Getting A Gluten-Free Menu In A Restaurant

[TAHBomba]

I work in a Chinese restaurant. It took me 2 years for my boss to start buying gluten-free soysauce, I was going to the store and buying it one bottle at a time. If there is enough demand the owners will bend. They will see a loss of business. He now orders it by the case. I advise people to either order the food with the white sauce or order something that comes in sauce to order it steamed or with the sauce on the side. I have even had my chef make sweet and sour chicken with chicken that is not battered and fried. It does not taste the same... but the kids that ordered it were thrilled with being able to eat all that chicken with SS sauce. ASK if the food is fresh. If not... don't eat it. Everything in my restaurant is made fresh and the steamers we use are metal. I have taken my menu apart and can even tell you that Hot and Sour soup (its brown) has eith soy sauce in it or the spice mix has onion as well as casein in it. I have made "mushroom" soup for people. Wonton soup base(broth) and mushrooms and green onion. I get inventive. I get tired of eating the same thing every day. Chicken with veggies and steamed rice and eggdrop soup. Our woks are scrubbed out with a metal scrubbie between dishes so the flavors don't get mixed. Make friends with the server. They are the first line of defense for you. I have worked in restaurants for 27 years. I am requested by those that have special diets because I can get them something to eat. Every where I work I have to be able to eat there... or I won't work there.

[pricklypear1971]

You may also try to get your restaurant to stock rice flour to convert battered dishes gluten-free. A Chinese restaurant here in town does it, and my crowd thinks rice battered is better than wheat battered. Doesn't get mushy. I'm the only gluten-free person, but we all order gluten-free and eat family style there.