8 Tips for Dining Out Gluten Free

I can vividly recall my first time dining out gluten free after receiving my Celiac diagnosis.  The experience was nothing short of overwhelming.  I was still adjusting to my new GF lifestyle and I wasn’t entirely confident yet on exactly what gluten was, what it hid in, let alone how to order a gluten free meal or explain it to a server.

Over the past 3 1/2 years, I have learned how to navigate restaurants, read menus & overcome the challenge of communicating with servers.

Tips I’ve Learned & Practice when dining out gluten free:

1. Understand Gluten: Before dining out, it is essential that you understand gluten.  You need to be able to ask the right questions & understand potential cross-contamination sources when navigating menus & speaking with servers.  It took me years to truly feel confident in dining out gluten free.  And as you know, I didn’t even start this blog until well over 3 years after being diagnosed with Celiac.
2. Go to restaurants with Gluten Free Menus: I will try a restaurant if there is a gluten free menu, &/or GF procedures, OR if I’ve heard other Celiacs recommend it.  I will not just blindly walk into any restaurant and cross my fingers that I do not get sick.  I look for places that have managers and/or Chefs that have spent time understanding and identifying gluten; this provides me with a bit more confidence when selecting a restaurant.
3. Dine With People You Trust: I have certain friends and family members that have graciously joined me on this gluten free journey by educating themselves on what I can, and can not, eat.  I feel comfortable dining with them because they do not judge me for speaking up at a restaurant, and many times they are more considerate of my health than I am.  Then there are other loved ones that still have not taken the time to understand my disease.   With those folks, I just prefer to grab coffee.  I have found it to be more comforting to eat out with those that understand the severity of my “allergy” & take my health into consideration when choosing a restaurant.
4. Avoid Peak Dining Hours:  During peak hours, there is a higher chance of cross contamination as the kitchen is slammed and Chefs are more likely to overlook special allergy instructions.  For lunch, I will either get to a restaurant as soon as it opens, 11 AM, or wait until after the lunch rush hour, say 2 or 3 PM.  Same thing goes for dinner, I will either join the senior citizens at 4 or 5 PM, or wait until 8:30 or 9 PM to dine.
5. Speak with Servers Politely:  In the beginning, I was so self righteous and would take offense if a server did not know what gluten was.  I have come to realize that I can not expect all servers to understand gluten; heck I had never heard of it before I was diagnosed!   With time, I have learned how to quickly identify if a server is knowledgable on gluten, based upon their responses to my questions.  If I feel they are not, I politely ask to speak with a manger or Chef; I do not shame them.
6. Understand Sources of Potential Cross Contamination: There are certain questions that always come to my mind before ordering, even if a GF menu is available.  They include:
   • Is there a separate fryer for gluten containing items (ie: chicken fingers) versus non gluten containing items (ie: your french fries)?
   • Are the GF salads mixed in a fresh bowl?
   • Is the meat dusted with flour before being sautéed?
   • Is the grill cleaned before a gluten free entrée is cooked?
   • Do the Chefs change their gloves before preparing gluten free meals?
   • Are there any gluten containing garnishes (ie: fried onions)?
   • Does my meal come with bread?
7. Confirm GF Dish with Food Runner: I can not tell you how many times this step has saved me!  From the time I am seated, until the moment my meal has arrived, I probably use the term “Gluten Free” well over 5 times.  However, the most important time is when I receive final confirmation.  Typically, it is not my server that is presenting the meal, it is a food runner.  If there is a communication breakdown, then the food runner may not know about my gluten “allergy”; and herein lies a huge problem.  They could, unknowingly, serve me someone else’s similar meal, or a gluten filled version of the meal I ordered; and this has happened to me in the past on several occasions.  As soon as the food runner places the dish in front of me, I say for a final time, “This is my gluten free meal, correct?”.  If they hesitate, or are not sure, I kindly ask them to verify with the kitchen before taking my first bite.
8. Trust your gut!:  Ultimately, if you do not feel comfortable, do not be afraid to get up and leave.  I have left restaurants on several occasions after being seated and realizing that the server/manager is not knowledgable on gluten.  If I’ve already ordered a drink, I leave enough cash to cover it and walk out.  It’s not worth compromising your health for fear of insulting a restauranteur.