Pizza Delight (Canada) Now Offers gluten-free Crust

[canadave]

Pizza Delight is a chain in Atlantic Canada (and perhaps elsewhere?). They just announced on their Facebook page that they are going to be offering a gluten-free dough option beginning on March 7. They also said that their staff will be trained on "allergy safety".

[cooki.dough]

Pizza Delight is a chain in Atlantic Canada (and perhaps elsewhere?). They just announced on their Facebook page that they are going to be offering a gluten-free dough option beginning on March 7. They also said that their staff will be trained on "allergy safety".

As soon as I read this, I knew I had to try it. I got my cheese-free, but the crust is pretty good. Although they could be a little more generous with their toppings...

[Neali]

Great news!

Anyone tried this yet then?

As soon as I can I am going to find out where is our nearest and check it out, so I can come back and let you know :-)

[Carriefaith]

Just wondering what your opinions were on the Pizza Delight gluten free pizza? Anyone ask about cross contamination issues in the kitchen?

[Carriefaith]

So I went into Pizza Delight and asked about the preparation of the gluten free pizza in the kitchen. They said that they don't use a separate area and they use the same oven.

[ElseB]

Hmmmmm, just like Pizza Pizza, Boston Pizza and all the others, I'll stay as far away as possible from their supposed "gluten free" pizza. The crust may start out gluten-free, but the finished product is far from it. Ever noticed how flour from the regular crust gets transferred into those little containers of toppings?

[psawyer]

Hi, Carrie,

I have had the Pizza Pizza and the Boston Pizza offerings more than once. They use the same oven, but have separate pans and utensils to deal with the gluten-free crusts. There is always a chance of cross contamination at any restaurant, but they do take the effort to minimize the risk.

The Canadian Celiac Association worked closely with Pizza Pizza to develop their handling processes, and endorsed them. They were the first fast food pizza chain in Ontario with gluten-free pizza.

I have no experience with Pizza Delight as there are none near me.

In the Toronto area, local chain Il Fornello offer gluten-free pizza, and I have been there many, many times in the eleven years that I have been gluten-free. Again, they use the same oven, but have procedures in place to reduce cc risk.

A dedicated oven is really too much to expect. Dedicated pans and utensils combined with good handling practices should be sufficient for all but the most sensitive of us. It is a restaurant, not a gluten-free manufacturing facility. There is always a risk of cross contamination at a restaurant -- this applies to all restaurants. All have shared facilities and shared equipment.

[Carriefaith]

Thanks for the replies. I've had the gluten free pizza at Boston Pizza many times and was happy with their handling process and I have never got sick. And I will react to small amounts of contamination. I only had one bad experience at Boston Pizza when the waitress didn't hear that I ordered a gluten free and brought me a regular pizza. They were apologetic and made a gluten free pizza. I agree that a dedicated oven is a lot to expect. Regarding Pizza Delight, I really wanted to try their pizza and I expected a similar procedure to Boston Pizza. Maybe the lady I spoke to didn't know or didn't know how to explain their handling process, but she said that the gluten free pizza's were prepared in the same area as the others with no mention of a cleaned area or cleaned utensils. That concerns me, but maybe the lady I spoke to just didn't know?

[jonrwebb]

Just an FYI. I went to a Pizza Delight here in Saint John, NB and I found the gluten free pizza to be very good. The only issue I found was that the staff was not very knowledgeable. I asked about the sauce and what meats I could add that were Gluten-Free and they had no clue. I decided to go with a the hawaiian. No ill effects. Sauce was a little boring. The crust was great. It's a round pizza and very thin. It came in a 12 inch only size. If you plan to share, you may want to order two as one is good for about one person, two if you both have small appetites.

Cheers!

[ajnemajrje]

I have tried a few Gluten Free pizzas and so far they have all been okay but not the best. The majority of them are drier and denser than the regular and to combat that you need extra cheese or extra sauce in order to kind of recreate the texture of regular crust pizza.