Allergy-free Dinner Out

Filed in archive Food Allergies on July 29, 2007

If a family member have food allergies, no problem if you are cooking and eating at home. But dining out would pose a problem. Not all restaurants or eateries serve allergy-friendly foods or use allergen-free ingredients.

In Colorado, the food allergic actually has allergy-friendly choices when eating out.

Beau Jo's buys special pizza shells from a gluten-free bakery in Denver, general manager Ryan Parker said.

"We don't make any money on the gluten-free shells," Parker said, adding that the restaurant adds $3 to the price of the pizza to cover the cost of the special crust. A regular thick-crust cheese pizza sells for $7.99, while a while a cheese pizza on a gluten-free crust is $10.99.

Some restaurants, including Beau Jo's, go as far as keeping all gluten-free ingredients separate from other food. At Beau Jo's, the gluten-free pizzas are prepared in the walk-in cooler with a separate line and separate ingredients. All utensils and knives are thoroughly washed.

"We do anything and everything possible," Parker said.

Read the full report.