Is Chilis Gluten Free? At first thought you might not think so. It is a very popular restaurant in North America. It’s Tex-Mex menu appeals to the masses so you would think that having gluten free items would not be a priority. This would be a shame because many people who are gluten intolerant love the food this restaurant offers. However, is any of their food safe to eat?
Chilis Gluten Free – It’s Gluten Friendly (not guaranteed gluten free)
If you go to Chilis’ website, you will notice that they have a gluten friendly menu. What does gluten friendly mean? It means that the items prepared on this menu made without gluten containing ingredients. That’s great! There are options without gluten. Does this mean it’s gluten free? Not quite.
If you go to their website mentioned above, you will find this disclaimer below:
“This menu consists of items prepared without gluten-containing ingredients based on information from our approved suppliers. Chili’s makes no claim that these items meet the definition of gluten-free, defined as containing less than 20 ppm of gluten per FDA standards. Because we have multiple sources of gluten in our kitchen there is risk that gluten cross-contact may occur during the preparation and cooking of these items. Before placing your order please inform the manager of your food allergy and/or sensitivity so we can do everything possible to safely accommodate your dietary needs.”
What does this mean? Simply, there is a risk of cross contamination with other gluten items in their kitchen. They will be careful as possible but they cannot guarantee the food you would order is truly gluten free.
Conclusion
Chilis has a gluten friendly menu which is nice as it provides options for those who are gluten intolerant. However, it is not truly gluten free as there is a risk of cross contamination. This is something to think about especially if you are very gluten sensitive or Celiac. But if not, there’s at least the potential option of a gluten friendly menu which is definitely a step in the right direction!