GF and Olive Garden

Olive Garden does NOT work for Celiacs with Onion allergy! They may also not work for Vegetarians. I forgot to ask if their marinara sauce has meat in it, but I don't think it does, based on one of the reviews. Anyone allergic to onion is better off avoiding all tomato sauces anyways. Fortunately, I still can tolerate 'spice' level of onion in most cases.  



I did send a comment to Olive Garden. I give it to you in its entirety. Unless Olive Garden makes the following changes, I can not recommend them for those who are also allergic to corn. Depending on the location, people got sick, according to the reviews I read at the following site. At least one sickness was due to a corn intolerance! So, DO keep that in mind, as Olive Garden DOES use Corn noodles, and the employees did not know that it was corn. Also, many employees didn't know what gluten was. I am not surprised.

I read 41 reviews on various Olive Garden Gluten Free dining experiences and was very alarmed. gluten free registry: 41 Reviews of Olive Garden

I HIGHLY recommend you do 3 things.
1) Switch to Brown rice noodles, as MANY Celiacs do not tolerate Corn either, and Brown rice noodles is the number one selling GF noodles out there. Almost ALL Celiacs love Tinkyada Brown Rice Noodles.

2) TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES! MOST employees do not know what GF is. And, many Celiacs got sick after eating at your restaurants. Many Celiacs do not understand why at some locations, the food is frozen and simply microwaved. (Being familiar with Kosher laws, I do understand!) The noodles were half-raw and half-mushy. No one appreciated this. You averaged 2 stars only because 1 person gave  you 4 stars. She did NOT order GF noodles. I can't eat meat, chicken, etc., so can not order her meal.

3) Change the spices in your marinara sauce to contain more Sweet basil, marjoram, rosemary and even a hint of ginger and or Nutmeg, and more Cayenne pepper. Some people said it was bland.

Personally, I need onion free, so only got your Alfredo sauce before the I had to go Gluten free. If its made elsewhere, and then shipped in, I probably won't be able to eat it anyways. BUT, you make my recommended changes, you'll get a lot more customers! Inform me of the changes, and I'll make sure to get the word out!

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What I did not say, and probably should have, is that when Marinara sauce is frozen and then reheated, it often looses much of its flavor. If Olive Garden makes these changes, then I'll send a letter to Celiac.org AND I'll post a NEW review at Gluten Free Registry, plus post here. What I can NOT guarantee is that they will really train their employees well. People still might get sick, and anyone who goes into anaphylaxis shock, would do better to eat elsewhere period.
Thanks!