AllergyEats: Celiac and Gluten-Intolerant Guests Should Be Careful of Gluten-Free Menus

Some Restaurants Aren’t Offering True Gluten-Free Meals, So Always Be Vigilant When Dining Out

BOSTON, MA (November 21, 2011) – “Gluten-free” is a growing trend, with an increasing number of restaurants now offering gluten-free menu options, but some establishments haven’t been properly trained around gluten intolerance and food allergies. As a result, they’re serving “gluten-free” meals that actually contain gluten, and guests are getting sick from these mistakes. Paul Antico, founder of AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), the biggest and fastest growing online source for finding allergy-friendly restaurants, reminds people with celiac disease, gluten intolerance and other food allergies to always be vigilant when dining out. 

Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grains, including barley and rye. For people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, consuming even small quantities of gluten can cause severe abdominal distress, in some cases resulting in hospitalization.

“The primary reason for restaurants’ errors is the lack of knowledge and understanding around cross-contamination. Cross-contamination occurs when a meal that’s supposed to be gluten-free comes in contact with gluten. For instance, if a chef cooks a piece of fish in a pan that previously held breadcrumbs, that fish has been cross-contaminated with gluten and isn’t safe for a celiac or gluten-intolerant diner to eat,” Antico explained.

“Just because a restaurant offers gluten-free menu options doesn’t mean you’ll get a gluten-free meal. There are a growing number of news stories and online chatter about people with severe gluten intolerances who have gotten sick after consuming meals that were supposed to be gluten-free. Recently, at least four major restaurant chains – and many independent restaurants – have been spotlighted for serving gluten-free meals that have contained gluten,” said Antico. Read the rest of this entry »

Never doubt that the AllergyEats community is a great one! Whether rating dining experiences on our core website or sharing experiences on our Facebook page, our community is truly one of compassionate people coming together to help one another address a common cause. As part of that, I often receive private emails or messages alerting me to concerning restaurant practices (which I strongly encourage). Often, these are specific to an individual restaurant and really belong in the comments section of an AllergyEats rating. Every now and then, however, the concern seems more significant, particularly if it involves a change in practices for an entire chain of restaurants. These concerns don’t always prove accurate, of course, but they’re worth a few phone calls.

Such was the case recently with a favorite of mine, Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizzeria.  (They are apparently a favorite of many of you too, as they sport an excellent AllergyEats allergy-friendliness rating of 4.3 out of 5!)  Months ago, I received two separate messages from concerned members of the AllergyEats community, each sharing a fear of new potential cross-contamination possibilities.  Given the details of the two scenarios, I clearly saw the cause for concern and decided to follow-up with Bertucci’s.

In the first email, I was alerted to the introduction of a Chocolate Hazelnut Crostata on the dessert menu of Bertucci’s.  Given that this item is prepared in the same brick oven as all the pizzas and many other dishes, the concern was that those with a peanut allergy would suddenly have to sacrifice so many of their favorite foods at Bertucci’s… or sacrifice dining at Bertucci’s altogether. Read the rest of this entry »

[this AllergyEats Blog post written by Adrienne Walkowiak]

Tim Sharpe, owner of Graces 5 restaurant in Redmond, WA is revolutionizing healthy eating – and also revolutionizing how to serve guests with food allergies.

Graces 5 provides a variety of delicious, healthy, organic foods that are completely free of gluten, dairy, soy and peanuts.

“We decided to serve the food allergy community so that people feel safe eating here and feel like they’re coming home.  We offer organic, affordable food, and want people to bring their families and have a great experience,” Tim explained.

Tim understands that cross-contamination is a huge concern for people with food allergies, and therefore, he has eliminated common allergens, including gluten, dairy, soy and peanuts, from Graces 5’s kitchen.  The restaurant also clearly marks menu items that contain other allergens (such as corn, shellfish, tree nuts and eggs) and will happily prepare meals without those ingredients for their guests.

In fact, this restaurant is so accommodating that they even keep records of their customers’ food allergies in their database, so guests won’t have to repeat their dietary restrictions each time they visit [though we would always suggest doing so anyway].

Many of the restaurant’s customers are food allergic, and some guests have multiple allergies.  Tim explained that their staff is well trained in food allergies, and the servers know how to engage the customers and ask the right questions about what foods they can and cannot tolerate.  And their kitchen staff is wonderful at accommodating special requests and meeting specific food requirements.

