May is Celiac Awareness Month, the perfect time to take a deep dive into the extensive allergy protocols we have in place at Burtons Grill. Our first gluten-free customer was our founder, Kevin Harron – since then, the care and attention to detail required to safely serve guests with gluten intolerance has become a core tenet in our kitchens.
Though celiac disease is not an allergy, ingesting any trace of gluten can cause acute symptoms; avoiding cross-contamination is as important for celiacs as it is for those with severe food allergies. Every Burtons Grill staff member is trained on our extensive allergy protocols from their first day on the job, and an extensive process of checks and balances kicks off every time a gluten-free guest walks through our doors:
- Our hosts are trained to ask if anyone in your party needs a gluten-free menu before seating. We color-code the menus so our service staff can instantly recognize gluten-free guests.
- During table greets, our servers are trained to ask everyone at the table for any food allergies or dietary restrictions. When we do have gluten-free/allergy guests, management is immediately informed.
- Your server manually writes down your restrictions and order on a purple card that is then passed to the manager in control of the kitchen at that moment.
- Our cooks are trained to wash their hands and change gloves before starting any allergy meal. We have multiple sets of purple cutting boards, chef knives, and utensils set aside in the kitchen to prepare your food. Those items are only used for your meal before being washed and sanitized for the next guest.
- We even take extra precautions when we prepare bulk foods in the morning. Our staff uses color-coded equipment to avoid any chance of cross-contamination, and they’re required to wash and sanitize their work area between each prep item.
- We take all nine major allergens into consideration when we plan our menu items. We have three separate fryers, two of which are always dedicated gluten-free. We use multiple pots of water for pasta to avoid cross-contamination. We don’t allow gluten or dairy to touch our charbroiler. The list goes on.
- As the kitchen plates the food, there is always a manager present to ask all the confirming questions regarding your restrictions before allowing that plate to leave the kitchen. All gluten-free/allergy food is served on red plates to avoid any confusion as the food is run to your table. Allergy plates must be delivered to the table by a manager or one of our certified allergy specialists.
As these steps indicate, we take every guest’s dietary needs seriously. We are proud to go above and beyond to make sure you have a delicious, worry-free meal every time you visit us.
