I decided to try a new fast food place that was rumored to be ok to eat at for the non-gluten eating crowd. Eating gluten-free at a fast food place makes me nervous. Too many times I have received a strange look when ordering something bun-free, or requesting any time of accommodation. I was pleasantly surprised by dining experience at Five Guys, Burgers and Fries.
This is a no frills, straight to the burger type of place. If you are looking for a gluten-free bun, you will not find one here. The concept is KISS: keep it simple stupid. They offer burgers, fries, hot dogs and sandwiches. That is it. Expecting them to expand their simple menu, to include a gluten-free bun is wishful thinking. However, their simplicity is what makes the chain gluten-free friendly. There are only two things they offer that contain gluten: buns and malt vinegar for the fries (according to a letter from the company). Two items are pretty easy to avoid. And, to be honest, I have really started to prefer my burgers without buns.
The staff is knowledgeable about allergies, and when informed of your allergy, calls it out, so everyone on the line knows. (There is no keeping your allergy quiet in this place.) They are willing to change gloves, and the preparation gave me comfort in that I was not going to get sick from accidental cross contamination.
You can get your burger with just about any topping you can imagine. I still avoided the sauces, just to be extra careful. The burger was messy, but tasty. But, what will bring me back are the fries. They are REALLY good. Extra bonus: since fries are the only thing they cook in the fryers, cross contamination is not a problem. They are my new favorite French fries. Seriously, they are that good.
My meal was prepared at the Five Guys at Westgate. There is another location in Rossford. Check out their website for more locations: http://www.fiveguys.com/
Wishing you great food and happy tummies,
K
Please, in your next edition of this suevry, include a separate question for all-purpose flours. I second several other comments here that Jules gluten free flour is excellent and I regret not having the opportunity to tell others about it. It’s expensive, yes, but it works beautifully in all our old home recipes that we’ve tried it with so far. I used it a couple of nights ago to thicken a Port wine sauce that was used over slices of a roasted pork loin stuffed with dried fruits, nuts and a spot of Brandy, and the sauce practically made the meal. It was superb. I’ve made this recipe a half-dozen times before (I’m the man of the house but I love to cook too) and this time, with the Jules gluten free flour to thicken the sauce, it was the best this recipe has ever been. (The recipe is from the L.L.Bean Book of New England Cookery, but we old Mainers, even we who are transplanted down here in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, just call it the L.L. Bean cookbook.)Loved the suevry, with the one exception of the lack of an all-purpose flour question, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t answer more of the categories. I’ve been diagnosed with Celiac Disease for only 4 months and I have a lot to learn (but I’ve gained back so far 16 of the 25 pounds I precipitously lost), so I look forward to the results of your suevry very much.Many thanks.