“Our food allergic guests can basically order anything off the menu.  We had a celiac customer who was thrilled to be able to order what everyone else was ordering.  She had never eaten crab cakes in a restaurant before,” Tim explained.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m very excited to share with you that the Clyde’s Restaurant Group, based in and around Washington, DC, has signed on as a partner in the AllergyEats Great Gift Card Giveaway.  Even better, no pitch was required – Clyde’s is so comfortable serving food-allergic diners and so welcoming to our community that they proactively called us to be a part of the program.

I wrote a positive piece about the Clyde’s chain way back in April 2010 after reading an encouraging article titled “Food Allergies: Clean Plates” in Restaurants & Institutions magazine.  (You can read that blog entry, entitled “How far can a restaurant go to be allergy-friendly? Ask Clyde’s,” by clicking HERE).  Re-posting some key aspect of Clyde’s operations seems worthwhile:

• They have an allergy-alert feature in their point-of-sales system where “servers can key in any of the eight major food allergens. A guest’s allergens then are noted on each ticket that gets printed.”
• “Servers are instructed to steer guests away from high-production items such as beef stew unless the cook who prepared the item is on-site and can vouch for its being free of a given allergen.”
• Some units have dedicated seafood fryers to prevent cross-contamination.
• “Kitchen employees are reminded to change clothes as necessary and always use freshly cleaned pots and utensils when preparing items for guests who have a food allergy.”
• A member of management attended the FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) Teen Summit to understand why teens are often hesitant to tell restaurants about their food allergies.
• Clyde’s Corporate Operations Manager has made the statement, “Sometimes we consider our menu just a list of suggested ingredients.” This is a great concept and reminds me a bit of my own recent description of the Disney attitude (“Tell us what you want and we’ll tell you how we can do it” versus “Let me show you which items on our menu are safe for you”).

Read the rest of this entry »

AllergyEats Applauds Allergy-Friendly Restaurants,
Spotlights What Accommodating Restaurants Have In Common

AllergyEats, the Biggest & Fastest Growing Source for Finding Allergy-Friendly Restaurants,
Helps Diners Find Accommodating Restaurants

BOSTON, MA (October 24, 2011) – What do restaurants like Legal Sea Foods, P.F. Chang’s, Not Your Average Joe’s and Blue Ginger have in common? These chain and independent restaurants take great pride in accommodating diners with food allergies and intolerances by carefully implementing food allergy protocols and procedures. As a result, they’ve all gotten high allergy-friendliness ratings on AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), the biggest and fastest growing online source for finding allergy-friendly restaurants.

“Dining out with food allergies can be frustrating and scary, but a growing number of restaurants are doing a terrific job of accommodating food-allergic guests, making the experience of dining out more comfortable and enjoyable,” said Paul Antico, Founder of AllergyEats and father of three food-allergic children. “Restaurants like Legal Sea Foods and Clyde’s have high AllergyEats allergy-friendliness ratings because they’ve implemented a variety of safety procedures and policies around serving food-allergic guests. I applaud them for being so accommodating and progressive about this issue.”

“While actual policies vary among restaurants, there are certain steps that the most allergy-friendly restaurants take to ensure they’re accommodating guests with dietary restrictions, including:

• Communicating – Restaurants that truly understand food allergies know that the most important first step is communication. Some guests have multiple allergies, and some food allergies can be life-threatening. Staff at accommodating restaurants engage guests in dialogue, asking questions about their dietary restrictions and carefully communicating these needs to the chef and anyone else that will be handling their food.

• Training and educating staff – Allergy-friendly restaurants make sure that every employee – including servers, kitchen staff and managers – is well-trained about food allergies and the restaurant’s specific cautionary procedures. It’s important for the staff to be properly educated so they’ll ask guests the right questions about their food restrictions, understand how the food is prepared, and know how to avoid cross-contamination, ensuring there’s no contact between a guest’s meal and their allergy “trigger foods.” When employees are properly educated and trained, they’re able to prepare and serve meals that food-allergic guests can comfortably enjoy.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the almost two weeks since we published our blog post about the changes to Wendy’s menu (“New dairy allergy challenges at Wendy’s“), focusing primarily on their new buttered buns, we have learned that the information we shared was not 100% accurate.  Given that we only had a few days before the new menu was released, we were forced to rely solely on our four calls to Wendy’s customer service reps for the information we published.  I wish we had had the opportunity to get confirmation from individual restaurants as well, but we felt it was critical to get news of the new menu out as soon as possible in order to help those with dairy allergies avoid getting sick.  Thankfully, while the details weren’t 100% accurate, we were still able to share with thousands of dairy-allergic individuals the main issue that Wendy’s was introducing buttered buns into their restaurants for the first time.  To me, getting that important information out in a timely fashion was worth the embarrassment of our mistakes.  (I also proved my own statement from the last blog entry correct when I said “Never blindly trust what you see online – even here – without taking all the proper steps to ensure your safety.”)

