One of the biggest mistakes people make when dining out is trusting that all restaurants with gluten-free menus actually know how to safely prepare and serve gluten-free meals. It would be wonderful if this was the case but at present, it is simply not so. Why would a company go to the trouble of printing a gluten-free menu without also training their staff about safe gluten-free food service? That is something you need to ask the companies that are doing it.
When I ate gluten, I rarely ate at chain restaurants so when I was told that very few places were safe to eat out at gluten-free and they were all large chains, I was not exactly thrilled by the news. It was interesting that the first such place we tried did a good job several times on our take-out orders but couldn’t get my meal delivered to the table when we tried to dine in. In fact, they gave me a three-year-old menu. We should have left when that happened but live and learn as they say.
Because of my involvement in the gluten-free dining scene in Atlanta, I’ve come to a conclusion about why some locations of chains with gluten-free menus do an excellent job, and others locations (in the same chain) should cancel their gluten-free menu altogether. Almost every place that does a good job here with gluten-free service (large chains with printed gluten-free menus) has a gluten-free manager or employee – or a family member of the restaurant owner who has celiac disease.
Having a connection to someone who knows what gluten-free means, and the intricacies of safe food prep and service, seems to directly impact the level of gluten-free knowledge a restaurant has and the quality of service they offer. When you walk into a restaurant that has no such connection to someone living gluten-free, chances are no one there will understand their own gluten-free menu.
Here are some examples to consider. When dining at the Carrabba’s near us, our party of two ordered from the gluten-free menu. We discussed our salads being made in a clean bowl, with no croutons, etc. The server seemed to “get it” and then promptly returned with two bread plates and a huge loaf of gluten bread. That act proved she didn’t know as much as I’d given her credit for. When in Ocala, FL, we had the best experience we’ve ever had at a Bonefish Grill. The staff there ran rings around the staff at the locations in the Atlanta area, regarding gluten-free service. It was both shocking and amazing at the same time.
The most important thing you can do when choosing a restaurant is to confirm they know what they are doing in terms of gluten-free service. Generally, this is not something you want to do after you’ve been seated, but rather something you take care of before you ever leave home. It’s okay to just show up at a large national chain with a gluten-free menu and hope for the best, but it is not unusual for such places in more rural areas to have a hard time finding their gluten-free menu if they don’t get a lot of gluten-free customers.
Every chain with a gluten-free menu is not created equal and that is something we all need to keep in mind before choosing where we’re going to eat out. It’s unfortunate that every restaurant chain location with a gluten-free menu is not as fabulous as the Roswell, GA Outback Steakhouse – no doubt!
Let us know if you have experienced different levels of gluten-free awareness within the same chain restaurant with a gluten-free menu.
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