<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:31:38 -0700, I wrote:

>A Denny's Restaurant will be opening soon in my small town.
>Most of my friends with whom I eat dinner on Sundays want to go there
>as a group to try it out.  I'm the only one in the group with Celiac.
>
>How safe is Denny's?
>What would be least likely to be contaminated?
>Should I opt out of this dinner party?

Here are the responses I got:

I suspect it is as safe as the staff is knowledgeable.  You will
educate yourself on the menu and what is safe to eat and then it is up
to the staff to prepare it safely.
----
Every resturant is different.  You need to talk with the manager about
your special needs and see what information he can give you.  That is
your best bet.
----
I have eaten salads and the breakfasts there fine.  You can get
breakfast anytime.  I get like eggs over easy with potatoes, maybe
bacon if in the mood, and a side of tomatoes.   Remind them NO toast
near your plate and ask them to check the hash browns or potatoes are
GF just to make sure that particular restaurant is ok, as buyers are
different in various parts of the country.  Have fun out with your
friends!
----
Interesting, I really do not know because I do not go in Deny's or any
pancake houses, or any pizza places.  I am just too sensitive & I
would never get anything from their kitchen.
----
I have had ok experiences when I am desperate, but the grill is
usually contaminated. It depends upon the level of staff and if they
speak English.I avoid dennys.
----
Any place is only as safe as the people working to prepare & serve
your food in that particular location.   That being said, Deny's' has
had an allegen menu online since before Food Allergen Labeling was
mandatory. Because the policy starts at the corporate level, mangers
should be able to be able to help you get a safe meal.     You also
need to do your part by downloading the allergen menu www.dennys.com &
looking through the various entrees to see which would pose the least
risk of cross contamination. (You can often by-pass the shared grill
with things that are made to order--like omelets or easy over eggs.) I
like places that serve breakfast 24 hours a day since egg & potatoes
are often the easiest to do safely.  I may not be eating what everyone
else is, but it doesn't matter as long as I'm safe. If all else fails,
I ask someone to ask the cook/chef can usually recommend a safe option
or alternation combination than appears of the menu. 
----
You can eat there if you choose carefully.
Some Deny's' put flour in their scrambled eggs. Check this out.  A lot
of restaurants do not have a dedicated fryer for french fries. Many
also use the same oil to do breaded items.  Stay away from fries.
Ask for fresh fruit to be substituted for pancakes.
I think their sausages are OK, but not sure. Bacon shd be OK.
You can order meat/burger, mashed potatoes (verify no flour) or baked
fully loaded (no bacon bits; real bacon only), salad with your
favorite dressing or veggies plain, and sundae for dessert.
----
It is one of my favorite places to eat. They have a menu for
allergens. I always have tilapia with mashed potatoes. The lemon
pepper sauce is ok for us!
----
If you go to dennys.com there is nutrition information and allergy 
information on the top right corner that you can download.
The good news with chains is they often get food precooked from a 
restaurant supply so it may be more standardized.  The downside is you
get alot of ignorant sometimes snotty kids who are sloppy about the 
information they give out.
I personally stick to broiled plain meat or broiled fish BUTTER or OIL
ONLY, no sauces as you don't know what are in them.  Several places
have told me french onion soup has gluten int he broth base so I don't
get prime rib or french onion soup anymore.
----
Always go for the social with your friends.  I just take my own food
and most restaurants are okay with that.  I don't know about Deny's'
but I rather doubt they have  fully trained staff regarding cross
contamination issues.
----
Call Deny's' first and ask to speak to the manager. Ask if they can
accommodate your gluten free diet. If not, ask if you can bring your
own food, and explain why. 
The only things that might be safe are salads w/o croutons and/ or a
baked potato w/o the cheese glop these restaurants put on it (they
sometimes contain wheat). Eggs, only if they can clean the grill for
you, because eggs are fried on the same grill they make pancakes, etc.
----
GO AT YOUR PERIL...ORDER A FRUIT SALD I SONLY THING I COULD DARE TRY.
DENNY’S IS A GLUTEN PALACE.
THEY SEEM VERY UNIFORMED.  MORE CHOICES WOULD OPEN UP BUT THEN THERE’S
CROSS-CONTAMINATION (NO DEDICATED FRYERS, ETC) AND TELL THEM TO USE
SEPARATE TONGS - DENNY’S IS A LANDMINE FOR CELIACS UNLESS A PARTICULAR
FRANCHISE HAPPENS TO OWNED & MANAGED BY A CELIAC (RARE).
----
Honestly, I've eaten many there times and have not been sick once.
Wish I could say the same about some other places.  I have the senior
omelet and hash browns many times.  Also shrimp dinner w/o the rice
(it's on the senior pge on back).  Salads.
----
I have eaten at Deny's' restaurants in several different
cities/states.  I usually have good results at most all of the Deny's'
restuarants I've eaten in, - except- for Deny's' in Alabama.  ( I have
very bad results in any restaurants in Alabama.  When we travel, I
usually try not to order food in a restaurant anywhere in Alabama).
Most Deny's' restaurants  will suggest what foods can be fixed gluten
free, and explain to me what steps they take to ensure a gluten free
meal.  I usually order Tilapia or I order one of the breakfast eggs
meals and bacon.    Hope this is helpful.
----
We go to Deny's'. We order one of the skillet breakfasts...eggs,bacon
or ham, hashbrowns. Make sure you check if orderinf an omlet as they
might add flour.
----

My comments:

This is the first Deny's' in this town of 35,000 population.  The
nearest other Deny's' is 75 miles away in Las Vegas.  This Deny's'
just opened a couple of days earlier, and they have had huge crowds
constantly.  Not much chance to discuss things with the staff.

I downloaded the allergens list from www.dennys.com and scanned it.
There were many of the obvious items (bread, fried battered foods)
with wheat.  But I was surprised that the following had wheat in them:
Grilled Chicken Breast
All salad dressings except for vinaigrette and Bleu Cheese
Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Buttermilk
Tortilla Chips

After reviewing the menu and allergens on the web, I decided to go
with my group of friends.  1:00 PM on a Sunday; a busy time!  Before I
went, I has decided to get a steak.  But the steaks were very
expensive: about $15.  So I ordered a senior tilapia fish dinner.  The
menu said that the fish was accompanied with 2 sides (I chose broccoli
and green beans) and salad or soup (I chose salad/no croutons).  My
non-celiac wife ordered the senior tilapia also.  Hers came out first,
and it had rice pilaf on the plate!  There was no mention of pilaf in
the description on the menu.  I told the waitress to omit the pilaf
from mine because pilaf contains wheat and I was allergic to wheat. So
mine came out without pilaf.  

All in all, it was an OK experience.  A bit nerve-wracking, as is my
experience in any new restaurant.

Did I get glutened?  I can't tell, as I am asympomatic.  I get no
intestinal symptoms from gluten.  It just messes up absorption of
vitamins and minerals.  The only medical signs that I have eaten
gluten would be a higher gluten-anti-body count and lower red blood
cell count.

Some suggested getting fried eggs.  But I assume that the eggs would
be cooked on the same frying surfaces as pancakes, so I would be
afraid of cross-contamination.  Omelets?  Some places (e.g., iHop) put
flour or batter in the omelets.  For the same reason, I don't trust
scrambled eggs or omelets either at any restaurant or at a breakfast
buffet.

Richard

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