In any case, thanks to a caring franchisee from Phoenix and a representative from Wendy’s PR agency, we were alerted to the possible mistakes in our prior post and directed to the proper executive within Wendy’s for confirmation.  Unfortunately, it took almost a week for a call back, thus delaying our access to the exact information (and our ability to write this post), but we pushed and pushed and finally succeeded, so we can now confidently share the correct information… and then some.

In our prior post, we stated the following [note that we eliminated prior bolded words in order to prevent further confusion]:

• The nutrition information table on their web site has NOT yet been fully updated for the new menu!  While it is labeled September 2011, do NOT rely on this.  This information should be updated in the next week or so.  (Fortunately, the current list shows almost all burgers as having dairy anyway given that most are assumed to be cheeseburgers rather than hamburgers.)
• The buttered buns will be used on their seven premium burgers – Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy 1/4 lb, 1/2 lb, & 3/4 lb, the Bacon Deluxe single & double, and the Baconator single & double.
• The buttered buns will NOT be used on the value burgers – Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger Deluxe, Double Cheeseburger Deluxe, Double Stack.  In addition, all of the kids burgers will be free of the buttered buns.
• All of the buttered buns will be toasted, as we believe all of the adult burger buns are.  Therefore, only the children’s burgers will have buns that are free of cross-contamination risk from the toaster. Adult burgers with non-buttered buns will still be risky for those with a dairy allergy, so the best bet is to request a non-toasted bun.
• The buns – buttered or not – do not touch the grill, so there should be no greater risk of cross-contamination there.
• While the roll-out of the new menu begins Monday, it will take time for the entire chain to be updated.  Each restaurant should have prominent in-store signage when the new menu is in place.
• At the current time, no Wendy’s products besides the burgers are affected by the menu change, though there will be new chicken sandwiches in January (no details yet).

Now, let me give the correct information, most of which was communicated by the Senior Vice President of Communications at Wendy’s

• The nutrition information table on the Wendy’s web site should now be fully updated to reflect the new menu.
• The buttered buns are NOW being used on BOTH their premium burgers AND premium sandwiches (including chicken)!  THIS CONTRADICTS INFORMATION IN THE PRIOR POST!
• While the buttered buns are NOT CURRENTLY being used on the value or kids burgers and sandwiches, ALL burgers and sandwiches will be transitioning to the buttered buns between now and mid-November – including the kids burgers and sandwiches!  Again, THIS IS CRITICAL INFORMATION THAT CONTRADICTS INFORMATION IN THE PRIOR POST!  Be extremely careful and cautious, especially with your kids!

This new information from the SVP of Communications at Wendy’s matches up with what we were told by the Phoenix franchisee and the PR rep, HOWEVER it does NOT match with the information we received in our calls to Wendy’s customer service representatives AND it doesn’t match with the real world experience of one of our Twitter followers, who saw the buttered buns in a Denver Wendy’s, but noted that they were NOT being used on the chicken sandwiches.

SO WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?!?!?

The bottom line is this (according to the Wendy’s SVP of Communications): All those with a dairy allergy should make sure that they ask for an unbuttered, untoasted bun EVERY time, on EVERY sandwich, and that they inform the employee behind the counter about their dairy allergy!

Or to quote my colleague Sharon Read the rest of this entry »

Wendy’s is make a big splash this week in the restaurant community.  Following a loss of market share in the fast-food space, they’ve decided to revamp their burgers (which hadn’t changed since they were introduced in 1969!).  The result? New Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy burgers.

Another result? Buttered hamburger buns!  This is obviously a significant concern for the dairy allergy community and one that has gotten a lot of buzz and attention over the last few days, though there seemed to be a lack of clarity around the issue.  Personally, I also found Wendy’s news releases and website to be quite confusing when trying to determine what was no longer safe and what might still be safe for those with dairy allergies.

So we went to the source.

