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Wendys And A Question

cbear6301

By cbear6301
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

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cbear6301 Explorer
cbear6301
Posted

I am still very new to this and ended up out all day on saturday. I was so hungry. My hubby first stopped at mcd's but they were rude and couldn't even give me a nutritional menu..I know this is my responsibility but come on. So I was upset and hungry.. my husband decided to try wendy's- they were incredible. They told us about how they handle allergies down to changing over the gloves..they pointed out the nutritional menu hanging on the wall and explained what I could and couldn't have. They even made sure my meal was separate from my family's...he kept checking on me.. All in all it was a great experience.

Those who have done this longer, when you accidentally get stuck out, do you have any suggestions or is it more like trial and error?

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Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Wendy's does have a menu on line you can find. Below is Chic-fil-A's. I would make copies and heep them in your purse, in case you're caught out and starving.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Of course, there is always a risk for cross contamination in a restaurant (especially a fast food restaurant). And, it's always a good idea not to go when it's not peak time.

Alima Newbie
Alima
Posted

I have found McDonalds to be pretty helpful every time I have had no other option. Last summer I had to drive cross country and we stopped at one in Kansas and they helped us a ton and we found out that because McDonalds is so compartmentalized for efficiency that cross contamination is almost nonexistent. I have been to them all over the country when I was in a bind and haven't been sick once (and I have a pretty violent reaction within 20 minutes of consuming gluten).

The thing is there aren't a TON of options but in a bind you can order any of the burgers (except I am not sure about the big mac so just be careful if not completely avoiding it) or grilled chicken sandwiches without buns and the fries are cooked by themselves. The ice cream thing with the candy (only m&ms obviously) is totally fine if they make sure to do it with the spoon blending it and that is typically not a problem. The shakes are fine. Haven't risked the salads because of dressing type things but if you have a non-gluten-free friend who happens to want a salad at some point check it out.

lenjac Newbie
lenjac
Posted

Wendy's is the only fast food option that I eat at. They (at many different locations) have always been very accomodating and don't seem flustered when I order things.

The only thing I order at McD's is a milkshake.

cbear6301 Explorer
cbear6301
Posted
  • Author

And I had heard that so I chose there first, but the employees were flustered and their answer was that I shouldn't eat there. When asking for a manager, he told me the same thing. I am new to this but I guess I didn't do something right. They made me feel awful. Wendy's didn't do that, they were so generous and accomodating. I am glad you have good experiences. Maybe mine was isolated , I will have to try a different one.

Thanks!

celiackitcat Newbie
celiackitcat
Posted

I have always been very lucky with Wendy's & Chick-Fil-A and a few of the Mexican restaurants (Q'Doba & Baja Fresh). McDonald's treated me very much the same and I have a few friends who work at them that admitted that even though it is compartmentalized, the one nearest my campus, does have mistakes were other things get fried with the french fries because of time or not paying attention so I don't eat there.

Lombardi25 Apprentice
Lombardi25
Posted

I've posted about my local Wendy's before on here and I have never had anything but praise for the one here in Seabrook, NH, my wife gets it for dinner on her way home for us maybe once a week or every other week and they always know what to do (making sure their gloves are changed, careful not to cross contaminate etc.) I usually get a burger and they throw it in a plastic container, and then some fries, which I'm lucky to have a Wendy's with a dedicated friolator (I know it's been mentioned several times before, but be careful, not all Wendy's do, I stopped at a truck stop Wendy's in CT and the manager looked at me like I was alien when I asked this.) But anyways, I have not once gotten sick from eating Wendy's, so as I said, not the best food nutritionally, but it's nice to have something quick to be able to grab on the way home and people who are more than willing to go the extra step or two to prepare and serve it to you :-)

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lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

You didn't do anything wrong. It's a fast food restaurant to begin with, and often the employees only care so much about you and your requests. I went to a restaurant the other day while traveling, it was definitely NOT my first choice, but I knew they had a gluten-free menu. When I asked the waitress for one, she said "I don't think we have one. But I'll check anyway." She came back with it and made a joke about how they really did and she was just kidding.... So, what I've learned so far is that some restaurant managers care enough about their jobs to train their staff on what's available, but some don't.

I've had some Wendy's employees look at me with a total deer in the headlights look when I asked for their gluten free menu, others had copies ready to hand out. Better yet, some had the allergen listing posted on the wall... all depends on who's in charge.

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