Famous Dave's

[scarlett77]

We just got a Famous Dave's BBQ place in San Jose, CA and so I emailed the company to find out if they have any menus or gluten free items safe for my son and I received an email with an ingredient list for their entire menu. After skimming the whole thing it pretty much looks likes only chicken,a few of the burgers, and some of the sides are gluten free. NONE of the beef or pork are gluten free. I believe only 1 or 2 sauces are gluten free also. They had the same general CC statement that everyone has so I'm not sure how aware they are of CC issues. The fries don't contain gluten, but I wouldn't be surprised if the oil might be an issue. They did have a link to celiac.org so that is at least it sounds like they are aware of gluten sensitivities.

Anybody have any good or bad experiences with this chain?

[Darissa]

We have a Famous Daves right down the street from us. We have eaten there twice in the last two years. The first time, the manager was very knowledgable, and came out with a big black binder full of all the ingredients. There was not a lot of choices, but we both had the chicken. The fries at our resturant are fried in the same oil as breaded items, so we did not have the fries. My daughter and I were both sick after eating there. I was hopeful, since the manager seem to be on top of things, but we had our usual gluten reactions.

I went back last month with some friends, this time without my daughter, and we had a manager that had very limited knowledge about gluten-free. He didn't seem to take any of my concerns very seriously regarding CC issues. I was sick again.

So, we won't be back, at least at this location. I would be willing to try another location if someone had good reviews of it.

Maybe your restaurant experience will be better. I think at a lot of the chains, it depends on the head chef and the manager at each individual location. SO, hopefully you will have a great experience.

You'll have to let us know!

Good luck!

[larry mac]

I'm very curious what gluten ingredients are in the BBQ beef and pork meats. Would you please post this. Thanks.

best regards, lm

[Darissa]

I'm very curious what gluten ingredients are in the BBQ beef and pork meats. Would you please post this. Thanks.

best regards, lm

THe majority of their rubs and sauces contain wheat. You can email the company, and they will send you via email an ingredient list. I have an updated ingredient list.

Here is a sample of the list

Just visit their website and go to the contact page and send them an email.

Here is the link:

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ST. LOUIS STYLE RIBS

ST. LOUIS STYLE RIBS - USDA Pork Ribs, Celery Seed, Rib Rub (salt, brown sugar, sugar, monosodium glutamate, flavoring {hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed corn gluten, caramel color}, molasses powder {molasses, wheat starch, soy flour}, paprika, spices, soybean oil, onion powder, garlic powder, Silicon Dioxide {to prevent caking}, paprika extractives, natural flavor). CONTAINS: Soy, Wheat. RICH & SASSY BBQ SAUCE - (see sauces)

TEXAS BEEF BRISKET

TEXAS BEEF BRISKET - USDA Beef, Water, Beef Broth, Sugar, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Corn & Wheat Gluten, Spice, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder. Rubbed with Salt, Brown Sugar, Sugar, Monosodium Glutamate Flavoring (hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed corn gluten, caramel color), Molasses Powder (molasses, wheat starch, soy flour), Paprika, Spices, Soybean Oil, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Silicon Dioxide {to prevent caking}, Paprika Extractives, Natural Flavor). Au Jus-Water, Gelatin, Au Jus Base (beef stock, salt, natural flavors, yeast extract, beef fat, caramel color, modified food starch, sodium phosphate, soy sauce {wheat, soybeans, salt}, onion powder, disodium inosinate/disodium guanylate, potato starch, beet powder, lactric acid, garlic powder, dextrose). Contains sulfiting agents. Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce (see sauces). CONTAINS: Soy, Wheat

GEORGIA CHOPPED PORK

GEORGIA CHOPPED PORK - USDA Boston Butt Pork, Rib Rub (salt, brown sugar, sugar, monosodium glutamate, flavoring {hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed corn gluten, caramel color}, molasses powder {molasses, wheat starch, soy flour}, paprika, spices, soybean oil, onion powder, garlic powder, Silicon Dioxide {to prevent caking}, paprika extractives, natural flavor). Au Jus-Water, Gelatin, Au Jus Base (beef stock, salt, natural flavors, yeast extract, beef fat, caramel color, modified food starch, sodium phosphate, soy sauce {wheat, soybeans, salt}, onion powder, disodium inosinate/disodium guanylate, potato starch, beet powder, lactric acid, garlic powder, dextrose). Contains sulfiting agents. Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce (see sauces). CONTAINS: Soy, Milk, Wheat

RIB TIPS

Updated 4/8/2010 Page 10 of 26

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[scarlett77]

I'm very curious what gluten ingredients are in the BBQ beef and pork meats. Would you please post this. Thanks.

best regards, lm

It looks like their "rib rub" is the issue with the pork (ribs and other pork):

Molasses Powder (molasses, wheat starch, soy flour)

On the Beef it looks like not only is the "molasses powder" in it but also soy sauce.

The fish has soy sauce in the glaze and I'm not entirely sure you can order it without the glaze since is may be prepped for cooking that way.

