12 Mistakes Gluten-Free Diners Make At Restaurants

Whether you've recently switched to a gluten-free lifestyle, have been gluten-free for several years, or are looking to support a family member with celiac disease or a wheat allergy, then you already know how challenging it can be to buy food at the grocery store. Reading labels, looking for gluten-free markings and certifications, and watching your grocery bill skyrocket because of the added costs of these items. Dining out in a restaurant can be an even more anxiety-provoking experience. As a mom to a celiac child, I'm speaking from experience here. 

When my daughter was diagnosed, our little world was turned upside-down, especially at the beginning. It took us a few months to get back into our regular habit of dining out a few times a month. At first, we were just too worried about her having a reaction from accidentally ingesting even a little bit of gluten. You see, having celiac disease, a wheat allergy, or other gluten sensitivities is quite different from just trying to avoid gluten for other health reasons or preferences. You not only have to worry about whether you order items that are free of wheat, barley, rye (or any of their derivatives), but you also have to worry about whether the food you order is prepared in such a way that makes it safe for you to eat. 

I've put together a list of some of the top mistakes gluten-free diners should avoid when eating at a restaurant, many of which my family and I learned as we began our journey with celiac disease following my daughter's diagnosis.

One mistake that many people make when looking for gluten-free dining options is overlooking one completely safe option: a dedicated gluten-free restaurant. As the name implies, these establishments serve only gluten-free foods. This means that you don't have to worry about which menu items are safe for you, wonder whether your gluten-free meal was prepared on a surface that had crumbs of regular bread, or question whether the staff or chefs will take your needs seriously.

Unfortunately, dedicated gluten-free dining options are not abundant, particularly in some areas. So, depending on where you live, you may not be able to find many — or possibly any — that are safe for you. For example, there's only one dedicated gluten-free restaurant near us. It's a relatively small chain called Bibibop, which currently has locations in nine different states. However, dining there was very comforting, especially in those earlier days when we were still trying to wrap our heads around how much everything had changed and what we needed to do to keep our daughter safe. 

If you don't have a dedicated gluten-free restaurant where you can get a full meal, you could check to see if there are any dedicated bakeries in your area. Those seem to be a bit more plentiful. For example, there are probably at least half a dozen options within an hour of our home.

Today, you'll find several restaurants that are more catering to individuals who are trying to eat a gluten-free diet, whether out of necessity or simply due to personal preferences. Some of these restaurants will label items on their main menu, and others may have a separate menu highlighting "safer" appetizers, entrees, and desserts. However, it's important to pay attention to how these restaurants label these menu items, as there's a difference between gluten-friendly and gluten-free.

The term gluten-free is regulated by the FDA. Manufacturers of packaged goods must adhere to strict labeling laws. They can only add a gluten-free label to foods that do not contain any wheat, rye, or barley ingredients (including their derivatives). Additionally, all labeled foods must be tested to show that they have fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten. Restaurants that label their food items gluten-free, as opposed to gluten-friendly or gluten-sensitive, are expected to follow the FDA's definition of the term when using it for their menu items. If you see a gluten-friendly label on a menu, the restaurant may not be adhering to the FDA's definition and guidelines as fully, so you'll want to investigate further before choosing to eat at that particular restaurant.

Even if a restaurant labels select items as gluten-free (or even offers a separate menu with an extensive list of gluten-free offerings), it is important to remain skeptical until you feel confident that the foods will actually be safe for you to eat. There are some chain restaurant menu items that are surprisingly gluten-free, but are they OK to eat for everyone?

Just because a burger is placed on a gluten-free bun, it doesn't automatically make it safe to eat for all gluten-free diners. If that burger was cooked on the same grill that was previously used to make grilled cheese on regular bread, it is likely cross-contaminated and would not be safe for those with celiac disease or a wheat allergy to eat. Similarly, if the chef cut the gluten-free bun with the same knife that was used for the regular burger buns or assembled the burger on a shared surface, those tiny crumbs of gluten likely transferred to the burger, making it unsafe. Any time you see gluten-free markings on a menu, you'll still need to do some more investigating before assuming that you can eat the item without worry.

