Does Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) offer a gluten-free menu? After a quick review of their official website, I was unable to find anything other than a brief mention of Allergen Information on their FAQ page which requests you contact them directly with allergen inquiries.
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Before contacting Buffalo Wild Wings, I decided to do a quick Google search and was able to locate this post which was published recently by Zach of Gluten-Free Raleigh. In his post, Zach mentions recently contacting Buffalo Wild Wings and was given the following information:
So, I fired off an email to BW3 asking for the PDF allergen menu information. Turns out it would be easier if they would just update the above statement saying if you are gluten-free to STAY AWAY. They promptly responded with an Allergen List and information about the ingredients in their burger seasonings and wing sauces. Below is a summary and my word of caution.
- BW3 traditional chicken wings, fries, buffalo chips, boneless (breaded) chicken wings and tortilla chips are all cooked in a deep fryer which is shared by everything else fried. NOT gluten-free.
- All grilled items including naked chicken tenders (themselves GF) are cooked on the same grill. NOT gluten-free.
- BW3 burgers contain Gluten, burger seasoning does not. NOT gluten-free.
- BW3 sweet BBQ Wing Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce and Asian Zing Wing Sauce do contain Gluten. Other sauces do not but as mentioned before the risk of cross-contact exists with all products that could be sauced.
You can probably have some celery and Ranch dressing, coleslaw, or salsa without tortilla chips but that’s about it. Hope you are not too hungry.
As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.
For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.
I went to Buffalo Wild Wings in Springfield IL last weekend for the Superbowl and they had a list of all allergens (including gluten) in each item on the menu. The list was available at the carry-out desk and was very helpful! The manager said they had just received it a few days earlier.
This is nothing like what BW3 told me when I contacted them. Outside of two sauces which both contained soy sauce all the sauces were gluten free. I was also told the wings and the fries were cooked in dedicated fryers. I would talk to your local BW3 before taking somebody else’s word for it.
We went to the BW# in Highlands Ranch, Co. I was tols ALL BW# resturaunts have 3 fryers. the oil is moved from one fryer to the next, and on down the line during the day. The first frier has the freshest oil and is used for the vegetables and other fresh items (like potatoes. The second fryer is for their shrimp, breaded checken, etc. Lastly, the oil is moved to the third fryer for the wings. Thus, by the time you have wings dropped in the oil, that oil has cooked everything else on the menu.
We had a manager that was happy to start an order of wings for us in the oven. They turned out great, and we appreciated the effort.
Just spoke with a manager at the BWW in Superior, CO he was not that knowledgeable. All the wing sauce is gluten free except the asian zing sauces that have soy sauce in it. The oil is moved down the line after it has been filtered. So the french fry oil might start as fresh oil but as the person above stated by the time it gets to the fryer that frys the wings it has friend many breaded items. The manager stated that if i was very concerned with the oil and gluten contamination to ask for the wings to be baked in the oven. I might try and call back to another manager a different days. Hope this helps! i love BWW.
I just went to BWW in Oklahoma Ctiy this week and looked all the way through their 5-page allergen listing. The only foods that did not have wheat or soy or gluten (remember, soy is not gluten-free) were coleslaw and ice cream. ALL of their meat products had at least one of those 3 contaminants. And, since there was no meat, I didn’t bother checking any of the sauces.
Please please please stop posting on so many gluten free sites that soy is not gluten-free – soy is very much gluten free. Why else do half the certified gluten free items I buy have soy flour as one of the main ingredients?!?!
Heidi – thanks for catching that…I did not notice the comment about soy. I heard that incorrect rumor shortly after I was dx’d with celiac in 2006 so I asked the experts about it. Everyone confirmed that soy is gluten-free, period. Betty Crocker just reformulated their Devil’s Food cake mix (gf version) to contain soy flour 😉
Soy is gluten free as stated by the comments above. But, Soy sauce gets its salty, tart, savory flavor from a mixture of fermented boiled soybeans and roasted wheat or barley. Hence it is not a gluten free product.
Good point Chef Scott. Most soy sauces contain wheat. LaChoy does not and Kikkoman just introduced a new gluten-free soy sauce, but I have not seen it in stores here yet. San-J also makes both gluten and gluten-free soy sauce.
Tiffany, Kikkoman soy sauce has wheat in it….I just read the ingredients on a bottle this last week.
Diane – yes, the original versions from Kikkoman contains wheat and therefore isn’t gluten-free. The NEW gluten-free version hit shelves a couple of months ago and it didn’t replace the gluten versions. You have to read the label to make sure you are getting the new gluten-free option if you want the Kikkoman brand. It’s hard to miss the gluten-free on the label so it’s easy to distinguish the gluten-free version from the ones that contain gluten. Only the new version in the line is gluten-free which is why I stated the product is new in the above comment 😉 ALL other options from the company contain wheat/gluten. So exciting that Kikkoman finally joined the gluten-free game!!!!
