18
Spring 2015 Issue
DO BUSINESS BETTER
Diners request 200 million gluten-free
meals annually, and 30 percent of adults
want to eliminate or reduce the amount
of gluten in their diet, according to NPD
Group research. But, when you add gluten-
free options, be careful of the menu pricing.
A woman is suing pan-Asian restaurant
chain P.F. Chang’s over the prices of
their gluten-free options. According to
Nation’s Restaurant News, Anna Marie
Phillips believes that the surcharge on the
restaurant’s gluten-free menu “violates the
Americans with Disabilities Act” by forcing
those who cannot eat gluten to pay more.
Currently, P.F. Chang’s charges gluten-
free diners an additional dollar per item,
compared to the regular versions of the
dishes. The lawsuit argues that the pricing
discriminates against consumers with
celiac disease.
If you offer gluten-free items, make sure
you follow FDA standards.
Items labeled
gluten-free, no gluten, free of gluten or
without gluten must:
• Not contain wheat, rye, barley, or
crossbred hybrids of these grains.
• Contain fewer than 20 parts per million
of gluten.
Note that local health departments are to
enforce FDA regulations.
Alice Bast, president of the National
Foundation for Celiac Awareness, and Betsy
Craig, president of MenuTrinfo, are working
with the National Restaurant Association
(NRA) to help restaurants better serve guests
who don’t eat gluten. They offered tips at a
recent NRA Nutrition Study Group meeting:
• Work closely with suppliers to source
and verify ingredients.
• Develop strict protocols for back and
front of the house employees.
• Take advantage of training programs for
back- and front-of-the-house employees.
For example, the National Foundation for
Celiac Awareness offers online multimedia
course for chefs, food service managers and
wait staff. It offers tools to educate front-
and back-of-house staff on safe gluten-free
food handling.
• Assess risks of cross contact. For
example, having separate fryers and
pots for gluten free items.
• Seek ‘gluten-free certified’ products.
• Have menu items certified as gluten-
free by a company like MenuTrinfo.
• Get familiar with substitutions.
• Select quality alternative products.
• Look into pre-packaged
“gluten-free” products.
• Consider adding some popular gluten-
free menu items.
Did you know?
One percent of the U.S. population has
celiac disease, and up to 6 percent are
gluten sensitive. Celiac disease isn’t
considered an allergy; it’s a genetic, multi-
system, autoimmune disorder caused by
the protein gluten. A reaction to gluten
can’t be fixed with an epi-pen. It causes
inflammation in the digestive tract that
can damage the small intestine and cause
other serious health problems.
Even a tiny amount of gluten can make
someone with celiac disease or gluten
sensitivity sick. For those with Celiac
disease, a lifelong gluten-free diet is the
only treatment.
Crave American Kitchen & Sushi Bar in Cincinnati has a complete gluten-free menu consisting of starters, starter salads, entrée
salads, pastas made with rice noodles, bunless burgers and entrées.
GAIN
BUSINESS BY ADDING
GLUTEN-FREE
OPTIONS
