Can You Eat Out Safely with Coeliac Disease?
Does it matter if a restaurant doesn't know what coeliac disease is?
I've been to countless places that don't understand what "coeliac" means. Do I get nervous? That depends.
The time I went into a cafe that only served baked potatoes was a pretty easy one. I asked if they catered for coeliacs and the server looked blank. But as soon as I said "gluten-free" she got out an allergen matrix and I could see what fillings were suitable. Since each filling had its own serving spoon, there was no danger of transferring gluten across, so I safely ordered a spud (tuna and sweetcorn, since you ask).
But the places that look confused and come out with ignorant remarks? They're to be avoided. I've experienced:
"You can eat these tortilla chips because the packet says it's not gluten, it's wheat gluten."
"The chef says you can't have that because it contains dairy."
"You haven't eaten it, have you?" (I had.)
The main thing is they get a totally gluten-free meal to you. They aren't legally obliged to know what coeliac disease is. There are lots of medical conditions that mean avoiding different allergens. But they should know what dishes contain gluten and whether there's a strong chance of cross-contact.
Legally, they only have to know which dishes contain gluten, which is where things get tricky. They can tell you this verbally. They might have a policy where only the manager takes your order. Or they can give you the aforementioned allergen matrix where you have to look up every part of a meal to see if it's ticked in the "cereals containing gluten" box.
But! Just looking at the allergen matrix doesn't tell you about cross-contact. Are they frying their chips in the same fryer as the battered cod? The chips don't contain gluten (so the allergen matrix wouldn't have to list it) but their exposure to gluten would mean they're not safe for coeliacs.
A good eatery will know about cross-contact and have a little asterix on food that might have come into contact with gluten. But not all do so it's important to ask.
If they make you nervous, don't eat there. If you're pretty sure they've got it right but you're still worried because of past experiences, order something that's naturally gluten-free (like steak and potatoes).
If they know what gluten-free means and they understand the severity of cross-contact, I'll trust them to make my meal. But I often start by giving them my coeliac disease restaurant card. It's one I put together myself because the generic online ones didn't cover my specific needs (which include oats - and yes, I react to gluten-free oats).
The card is laminated and in my bag, carry-on luggage and phone so I've 3 places to rely on if I should need to.
Want one? It's available free to all members of Life on a Rice Cake. Just click the link below to get more info.
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