Pizza Restaurants

[smiles]

There is this new pizza place that will be opening up in town that will supposedly be selling gluten free pizza. I don't think I can trust it. I have no idea how the pizza is prepared in a pizza place--whether the dough is made there or shipped in and whether or not they will have 2 different ovens for gluten and non-gluten.

Even if they do have these precautions in place, I just feel like some lazy college kid is going to, for example, get frustrated waiting for the other oven packed with pizza and just stick the glutened pizza in the non-gluten oven or something of that nature to get his job done quicker. I am just curious what your thoughts are on that. Do you trust these kinds of places?? Would you eat there?? Wouldn't there be a really high risk of cross contamination unless the entire place was gluten free?

I just feel like no matter how much you explain to someone a little gluten is hurting, they just don't get it and I don't feel like they want to get it. It is not there problem, so who cares. We need a national commercial on television to raise awareness to people. Why doesn't someone/group of people do that??? Anyway, sorry for ranting...

[msmini14]

I live in Temecula, CA and they are going to open a Pizzafusion within the next 5 weeks. I am so excited! I have no problem speaking with the manager about cc, for the most part they understand. I am also going to assume that since this place offers gluten-free pizza, they more than likely explain to their employees why they have gluten-free items. I made my own celiac card to give to chefs, etc and I look forward to using them.

If you get sick than you get sick. Trust me I never eat out, maybe once a month and it freaks me out. I dont like to get sick, but regardless of where you eat there is always a chance for cc. All you can do is be honest and tell them it is important for them to be very careful with your food.

[smiles]

Thanks for your reply. I understand what you are saying. It is just that I do not know when I am getting glutened. I do not have severe symptoms and am still learning about other food allergens I may have. In other words I am newly diagnosed and do not know my body that well yet.

I also hate to admit this, but I was a punky kid growing up. I never knew one could be so sick and how much a food allergen could affect someone just if it even touches the food. I used to work in a fast food restaurant and when we got strange requests such as the ones I make now, we would never take them seriously and the more crazy the order would get such as foods not allowed to touch one another the less we would be compliant--but the customer would ever know that. I know how easily things get cross contaminated. I guess it has all come back to bite me in the butt. :(

Anyway, I would expect nothing more from a college kid working in a pizza joint. I hate to go onto a restaurant and ask crazy questions about soy and gluten. I will usually contact the restaurant ahead of time via email before going and then when I do go to the restaurant it is amazing at how different the responses are. For example, an email has told me to avoid all salad dressings due to soy, but when I asked the waitress about it she says "None of our foods or dressings have soy in it except for the chicken" in a very convincing way. Well, which is it? I just don't trust anyone.

[Generic]

Depending on the company I may or may not trust them. If there is clearly flour all over the place run. Many places give strict training courses on the cross contamination problems. If in doubt as what there policies are. If you don't feel comfortable with their answers, thank them and leave.

[psawyer]

I think that you have to investigate the place and decide for yourself.

Any restaurant carries an automatic cross-contamination risk.

A place that has a gluten-free menu is at least aware of the issue, and is probably taking steps to minimize the risk.

There is a restaurant we like to go to in Toronto that has many gluten-free options. I trust them. The gluten-free pizza crusts are obtained from a totally gluten-free producer. They go into the oven in a clean pan and are transferred to the serving plate safely. They do not use a pizza cutter on gluten-free pizza--it arrives uncut at the table with a clean knife. If you order gluten-free pasta, you expect a long wait because they will boil fresh water in a clean pot to prepare your order. They definitely "get it."

A large pizza chain here in Ontario now offers a gluten-free crust. It arrives at the pizzeria packaged. I haven't personally tried it, but some other board members have posted positive feedback. Search the board for <"Pizza Pizza"> to find those discussions.

Obviously, the level of commitment is going to vary from establishment to establishment. My experience has been that the low-price fast food outlets are likely to have low-paid staff who don't care, but that more upscale establishments are more likely to understand and respond to our needs. As is so often the case, you get what you pay for.

[mouse]

I go to Picazzo's Gourmet pizza, here in Arizona. There are several in this state and they are opening one up in Oregon. One side of the kitchen is gluten free and the other is regular. They use different colored dishes and ovens for the the gluten free items. I do react to gluten and I have eaten at Picazzo's many, many times over the last two years and have never gotten glutened. They have an unbelivable gluten free menu. So, if you are getting a Picazzo's near you, then you are one lucky person.