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Friday, March 18, 2011

Restaurant Review: Gluten Free at Red Robin

My husband’s birthday was last week.  He had a coupon from Red Robin for a free birthday burger and he loves burgers, so that’s where we went.  I wasn’t overly excited about it because when we went for the same reason 3 years ago the waitress had no clue what gluten was and after I explained it to her she asked me if beans had gluten in them.  Needless to say, that wasn’t the best restaurant experience, but thankfully this time was completely different!
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My husband and daughter at Red Robin 3 years ago.
Often before going to a restaurant we’ll check for a gluten free menu online (that majority of restaurants have one), but we didn’t this time.  When we got there my husband asked the hostess for a gluten free menu.  It took them awhile to get one (they usually have on one on hand, but couldn’t find it, so they had to print off a new nutrition list which was 23 pages long), so I guessed on what I could have and they checked it once it was printed.
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Birthday boy with daughter last week.
The manager came out to talk to me about it and was extremely nice and helpful.  Both him and our waitress were knowledgeable about gluten and which of their items it was in (i.e. you can have the fries, but only without the seasoning salt).  You’ll want to ask the manager at your specific location questions about how they prevent cross-contamination (preferably before you get to the restaurant).  I talked to the manager about this and feel confident that the Layton Red Robin location knows what they’re doing.  He told me they have a dedicated french fry fryer and the seasoning salt is added afterwards and the grills are also dedicated for breaded and non-breaded chicken.  He even talked about being sure to use separate bowls and tongs for everything to prevent cross-contamination.  Big change from 3 years ago! 
The food was yummy, too!  Click here to see their gluten free menu.  It’s detailed and great!
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Bonus:  The waiting area has TVs on the floor and an arcade to help entertain your busy kids!
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3 comments:

Colleen said...

glad you had a good experience. i went to the one in provo last saturday. the gluten free menu was expired so i did not want to chance it. so i got a house salad with a balsamic vinerate on the side. i noticed that the olives and pickles are not gluten free. crazy. how were the fries without the seasoning? i will have to go back and try something else. salad is so boring.

Bethany said...

Thanks for sharing, Colleen! To be honest, the fries weren't as great without the seasoning. I should have at least put salt or something on it, but I didn't think about it till now. Weird about the olives and pickles. I'm guessing they're just being overly cautious because of cross-contamination, but who knows. I actually read the ingredient label of the seasoning salt on my table and I couldn't find gluten listed. Either I missed it or it's just not certified gluten free because of cross-contamination.

It's not a restaurant I'd ever choose to go on my own (there are plenty of other restaurants with tastier gluten free options), but I'll go back with my husband. It's refreshing that they know how to do gluten free.

lurel said...

I love the restaurant reviews! My MIL just found out that she has celiac. Cooking is pretty ok to figure out, but the eating out is so hard! I'd love to see more restaurant info and reviews for Utah!