Longhorn's Steakhouse

[cdford]

I have used our local Longhorn's (Hiram) as much as the budget will allow. One of the managers there had a friend who was a celiac patient and he was so careful that he caught the salad before it hit my table...the waitress had forgotten about the croutons. He even explained to her that she could not just remove the croutons and bring the bowl back. Would you believe they started a new salad bowl rather than risk cross-contamination.

They have great steamed veggies also. There is a grilled chicken dish with asparagus, mushrooms, and cheese that they can adjust by using fresh mushrooms instead of the marinated ones. The chefs here come out to my table when the manager is not there to watch over them. They have so far been very concerned and helpful. They actually commented that it was nice to get to create instead of just cooking by the book. I have not gotten sick from there yet.

I also contacted their regional offices and let them know what a great experience it was. I was told that several restaurants in the Atlanta area were meeting to determine the best ways to accomodate gluten-free requests. Maybe a special menu is in the works???

Donna

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I live just north of Atlanta and my brother and mother (who both have celiacs) eat pretty often at our local Longhorns. The manager is really helpful with them, too! A gluten-free menu would be awesome to have, especially since it will educate the staff just a little but more.

I am always afraid of the whole croutons thing and them just taking them off. I won't eat food if I think they didn't make it new. I am a cross-contamination freak.

[cdford]

I am so sensitive that I have to be a cross-contamination freak. I have called the regional or national offices of several restaurants over the last year and a half. Some of my comments were negative, but I go amazing responses from the positive comments. They were almost funny...as though they could not believe that someone would actually call to tell them what a great job one of their restaurants had done. One of these calls was when the VP shared with me the plans for a gluten-free menu or at minimum plans for meeting our needs. At least they are talking about it.

Donna

[terri]

I ate at the Longhorn in Chantilly Virginia and had a wonderful experience! The manager went back and cleaned the grill himself before cooking my food. They were gracious and understanding and I will definitely eat there again!

[FreyaUSA]

What did you order at Longhorn? I went there once and am not certain what it was, but I had a reaction (I think I ordered the barbaqued chicken salad, or something like that. Could the ranch dressing be Hidden Valley? Could the bbq sauce have gluten? Btw, it was so good ) My family would love to go there sometime, but I've been too afraid to take all my little celiacs there.

[terri]

I had the peppercorn steak salad only without any sauce. I used my own salad dressing that I carry with me. I never use restaurant salad dressings or barbeque sauces, or any sauce at all for that matter. Better to be safe than sorry. I do encourage olive oil and fresh herbs and ground pepper, etc.

[Boojca]

This is very interesting to me because when I wrote to them this summer the letter I got back was so NOT nice, and was the same "Go somewhere else to eat bc we can't make any adjustments for yoU" that most chains send. It just made me so mad that I now boycott Longhorn and in fact convinced my whole family and all our friends to do the same. I also wrote them a nasty-gram telling them about our boycott, and how they better get on the stick because in 2006 not only will they have to disclose their ingredients but they also are losing a lot of business to their competitors like Outback because they DO have a gluten-free menu.

Maybe that worked....

bridget

[terri]

Isn't it Logans Roadhouse that won't have a gluten-free menu? That was my understanding, that Logans, Applebees and Ruby Tuesday won't play ball. Maybe it is different in every state.

[angel-jd1]

I agree with bridget........they are not such a great place.......here is the response that I had gotten to them when I wrote in July

Dear Jessica,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us and for your interest in LongHorn Steakhouse. After consulting with our Culinary Team I find that I am unable to adequately address your concerns due to the fact that our restaurants source raw and processed ingredients from hundreds of providers across the United States. Many of these products are mixed by the provider or in the restaurant and the ingredients may change from time to time and batch to batch. Also, several of these providers use proprietary blends of seasonings which are not disclosed to the public. Therefore, it is not possible to provide an accurate list of gluten-free menu items. We understand the seriousness of your question and we regret that we are unable to provide the information you have requested.

Kind regards, Nikki Mechem

[judy05]

Is it true that restaurants have to display their ingredients?

I thought the bill only addressed food labels in grocery stores?

[FreyaUSA]

Isn't it Logans Roadhouse that won't have a gluten-free menu?

I regularly go to Logan's. The staff at the ones near me (I've been to two different ones) were incredibly helpful AND knowledgeable. We had one waiter who's girlfriend was celiac and he basically gave me the rundown on what's okay and what's not and had no problem checking on the what he didn't know immediately. The other times I've been, even without this great waiter, the staff have been very accommodating. Maybe it's just their corporate people that are pains.