Check it Out!

*******UPDATE AT BOTTOM******

This came in one of those money saver packets in the mail:
Let’s zoom in…
How exciting is that?!  Can you imagine being able to get gluten free pizza from 5 Buck Pizza?!  I’m expecting it to cost more than the $5, but we’ll see.  I called at the beginning of August and the employee said they were expecting to get it later in the month.  I went out of town after that and now that I’m back it’s too late at night to call.  But don’t worry, as soon as I figure out details I’ll let you know!
Have you seen one of these flyers for your area?  Or is it just for the Roy location for now?

UPDATE:  I called and found out more info on the gluten free pizza.  It costs $8.99 for a 12 inch, and I believe that's unlimited toppings, just like the regular 5 buck pizzas.  

The employee on the phone told me they sterilize everything and they have gluten free utensils that are only used for gluten free.  The pizza crust is already made, frozen, and shrink wrapped when they get it.  They just open it, put toppings on, and bake.  Sounds like they know what they're talking about when it comes to cross-contamination.  

He also said it's just their location (Roy) doing gluten free and not a chain-wide thing.  Which means, you either have to come to my city for your cheap yummy gluten free pizza, or you need to give your local 5 Buck Pizza a call and ask them to start doing the same thing.

Gluten-free fast food

One of the biggest problems I faced when starting out on the gluten-free diet was knowing what fast food was gluten-free and what wasn't. I'd ask the employee if something had wheat or flour in it and they couldn't tell me (at sit-down restaurants the waiter can ask the chef, who should know). I once got some delicious nachos from Taco Bell after making sure the chips didn't have gluten in them. I had a few bites and decided I should ask my celiac-expert friend about them. Come to find out Taco Bell meat has gluten in it. Sad! But at least I found out before I ate too much.

As a result of that experience I am creating a series of posts with information on popular fast food restaurants. There are some obvious gluten-filled menu items and some not so obvious ones. I will point out which ones are not so obvious.

Each time I post a new restaurant I will add it to this list, which will link you to that post. If there is any restaurant you would like to know about that I have not covered, please let me know in the comments.

If you want to head to a restaurant I haven't covered yet, you can check for gluten on your own. The best way is to be prepared before you go. Do a google search for the restaurant and "gluten." I generally check both the restaurant's official website and a few other websites where people discuss their restaurants experiences as far as gluten free goes.

Reminder: The information I post is from the restaurants themselves and from other research I've done. It is your responsibility to reconfirm that the item is still gluten-free and to address any cross-contamination issues.

Taco Bell
Wendy's

Taco Bell

Allergens list from Taco Bell (updated 06/08/2008):

Original menu items

There isn't much you can eat from Taco Bell (I believe the seasoning in the meat has gluten in it). At the bottom of their allergens list they do have a list of how to order gluten-free from their menu foods, which is pretty cool. Here's what they say:

Suggestions for Wheat and Gluten Sensitive Individuals
- Tostada
- Fiesta Taco Salad (order Chicken instead of Beef; order without the shell and without the Red Strips)
- *Express Taco Salad (order Chicken instead of Beef)
- *Zesty Chicken BORDER BOWL® (order without the Zesty Dressing and without the Red Strips)
- Southwest Steak Bowl (order without the Creamy Jalapeno Sauce)

*These two items state that they are "prepared in common equipment; may be in contact with allergen-containing products," so keep that in mind if you order these.

Click here if you want to know what specifically is in the food to make it unsafe (updated 10/08).

In my research I also found this website, which I found quite interesting. A comment is made about cross-contamination being so bad at Taco Bell that a person can't eat gluten-free there. I personally don't worry about cross-contamination very much because it hasn't appeared to hurt me in the past, but you need to decide what's best for you.

As always, refer to the information I've provided, but most importantly, use your own judgment to determine what and if you should eat at this restaurant.

Wendy's

Wendy's is an awesome place for gluten-free. They have compiled a very helpful list of all of their gluten-free menu items. Yes, Wendy's chili is gluten-free. Yay!
Menu items without gluten

Wendy's is also great about doing special orders too. I used to just order a normal cheeseburger and take the bun off, but it was a pain because the cheese stuck to the bun (not to mention the contamination issues that would have for someone more sensitive than me). My husband was ordering for me and asked for the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger without the bun. They didn't act like that was weird at all. They put my cheeseburger in one of the baked potato holders and gave me a fork to eat it with. It was great! Don't be afraid to ask for something special.

Sans Gluten mentions that the burgers and chicken are cooked on a dedicated section of the grill and the fries are cooked in dedicated oil (meaning you won't be eating fries that were cooked in the same oil and gluten-filled chicken nuggets). It also suggests substituting crackers and croûtons with almonds. Cool! I didn't know this was an option. I'm excited to try it next time I go.

This site has comments from people worried about cross-contamination and how they handle it at Wendy's.

As always, refer to the information I've provided, but most importantly, use your own judgment to determine what and if you should eat at this restaurant.