It probably feels like an added chore, and you might not want to bother your server, but if you're looking to eat gluten-free when dining out, it's essential to ask questions before placing an order. Moreover, knowing which questions to ask is critical if you want to have confidence that the food you're served will be safe to enjoy. Any time we go out to eat now, I start by having a discussion with the server, sharing that we'll be ordering gluten-free food and noting how important it is that the food is prepared in such a way that makes it safe to eat.

While the questions I'll ask can vary based on where we're dining, the types of foods the restaurant serves, and whether we've had success eating at that spot in the past, most of my questions revolve around cross-contamination. I like to confirm that the restaurant has a separate prep area for its gluten-free menu offerings, which will limit the risk of cross-contamination. For example, if we're dining in an Italian restaurant that has gluten-free pasta listed on the menu, I'll confirm that the chefs don't cook the pasta in the same water that is used for the regular wheat pastas. I'll also ask if the kitchen has a separate colander to drain the gluten-free pasta into, as that can unfortunately also be a source of cross-contamination.

Another thing I'll often ask is whether the chefs are willing to change their gloves before preparing our food. This is a simple step that can make a huge difference, as they won't inadvertently transfer gluten from unsafe sauces, breads, or other items to our foods. I'll also ask questions to confirm that the specific items we want to order can be made gluten-free.

Forgetting to verify that the plate of food that's put in front of you is actually gluten-free is another mistake you don't want to make. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way. A few months ago, my family went out to a steakhouse that had several gluten-free menu offerings. We did what we normally do and asked questions to confirm that everything would be prepared in a safe way and verified that we wanted everything to be prepared gluten-free for the whole table. One of the things we ordered was the gluten-free oysters Rockefeller.

Because we had heard good things about the restaurant and felt confident based on our prior discussions with the waiter, we didn't say anything when the appetizer was put on our table. One of my daughters and my husband (neither of which have celiac disease) were the first to pick up the oysters and dig in. My daughter said that it tasted like there were breadcrumbs on top. I assumed that it was just toasted Parmesan or something, but my husband also thought it could be real breadcrumbs. We pulled the oyster off of the plate of my daughter with celiac and called over the waiter. He confirmed that we had indeed been served the regular (non-gluten-free) version of the appetizer. 

After that, the chef came out to talk to us, cleared all the potentially contaminated silverware and plates from the table, and personally delivered the rest of our meals. But if we hadn't asked (albeit a bit later than we should have), my celiac daughter would have eaten gluten that night, which could have caused a potentially serious reaction. Learn from my mistake and trust, but verify, before digging in at a restaurant.

One thing is for certain: as challenging as it can be to eat out safely when you're following a gluten-free diet, you're not alone in this journey. Between a higher rate of diagnosis of celiac disease and more people who are opting to eat gluten-free for various other reasons, lots of others are navigating the struggles of dining out, as well. So, why not tap into what they've learned — good or bad — about restaurants in your area?

There are a few apps that are designed with this goal in mind. One is called Find Me Gluten Free. It allows customers to rate their gluten-free experiences at different restaurants. We use it all the time to check on how "safe" others say a particular restaurant is (reviewers leave a rating of up to five hearts, which the app averages to give you an idea of the general consensus). We've used it to select new restaurants to try, as well as ones to avoid due to low ratings from past customers. Gluten Dude is another app designed for gluten-free diners. Instead of relying as heavily on customer reviews, the people running this app vet the restaurants themselves, researching their gluten-free offerings and protocols.

Your local community can be a great resource, as well. There are several Facebook groups dedicated to eating gluten-free in specific cities or states. You can crowdsource some information — and return the favor by sharing some of the best dining out options you've discovered in the area.

While sad to say, it's likely that you'll be served an entree that isn't safe at some point when dining out at a restaurant. It may feel like you're breaking proper etiquette by sending the food back or that you're going to make extra work for the kitchen staff by sending it back, but you shouldn't feel bad about doing so. First, you're a customer of the restaurant, and you deserve to have an enjoyable and, most importantly, safe dining experience. If the restaurant serves you something that is obviously not gluten-free, especially after you've already asked questions and been assured that the staff knew what they were doing, you have every right to send the item back.

The other reason you shouldn't feel guilty or embarrassed about sending an unsafe item back is because it could benefit others with gluten sensitivities or other allergies. Making the restaurant aware that it made a mistake can help it avoid future errors. You could see it as a teaching opportunity to highlight what it is about the food you were served that makes it unsafe for you to eat. Looping the head chef or manager in on this conversation could also help the restaurant work to make improvements for the future.

