femminista: thoughts of a feminist rhetorician

For folks with celiac disease finding places to be a lady who lunches is never easy. Happily, I've found a place here that, while they don't have a gluten-free menu yet, the staff is helpful and considerate. I originally happened on McAllister's Deli because they serve sweet tea--my southern girl obsession. It only occurred to me recently to check for gluten-free products, mostly because the majority of their menu is sandwiches. Yesterday I noticed that they also have baked potatoes--very much in the tradition of British jacket potatoes, these potatoes come loaded. I got the beef and cheddar spud which is packed full of sliced roast beef and cheddar cheese. Skip the gravy; it has wheat, but the roast beef doesn't have anything added to it that would be of concern. When I ordered, the manager Lisa was really helpful. She brought out packages so that I could examine the ingredients and let me take a look at the soup ingredient lists (Southwestern Corn Chowder and Veggie Chili are the only two that I saw that were gluten-free). My server, Maggie, was also really helpful. I explained to her that my food couldn't come into contact with gluten-containing foods and asked that the person making my potato change their gloves before to avoid cross-contamination. She actually went into the back and explained everything to the cook.

Today, my experience was similarly pleasant. My server Zachary said that he would go back and make mine himself to make sure that there was no cross-contamination. It turns out that the guy who made my potato yesterday was there and remembered me, so he made it. I've eaten there twice now and no problems, but I definitely recommend telling them that you have celiac disease. The manager said that they are working on a gluten-free menu, specifically because of frequent customer requests. I know that I often try to avoid going through the whole spiel but things like this remind me of how important it is to increase awareness. So, I highly recommend checking out McAllister's Deli; don't be scared away by all the bread on the menu;)