Re: Outback

[Guest guest]

I think you're right about the upscale part. Our problem in our town is that all the fast food places hire 17 year olds who really couldn't care less. That's where you get the picking the croutons off the salad and thinking that makes it gf. I'm getting ready to try our brand new Arby's (I went to our data base and they gave my husband a menu and I circled everything I can have). He still has to go to Mc's for my oldest (who turns his nose up at roast beef) so I can get fries from there (since nothing on the 5 for $5 menu is gf, and that's where the fries are).

Here's hoping they're a bit more conscientious than one of or Mc's which I no longer go to.

Loriann aka Flitter the Christian clown and Celiac DiseaseWife to Dewight, USNavy RetiredMom to , 15, Down Syndrome, PDD-NOS and Celiac Diseaseand , 5 and ADHD

[Guest guest]

My family (of all celiacs) love Outbacks! We go 2xs a month usually.

Sometimes more often. When we were first diagnosed and heard about

their gf menu, they had no clue. We spoke with the manager and the

waiter and our meal came out perfect. Next time we went, we had to

send the kids' meals back because they dumped fries all over

everything. We've had one episode of crouton picking off and my DD

threw up in their restroom halfway through the meal. Our entire dinner

was comped (7 of us that time) and the manager was VERY apologetic and

called an emergency all hands meeting in the kitchen. That has NEVER

happened again. The fries dumping still happens half the time on the

kids meals, it seems to be an autonomic kitchen process no one

thinks about it! But we still have a great time there and the wait

staff are VERY knowledgeable about CD now. (And are usually as

frustrated with the fries dumping as we are.) I don't think we've had

a reaction from there in a year.

Um, what I meant to say here is that if you go to Outbacks and they

are clueless, order very simply (and stress the words " allergy "

and " sick " and " NO BREAD OR CROUTONS OR FRIES " over and over.) The

next time they will be more aware and the time after that even more

so. Soon, you'll have a well-trained restaurant.

> All the postings I have read on Outback restaurant have been positive

> - however, I did not have a good experience there. I carefully

> ordered off the gluten free menu, saying exactly what I was supposed

> to (no croutons, no seasoning on veggies, etc.). Everything looked

> fine, but I was sick for 3 days from the meal. Perhaps my first

> warning sign should have been that the workers seemed unaware that

> there was a gf menu available.

>

> This was the first meal out I had after my diagnosis. It took me

> weeks to get up my courage to eat out and I was very disappointed. I

> am now afraid to try eating out again.

>

> Any pointers on how to avoid a problem in the future?