosis means you don't have a pre-existing condition. I really hope you don't live in the U.S. and don't have these challenges. Do you need an official diagnosis for a specific reason? Else, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you're diligent in remaining gluten free, your body should be healing as much as possible so there isn't much else you could do anyway. And there are plenty of us out here who never got that official diagnosis because we couldn't eat enough gluten to get tested. Now that the IL-2 test is available, I suppose I could take it, but I don't feel the need. Someone else not believing me really isn't my problem as long as I can stay in control of my own food.
    • AlwaysLearning
      Gluten related ??

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      If you're just starting out in being gluten free, I would expect it to take months before you learned enough about hidden sources of gluten before you stopped making major mistakes. Ice cream? Not safe unless they say it is gluten free. Spaghetti sauce? Not safe unless is says gluten-free. Natural ingredients? Who knows what's in there. You pretty much need to cook with whole ingredients yourself to avoid it completely. Most gluten-free products should be safe, but while you're in the hypersensitive phase right after going gluten free, you may notice that when something like a microwave meal seems to not be gluten-free … then you find out that it is produced in a shared facility where it can become contaminated. My reactions were much-more severe after going gluten free. The analogy that I use is that you had a whole army of soldiers waiting for some gluten to attack, and now that you took away their target, when the stragglers from the gluten army accidentally wander onto the battlefield, you still have your entire army going out and attacking them. Expect it to take two years before all of the training facilities that were producing your soldiers have fallen into disrepair and are no longer producing soldiers. But that is two years after you stop accidentally glutening yourself. Every time you do eat gluten, another training facility can be built and more soldiers will be waiting to attack. Good luck figuring things out.   
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.