Asweetgeek

Thanks a lot. This does help me with my own considerations that I need to take into account. I'm going to a Celiac Support group soon and I'll probably bring up the idea with them and see how people react as well. Thanks again for everyone's thoughts. It's been very helpful.

  On 8/4/2012 at 12:14 AM, Adalaide said:

>clipped< Here's the first obstacle I see, allergens. Because of the number of additional food intolerance that people with celiac face I told my husband that if I even considered doing such a thing, I would be top 8 allergen free and 100% nut free. (Do I have to include milk seperately? Well it would need to be milk free also.) Well, that just increased my customer base by a lot but boy did I make it a lot harder on myself. All outside food would have to be completely off limits, that means even for staff. Get how hard this is going to be now?

>clipped< I think that until we can change the idea that gluten free is taste free there is an inherent risk that all gluten free restaurants are at great risk of failing.

Thank you for that very well thought out answer. I think that maybe part of my problem. Limited mindset. I can see how difficult it would be to handle additional allergens but I don't really think its so impossible, but that might be why it's so prohibitive in concept. As much as I know it would hurt to not be able to do all 8 of the top allergens, I think that would be the point of where it'd be highly suspicious of success. In my own cooking, I've been able to overcome gluten in a lot of things, as well as most nuts, soy and dairy. But eggs are a lot harder since they add so much leavening. Fish and Shellfish would be practically unheard of down here and I think I'll just keep them out in general.

As far as the taste free thing, I tricked a lot of my friends with my earlier (and thankfully still tasty) attempts at gluten-free backing/cooking. A lot of times now, people can't even tell, but you're right. The perception is still there and not everyone is completely open minded. I know of people who are supposed to be 'sources of knowledge' who still think that if it's gluten-free, it HAS to have xanthan gum in it, which I've found often completely ruined the texture of a product. Plus a lot of the flours are kinda bland. Well, thanks again. That does ease my mind in that regard but now I'm starting to becoming bullheaded about making the idea work somehow.

  On 8/3/2012 at 11:38 PM, AGH2010 said:

I agree with you wholeheartedly!!!!! Hopefully one of these days soon it will become a reality.

Thanks. I'm actually trying to get one started myself near Baton Rouge or New Orleans but the investors and the like I've spoken with still see it as a diet fad and not worth wasting time or money on. I'm trying to get some research done to show otherwise but I keep feeling like I'm missing out on something since it seems to be viable from the people I've spoken to and I was just wondering if I'm missing some important thing I haven't taken into consideration.

I do understand the appeal somewhat of wanting to have the things you've always had just...Gluten free.

But the thing I don't understand is why the idea of a truly Gluten Free restaurant isn't more viable. There are so many wonderful dishes out there that are naturally gluten free and healthy. Plus we've made so many advances in making gluten free recipes why should we have to eat at places that don't take our concerns seriously. Maybe I'm an outlier in regards to this, but I think there are enough true Celiacs and Sensitives(Not posers doing the Gluten free diet) to warrant at least one or two of these places in the big cities or maybe even a chain of them. Yet, I don't see them anywhere and I can't figure out why. We have a few Gluten free bakeries here and there, but why not a full fledged restaurant.

Anyone explain this to me? Because I feel particularly slow or like I'm just missing something obvious.