Wendy’s corporate representatives were extremely helpful, though I must admit that the issues still weren’t crystal clear.  So, we ended up calling four times – we want to get you the RIGHT information – and now I believe we have all the answers you would want.  (That said, please be particularly cautious the next few times you go to Wendy’s.  Never blindly trust what you see online – even here – without taking all the proper steps to ensure your safety.)
 

Here’s what you need to know:

• First of all, Read the rest of this entry »

AllergyEats Partners with MiniMunchers to Make Dining Out Easier for Families

AllergyEats, the Biggest & Fastest Growing Source for Finding Allergy-Friendly Restaurants,
& MiniMunchers, the Ultimate Resource for Children’s Menus,
Help Families Improve their Experiences Dining Out in New York City

 
BOSTON, MA (September 19, 2011) – Dining out is a pleasure for many families, but can often be frustrating for families with food allergies or intolerances. Now, AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), the biggest and fastest growing online source for finding allergy-friendly restaurants, has just partnered with MiniMunchers (www.minimunchers.com), the ultimate resource for children’s menus in New York City, to make it easier for families to dine out in the Big Apple.

“MiniMunchers is excited to partner with AllergyEats, as families who have allergy sensitivities need to know more then the standard information when dining out,” said Carla Sullivan, founder & Mommy Muncher for MiniMunchers.com. “MiniMunchers offers a complete list of kids’ menus and AllergyEats provides valuable allergy awareness information, and together, we eliminate the guesswork (and anxiety) when dining out.”

“AllergyEats provides amazingly valuable information for families and individuals who need to find allergy-sensitive restaurants. I wish I had thought of it,” Sullivan continued.

“We’re thrilled to partner with MiniMunchers, which does a terrific job of spotlighting kids’ menus at restaurants throughout New York City. Families can use both the MiniMunchers and AllergyEats sites to make more informed, thoughtful decisions about where to dine out, reducing their stress and uncertainty,” said Paul Antico, Founder of AllergyEats.

“As the parent of five children – three of whom have food allergies – I like to research restaurants in advance, to know how well they accommodate children in general, and food-allergic children in particular. Now, I have the added resource of MiniMunchers, allowing me to peruse the kids’ menus at thousands of New York establishments before selecting a restaurant,” Antico continued. “Our partnership strives to make dining out easier, safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable for families.”

Read the rest of this entry »

[This AllergyEats Blog entry was written by Melissa Freixas - I like the message at the end, so stick around for it!]

My birthday was not super this year, for various reasons it was not. Why it wasn’t is not important, I chose to not have a party and I chose to not go out to eat. I’m choosing to not go out and eat more often not just because of financial reasons or a location may be too far. The main reason is due to my food allergies, I have weird ones. There are only four when it comes to the food, two more when it comes to semi environmental related ones. Read the rest of this entry »

[This AllergyEats Blog post written by Adrienne Walkowiak]
 

A year ago, I blogged about my horrendous dining experience at Applebee’s (http://www.allergyeats.com/blog/index.php/guest-post-applebees-disappoints), explaining that the staff at my local New Hampshire restaurant were completely uneducated about accommodating guests with food allergies.  It was absolutely the worst restaurant experience I’d ever had… until last Friday night’s dinner at IHOP.

I’ve never been to IHOP before in my life.  Knowing that they specialize in breakfast foods, I always assumed it wouldn’t be the best place for me to eat, given my dairy allergy.  But my stepfather requested IHOP for his 70th birthday dinner, so we gave it a try.  I found the link to IHOP’s menu on AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), and was somewhat reassured to see some “traditional” meal options, along with the bevy of dairy-centric breakfast choices, which I knew I couldn’t eat.

Our perky waitress came over and took everyone else’s order first.  When I explained about my dairy allergy, she looked confused.  I asked some questions about how various menu items are prepared, and the waitress said she had no idea.  Not the reassuring attitude I was hoping for.  And she didn’t offer to check with the chef or call over a manager to speak with me directly about my special food requirements, as more accommodating restaurants tend to do.

I requested a plain turkey sandwich and asked her to double-check that they had a non-dairy bread option.  She told me, unapologetically, that there was NOTHING non-dairy on the entire menu.  At this point, I would have ordinarily walked out of the restaurant and never looked back, but my stepfather really wanted to stay.  So, I asked if they could prepare a plain garden salad for my meal – with no cheese or croutons – and with oil and vinegar on the side.  The server said she would “try” to get the chef to agree to that.

I waited anxiously for our meals to arrive – and when I received my dinner, I was outraged!  Read the rest of this entry »