Soy sauce is not gluten free. It goes through a wheat fermenting process unless it is tahini.soy is gluten free. Soy sauce is not.
Soy in itself might be fine, but not all soy sauce is gluten free. Read the labels!
I believe they meant soy sauce, which normally has wheat in it, unless you use an explicitly gluten-free brand. Most restaurants use normal soy sauce.
The Buffalo Wild Wings in Wyoming, MI has an allergy menu available.
The menu leads you to believe you can have the traditional style wings with all but 2 of the sauces.
It does NOT tell you that the wings are fried in the oil that everything else is fried in. If you don’t ask they WILL poison by cross contamination. A company that has not clue about allergies should not even offer a menu stating as such. You can have a plate of lettuce there!
In my investigations they are the worst place for a celiac!
Thanks for letting us know that, Jaime. I have found many places that just don’t get the fryer issue. The server or managers even often say ‘depending on how sensitive you are, you can have the wings which are fried with other gluten items”. No, actually – it doesn’t depend on anything – the items fried in a gluten fryer are not considered gluten-free, period.
A few comments: one, soy by itself is not a gluten issue. Soy SAUCE is. That said, the teriyaki and asian zing sauces are the only sauce problems. Soy by itself wouldn’t be a gluten issue – otherwise why does it show up in so darn many gluten-free substitutions?
Second, individual BW3 restaurants run things differently. Some purposely do NOT follow the graduated fryer regimen because of gluten intolerance. This highlights the importance of getting to know your restaurants and their managers and doing a little (kind, patient) education with them.
Again, this points to a core issue: the only “safe” place is a dedicated home and every other place is a risk. Ultimately, the risks are yours to take.
CGD – I’d like to add that while eating out where gluten foods are prepared and served is a risk, gluten-free restaurants do exist. While not many of them are around, eating at such places when you can find them is not only NOT a risk at all, it’s like being in gluten-free Heaven! Also, your comment about getting to know your restaurants/managers is so key. We eat out every week (every day on vacation) and we have fave places for every cuisine (Mexican, Chinese, Italian, etc.) and when I want to try a new place, I do a lot of recon before deciding to go – even if the place has a gluten-free menu. Having the menu is great of course, but if no one in the building knows what gluten is, it’s really a waste of time and money for the company to produce it.
I eat at BWW all the time. The buffalo chips are okay, but only the chips. I have had the chili and the cheddar cheese on them. The bone-in wings are okay too and I get them with the medium sauce. I ask that that they mix them in a separate and clean bowl. Where I go, then only fry the boneless in the same vat. I have never been sick yet, and I am highly sensitive.
wow it’s amazing how everybody hears something different when it comes to eating out. I’ve learned most horrors you hear are just stories. If you’re afraid of cross contamination don’t eat out ever.
In the case of BW3 I was told that had a dedicated wing fryer and when I asked the manager if they ever switched oils with other fryers he looked at me like I was crazy.
i just ate at BWW last night and asked for a GF menu or ingredients listing and the waiter returned with a printout of what is good and bad for all types of allergy issues There are some items that can be consumed without any problem (including a cider) but you should stay away from the fried items (yes the fries) since the fries and the onion rings are cooked in the same oil. I had no problems with my order at all. I would not however make this my first choice for eating but it does not have to be an immediate no when trying to enjoy and family night out watching sports on the big screen
what is cocca butter
I work at a bw3 in va and i can tell u right now its not safe to ever order anything deep fried. yes the buffalo chips, fries and wings are gf, but they are cooked in fryers that are not. all night long things are cooked in whatever fryer is available. shrimp, wedges, and corn dogs can all be cooked in the same fryer. I am very aware of this b/c i was just diagnosed with celiac disease last month and now i cant eat anything at all there. You can have a salad with ranch dressing, but then u run across the fact that the person running that station has also used their hands to make a wrap right before they make ur salad. They do not change their gloves after everything they do! Its not unsanitary, its just not safe for us with celiac disease. Youre best bet honestly is to make sure if u are going to dine there that they know u are very allergic and tell them to change their gloves and make sure they come in no contact with any gluten. you might have to explain the whole gluten thing to them b/c most servers dont even know what it is. I hope this helps.
I just eat there last night and I was up all night sicker than I’ve been in years. I only have myself to blame, I work in a resturant and I know that fryers are used for everything, workers get busy and anything goes. I won’t be going back.
My local BWW was portraying themselves as gluten free for the past couple of years and then I heard that they gave up on having a dedicated fryer so I sent an email to them and this is the reply I received…..
You are correct, in the past we have said that we can guarantee gluten free wings at this location, unfortunately we no longer have a dedicated fryer that we can guarantee 100% it will not contain gluten. There is always a chance of cross-contamination when it comes to fryers, oils, and baskets going from one fryer to another. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our management team here.
Thank You.
Eric Beirl
Manager
Team Ashwaubenon
Buffalo Wild Wings 82
At least they were honest when asked about it, would have been nice to know the last few times I ate there and got sick though.