Unless you're dining with friends or family who are also following a gluten-free diet — or happen to be dining at a dedicated gluten-free restaurant — others in your group are likely to be ordering gluten-containing items. It's important to make sure you stay aware and don't mindlessly snag a fry off their plate or let them dip something from their plate into your ketchup, ranch dressing, or barbecue sauce. Doing so could put you at risk of getting glutened from cross-contamination. 

Think about that french fry, for example. Did you confirm that the restaurant has a dedicated fryer that is only used for gluten-free items, or was it cooked in the same oil that also cooked the breaded chicken tenders? Even if the fries at the restaurant happen to be gluten-free, was the fry on your friend's plate touching their sandwich? If you let your friend or family member dip their food on your plate, you're also risking cross-contamination if the item they dip isn't gluten-free, and then you follow up with dipping something from your plate into the same container.

Many restaurants leave bottles of ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, and other condiments out on the tables. This makes it easy for customers to serve themselves what they want and allows them to get more without waiting for their server to return. However, if you have celiac disease, a wheat allergy, or a high sensitivity to gluten, using one of these condiments without thinking could be a mistake.

For example, think about the rim of that ketchup bottle. Do you know when/if it was cleaned? Do you think someone used it to put ketchup on their burger and bumped it against the bun? Instead of reaching for these shared condiments, your best bet is to ask your server to bring out a to-go packet or a freshly opened bottle for you to use. There's a barbecue restaurant near me that offers a decent selection of gluten-free options. It also has a selection of six different barbecue sauces on each table. Since my daughter's celiac disease diagnosis, we don't take the risk with these bottles and instead ask for a few of the restaurant's packaged take-out containers full of the sauces we enjoy.

The more experience you have with gluten-free dining out, the more you'll realize just how different each restaurant is. Some have very knowledgeable servers who are able to answer any question you might have about what is or isn't safe on the menu. The chef may even come out to talk to you and offer suggestions about what the restaurant can do to modify certain dishes that you're interested in to ensure that they're safe for you. But when dining at other restaurants, your server might give you a blank stare when you ask about gluten-free options or tell you that the buns are safe for you to eat because they're not made with dairy (um, dairy is not the same as gluten).

It is important to look for these types of red flags so you can assess whether a restaurant is actually safe for you to eat at or if you're taking an unnecessary risk staying there (or are considering coming back again). If you don't get satisfactory answers to your questions, feel like your server is brushing off your concerns, or notice any other red flags (such as a salad that is served with regular croutons after you've already laid out your gluten-free needs), you might want to change your plan and go eat somewhere else.

It pays to read a restaurant menu before dining out. And this is even more true for gluten-free dining out. By looking over a menu before heading to a restaurant, you can get a feel for whether it's going to be a good option for you to even consider. First, if you don't see anything marked as gluten-free, you'll know that you either need to speak with someone from the restaurant to see if it offers anything or assume that you won't be able to eat anything there.

You'll still want to check the menu of restaurants that come highly recommended by friends or family members who also follow a gluten-free diet. Just because the restaurant offers safe options, it doesn't mean that you're going to find one that suits your preferences. For example, if your friends want to go to a sandwich place, but the only safe options on the menu for you are salads or bunless burgers, you might want to look for a different restaurant where you'll feel more included.

Another reason to peek at a menu before dining out is to get a sense of what a particular restaurant charges for its entrees. However, as a gluten-free diner, you shouldn't rely on the listed prices on the menu as being an accurate reflection of what you'll be charged. Many restaurants that offer gluten-free items include a surcharge to cover the added expense of gluten-free ingredients.

So, that $15 burger might work out to be more like $18 after the restaurant tacks on an extra $3 for the gluten-free bun. That bowl of fettuccine Alfredo from the highly rated Italian restaurant with a dedicated prep area and a separate colander also may cost more than the printed price on the menu to cover the gluten-free pasta for your order. If you're dining by yourself, a few bucks might not have a huge impact on your overall meal price. However, when you're dining with a group of people who are all eating gluten-free, the upcharges can equal almost the cost of an additional entree. 

For example, we regularly pay $10 or more on top of the menu prices for my family of four to eat. And yes, many restaurants do still tack on the same amount to upgrade a "cheap" kids' meal to a gluten-free version.