Without naming names, I went to a restaurant the other day that advertised a new gluten-free menu.  When I arrived and asked about it, the hostess knew nothing of it — so I asked for the manager.  The manager seemed surprised that I had asked and then went in the back and returned with a piece of letter sized paper that he had obviously just run through the printer.  On that paper was a short list that included just a few of their regular menu items and was simply meant to tell you that most of the items on their menu were not safe and that you wouldn’t be eating well.  The waiter (or the manager) knew nothing of cross contamination issues, didn’t understand why simply taking a bun off of a burger wouldn’t suffice and honestly thought they were doing me a favor by offering this “so-called” gluten-free menu.  Needless to say, I didn’t continue this journey into what was certain to be a horrible experience and I politely excused myself and walked away and I won’t be coming back.

There are some great examples of restaurants that offer REAL gluten-free menus with REAL choices for the customer.  Some of the more obvious and well-known options are restaurants like P.F. Chang’s, Pei Wei Asian Diner, Fleming’s Steakhouse, The Daily Grill and Outback Steakhouse just to name a few. There are also countless smaller restaurants scattered around the country that are gaining a nationwide reputation for great gluten-free menus, places like Risotteria, Bistango, S’MAC and Lilli & Loo — all in New York City. There’s Corbett Fish House in Portland, Lombardi’s Neighborhood Italian in Seattle, Hugo’s in L.A., and so many more across the country.

For the restaurants out there contemplating a gluten-free menu, please take the restaurants listed above as as example and research, research, research the gluten-free diet. It’s more than just swapping out a few ingredients, it’s about knowing the seriousness of why the majority of people asking for gluten-free are asking for it. While it might currently be a fad, there are millions of people worldwide that cannot live any other way — and believe me when I say, if you create a well thought out gluten-free menu with real choices, the gluten-free crowd will flock to your restaurant, blog about your restaurant and share it will all of their friends.