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Drive Thru Fast Food

1974girl

By 1974girl
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

Recommended Posts

1974girl Enthusiast
1974girl
Posted

I totally know that any fast food is dangerous. I was just wondering when (or if) you go to them, what can you order? I am going to have to depend on your guys because my 11 year old has ZERO symptoms. We will never know if she gets glutened. (She was tested due to having a thyroid problem and they found it) So...she could eat a Big Mac and not react. So...here is what we have done so far. Any problems?

Wendy's- baked potato and chili

McDonalds- fruit and yougart parfait and fries (yes, i know the debate on the fries)

Chick Filet- grilled chicken kids meal and fries (Manager is married to a celiac and has assured me this is safe)

I would appreciate any other suggestions! I have read the Tostadas at Taco Bell were safe but I am scared to try them.

I downloaded a free phone app that told me Hardees hashrounds were safe and the manager said absolutly not. So be careful with those apps!

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pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

You may find she develops glutening symptoms as she goes along. In the beginning I had zero, now I'm getting them.

Anyhow...

If you have in-n-out burger, they are gluten-free except the bun. Ask them to press the allergy button for the bin and do it protein style.

Five Guys does gluten-free - I think they are safe except the bun, also.

Chipotle does gluten-free very well. Only gluten is the flour tortillas. Tell them she is gluten-free and they switch out their utensils, gloves.

Pei Wei does gluten-free. They have a seperate menu.

Jamba Juice has gluten-free smoothies. Most are gluten-free. Ask for the allergy book listing.

Rubios has some gluten-free options but I'm not sure what they are. Check their website.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

I totally know that any fast food is dangerous. I was just wondering when (or if) you go to them, what can you order? I am going to have to depend on your guys because my 11 year old has ZERO symptoms. We will never know if she gets glutened. (She was tested due to having a thyroid problem and they found it) So...she could eat a Big Mac and not react. So...here is what we have done so far. Any problems?

Wendy's- baked potato and chili

McDonalds- fruit and yougart parfait and fries (yes, i know the debate on the fries)

Chick Filet- grilled chicken kids meal and fries (Manager is married to a celiac and has assured me this is safe)

I would appreciate any other suggestions! I have read the Tostadas at Taco Bell were safe but I am scared to try them.

I downloaded a free phone app that told me Hardees hashrounds were safe and the manager said absolutly not. So be careful with those apps!

Wendy's is pretty good with offerings. Goggle each fast food you want to pursue.

AND loose Taco Bell, totally! :angry:

Teach you daughter to forgo fast food. She can actually be a leader with her peers. She can be a health food guru. It's very popular, I hear. ;)

lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

Chipotle does gluten-free very well. Only gluten is the flour tortillas. Tell them she is gluten-free and they switch out their utensils, gloves.

I'd steer clear of anything at Chipotle that they use their hands for... ie cheese and lettuce. I've seen (on more than one occasion) where they put too much cheese on a burrito and dumped it back in the bowl. And there's the whole holding a burrito one minute and putting cheese on it with the same gloves... even if they change gloves for you, who knows how many times it went it the cheese or lettuce before. #steppingoffthesoapbox

I will occasionally eat at Chick Fil A or Wendy's. Taco Bell and McDonald's just scare me outright. I have eaten the parfait at McDo's, and it works in a pinch, but I seemed to never escape McDo's without a headache/stomachache. So, I just quit. Most fast food is so gluten heavy that your chances of not having the few gluten-free options contaminated are slim. Frustrating when you're on the go. I totally understand.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I'd steer clear of anything at Chipotle that they use their hands for... ie cheese and lettuce. I've seen (on more than one occasion) where they put too much cheese on a burrito and dumped it back in the bowl. And there's the whole holding a burrito one minute and putting cheese on it with the same gloves... even if they change gloves for you, who knows how many times it went it the cheese or lettuce before. #steppingoffthesoapbox

I will occasionally eat at Chick Fil A or Wendy's. Taco Bell and McDonald's just scare me outright. I have eaten the parfait at McDo's, and it works in a pinch, but I seemed to never escape McDo's without a headache/stomachache. So, I just quit. Most fast food is so gluten heavy that your chances of not having the few gluten-free options contaminated are slim. Frustrating when you're on the go. I totally understand.

Their training procedure is to get your cheese/lettuce from a new bin. But you have to watch - not all employees do it.

I must say, out of all the restaurant food I've eaten (ok, not much since gluten-free but I've eaten at one particular Chipotle the most of all) they are by far the best at gluten-free.

Ironically, I wonder if it's a small-town thing. There are only 3 restaurant there who will do gluten-free, so they get alot of gluten-free business. They never skip a beat when I ask.

hexon Rookie
hexon
Posted

You may be pretty limited on the fast food. I eat McDonalds fries on the go sometimes with no issues. My favorite place by far is Chik-Fil-A. Just about every time I go they take the extra time to make the grilled nuggets fresh, making sure they're safe. They're always really apologetic for taking their time to do it though, which makes me feel bad since I'd rather them take their time than me go through 3 days of feeling like crap (pun intended). I've read that Subway is working on providing gluten free sandwiches, along with a method of making sure no CC occurs, but I think it's just in trial now. Here's what a quick google turned up Open Original Shared Link

krystynycole Contributor
krystynycole
Posted

I've heard subway has been trying that for a year now and is stale with progress, but we can hope right!

However, I have good experiences with salads at subway. I tell them about the gluten issue and they change there gloves and wash their cutting utensils. I've never had a problem at the one by me, but I think subways are a case by case basis.

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CeliacAndCfsCrusader Apprentice
CeliacAndCfsCrusader
Posted

When really, really stuck...a hot fudge sundae or milk shake at McDonald's will do (I always order without cherry and whipped cream, just in case). Never had a reaction.

modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted

I think the Subway thing is dead in the water. I have a relationship through my work with a few local franchisee's and they said that no one feels comfortable enough to try it because the risk of CC is so high, it'd almost be impossible to avoid.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I think the Subway thing is dead in the water. I have a relationship through my work with a few local franchisee's and they said that no one feels comfortable enough to try it because the risk of CC is so high, it'd almost be impossible to avoid.

Subway only has themselves to blame for that one. They could train employees not to use hands to dip into the bins but evidently choose not to. Or, they could have a protocol for using new bins for gluten-free. The presence of so much bread still would make me nervous but if they developed a good reputation I would try it.

larry mac Enthusiast
larry mac
Posted

Our Subway had had gluten-free subs for quite a while. They are actually pretty good. As soon as you say gluten-free, they wash hands and put on fresh gloves. The same person handles your food from begining to end. The bread and knife are indivudually wrapped. There's a gluten-free ingredient list at the start of the counter.

I think the bun is from French Meadow, and they also provide individually wrapped brownies. The gluten-free subs are smaller than the regular ones, and are $1 more.

best regards, lm

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

Our Subway had had gluten-free subs for quite a while. They are actually pretty good. As soon as you say gluten-free, they wash hands and put on fresh gloves. The same person handles your food from begining to end. The bread and knife are indivudually wrapped. There's a gluten-free ingredient list at the start of the counter.

I think the bun is from French Meadow, and they also provide individually wrapped brownies. The gluten-free subs are smaller than the regular ones, and are $1 more.

best regards, lm

Did they get your meat and veggies from fresh bins?

At the Subways near us I watch them dip hands into bins, smash bread, repeat. They put stuff on sandwiches, take it off and toss it back in the bins. No way I'd ever eat from those bins.

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