Watch the salads too. The Ceasar salad is NOT gluten free. Oddly it the blue cheese looks gluten free, but i thought blue cheese was NOT gluten free no matter what. The sauces have barley in them.

I would post the whole thing but it is 26 pages.

[MindytheOrganist]

We've eaten at the Famous Daves in east Louisville (Hurstbourne Parkway). Hubby has had no issues. But, before going, I went through the complete ingredient list and highlighted what he could have. The first time we went there, our server was very knowledgeable about celiac disease. The second time, we actually got a server who suffers from it as well.

I do need to say, though, that hubby is one of those who had no symptoms, so we really don't know for sure if he gets glutined. While we are glad he has none of the more severe symptoms, it's hard not knowing for sure if something he eats will affect him.

[larry mac]

Thank you for posting that list. I'm shocked at all the gluten ingredients in the rubs. It looks like they buy a commercial rub. There's way too many ingredients for them to mix all by themselves. I'm wondering how often that's done by BBQ places.

We don't have Famous Daves here (that I know of). But we do have many BBQ places. BBQ is king here in Texas. I've eaten brisket and pork BBQ many times without even questioning whether there was gluten in the seasonings. I just assumed they made their seasonings from simple spices.

Looks like I'm going to make some visits to the local BBQ places and check out their rub recipies.

Thanks for alerting us to this BBQ meat situation.

best regards, lm

[Salax]

It looks like their "rib rub" is the issue with the pork (ribs and other pork):

Molasses Powder (molasses, wheat starch, soy flour)

On the Beef it looks like not only is the "molasses powder" in it but also soy sauce.

The fish has soy sauce in the glaze and I'm not entirely sure you can order it without the glaze since is may be prepped for cooking that way.

Watch the salads too. The Ceasar salad is NOT gluten free. Oddly it the blue cheese looks gluten free, but i thought blue cheese was NOT gluten free no matter what. The sauces have barley in them.

I would post the whole thing but it is 26 pages.

As a side note, many blue cheeses are now safe. Some still aren't, but there are several that I have ran into that are safe and even one says, "gluten free" on the label. I think it starts with an M, in the frig section next to the salad stuff. Not all of them are made with bread anymore, as it is more expensive. They have been making them more often with enzyme type reactions that don't include the traditional need for bread to age the cheese. Hope that helps.

[scarlett77]

As a side note, many blue cheeses are now safe. Some still aren't, but there are several that I have ran into that are safe and even one says, "gluten free" on the label. I think it starts with an M, in the frig section next to the salad stuff. Not all of them are made with bread anymore, as it is more expensive. They have been making them more often with enzyme type reactions that don't include the traditional need for bread to age the cheese. Hope that helps.

That is helpful information, thank you!

[artelph]

We went to famous dave's tonight. I asked for the gluten free list and was given 2 stained up pieces of paper that were folded in half and dog eared. yuck. I ordered the County Roasted Chicken since I figured that was the safest since it was more of a rotisserie and was cooked separately. I ate most of it and felt fine for awhile. I was picking at it toward the end of the meal, I had taken the skin off that had the lemon pepper rub on it that was supposed to be gluten free also. Well, it's supposed to be gluten free so Ill try it! No, bad idea. Got horrible pain and have been in the bathroom all night. Also, I made it clear I had a gluten intolerance and they served it to me with the corn bread on TOP of (AS IN TOUCHING) the chicken. Im not happy but I shouldn't have expected any better since I've come to figure out that the condition of the gluten free menu and knowledge of the wait staff is consistent with how sick I get. Never had a problem at outback steakhouse with their lovely menu!

[MaryJones2]

We went to famous dave's tonight. I asked for the gluten free list and was given 2 stained up pieces of paper that were folded in half and dog eared. yuck. I ordered the County Roasted Chicken since I figured that was the safest since it was more of a rotisserie and was cooked separately. I ate most of it and felt fine for awhile. I was picking at it toward the end of the meal, I had taken the skin off that had the lemon pepper rub on it that was supposed to be gluten free also. Well, it's supposed to be gluten free so Ill try it! No, bad idea. Got horrible pain and have been in the bathroom all night. Also, I made it clear I had a gluten intolerance and they served it to me with the corn bread on TOP of (AS IN TOUCHING) the chicken. Im not happy but I shouldn't have expected any better since I've come to figure out that the condition of the gluten free menu and knowledge of the wait staff is consistent with how sick I get. Never had a problem at outback steakhouse with their lovely menu!

That's a really risky place to eat. Next time don't feel bad about sending something back when it shows up with bread on the plate - that's too much contamination and likely a good part of what made you sick. Also, call the restaurant and let the manager know what happened. If they have a gluten-free menu they should know when they didn't do something right. I hope you feel better soon.

[lovegrov]

Blue cheese is one of those things I no longer worry about. Most is started on an artificial medium, and even those that aren't it doesn't appear that there's anything harmful to us that transfers to the actual cheese. AND, the small amount of culture used in a batch means that even if there is something harmful in it, the ppm wouldn't be measurable. This has been confirmed in some testing. The GIG and the Canadian Celiac Association have both declared veined cheeses universally safe for gluten-free diets.

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richard