There are several chain restaurants and fast food joints that report that their fries are gluten-free since they are fried in dedicated fryers. Most, but not all, French fries start out gluten-free but when they’re dropped into a fryer that is used for gluten items as well, the fries are no longer considered gluten-free. The fast food places that are supposed to use dedicated fryers for French fries are Chick-Fil-A, Burger King, and McDonald’s. Because the starting agent for McDonald’s fries contains wheat, the company no longer states that they are gluten-free Several independent tests for the McDonald’s oil that contains wheat showed no detectable levels of gluten, but these days they won’t state that the fries are gluten-free. The company will actually not state that anything they offer is gluten-free. Every location of Chick-Fil-A I’ve checked with (four in three in three states) has confirmed that they use a dedicated fryer for fries.
Burger King’s new Gluten Sensitive List was impressive at first but when the corporate office said they don’t suggest that severely gluten intolerant customers should eat there, it became much less impressive. My Burger King has a dedicated fryer and I tried the fries recently. They were fine and gluten-free – at least on that day at a very non-busy time. The apple fries are Burger King should be gluten-free at all times since they are not fried at all. Five Guys Burgers doesn’t put anything in their fryers except for fries. Therefore, the burger chain probably has the least risky fries and they are the best fries we’ve ever had. Please note the company uses 100% peanut oil so those with peanut allergies would want to avoid the fries at Five Guys.
Non-fast food places that have gluten-free fries on their menus are Ted’s Montana Grill, Red Robin (not all locations), and Cheeseburger in Paradise. Some, but not all, locations of Margaritaville have gluten-free fries and even decent gluten-free buns. The gluten-free service varies at this chain so always inquire about their gluten-free offerings before showing up and expecting them to know what you can eat. In my own experience, I’ve found the Orlando location of Margaritaville to be the best for gluten-free options and staff knowledge.
Ted’s Montana Grill began rolling out their new gluten-free menu in 2009 and all locations might not have a gluten-free fryer for fries, even though fries are clearly listed on the website, which is the same menu at all locations here. It would be excellent if they picked up some gluten-free flour to make some gluten-free onion rings. Fried onion rings are what you smell when you walk into the place as they serve a large fried onion ring on most of their steaks. The best cheese fries around can be found at the Roswell, GA Outback Steakhouse. As far as I know, that is the only Outback location that has a dedicated fryer.
The above information is meant to inform our readers about what companies “might” have gluten-free French fries. We are not suggesting anyone eat fries – or avoid them – at any of the places listed. Personally, I’ve had safe fries at Cheeseburger in Paradise, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, Ted’s Montana Grill, Margaritaville (only in Orlando), Five Guys, and Outback (only in Roswell, GA). I don’t care for the fries at McDonald’s but I’ve had safe hash browns there on several occasions. In a French fry survey at The Savvy Celiac, McDonald’s won for favorite gluten-free fries. As always, everyone has to make the right choices about what they choose to eat and what they want to avoid.
In looking at the chart it may look like there is nothing for us gluten-free eaters except the Pad Thai, but that is because these items are made with gluten noodles. If you ask to replace the noodles that typically come with these dishes, with the rice noodles used with the Pad Thai, you can easily enjoy several noodle dishes, which include*:
When I first step up to order my dish, I will tell them I have a wheat allergy. I have learned that if I say gluten-free, many times they look at me like I have a third arm, but if I say I have a wheat allergy, they are taking off their gloves to change them before I even finish my sentence. And if someone else is going to be handling your dish, be sure they also change their gloves. However, once I say I have a wheat allergy, that first person will usually alert the others to change as well.
You must be logged in to post a comment.