Early Bird Brunch

The food wasn’t bad and I was told the gluten free waffles were made in house. Both my mother and I have Celiacs and get very ill if we eat gluten. We both explained this to the waitress. When I asked questions or tried to talk to her she seemed to brush us off, and despite the restaurant not being busy she was always rushing off and never on the floor. I didn’t want to judge because I know right now most places are understaffed and overworked. However, both my mom and I got VERY ill after eating here and we have no doubts that it was from the meal. If you have a seriously allergy or Celiacs do not eat here. It is not safe and it is the worth getting sick.

Edit: based on the on going symptoms both my mother and I have, I think they may have just given us regular waffles. It’s been several weeks and we are still dealing with the fallout. Do NOT eat here it is not safe if you have Celiacs!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

We will never eat at this restaurant again! My wife, two adult daughters, and I enjoy Early Bird's food and have been to the restaurant at least 20 times. One of my daughters has an anaphylactic wheat allergy, and the Early Bird has a delicious gluten free waffle that she enjoys. While the food is actually very good, our dining experiences have always been hit or miss. Sometimes we wonder if the staff was just having a bad day and letting external events impact their service at the restaurant. Nonetheless, we kept visiting the restaurant, because the food was very good. This morning, my two daughters visited the restaurant to have a sister's breakfast as they have many times in the past. My daughter with the wheat allergy ordered the Early Bird meal and asked the waitress if she could substitute the gluten free waffle for the toast as she has done many times before. For the first time in our experiences with Early Bird, the food arrived to the table with toast on top of the eggs and the gluten free waffle on a side plate. My daughter again explained her anaphylactic reaction to the waitress and the need to remake the plate to ensure no cross contamination. The waitress and staff got very defensive over their mistake. They finally agreed to return the plate to the kitchen only to bring it back out to my daughter a minute later. We don't know for sure, but we suspect that the kitchen staff simply removed the toast from on top of the eggs and had the plate returned to my daughter without remaking it and ensuring mitigation of cross contamination. Everything on the plate appeared as it did before with the exception that the toast was now gone and the eggs were cold. My daughter is in the food service industry and did not wish to make an additional fusses about her concerns and simply ate the eggs. Within a minute of eating the eggs, her throat got scratchy, it began to close, and her lungs began constrict and fill with fluid. Luckily, she was able to avoid a trip to the ER with a quick dose of Benadryl and a rescue inhaler followed by additional Benadryl doses throughout the morning. She was in bed for most of the day recovering from the anaphylactic reaction. We've been willing to overlook poor service at the Early Bird Papillion in the past, but this time their attitude put my daughter's health at risk. I just hope that a small child or a person with a more severe allergy does not experience a significant health issue due to the Early Bird's mistakes, unwillingness to take responsibility for their mistakes, and desire to cut corners in regards to food allergies. Omaha is a city filled with fantastic restaurants, most of which truly understand issues of food allergies and bend over backwards to welcome patrons with allergies while ensuring their safety. I am done overlooking the shortcomings of the Early Bird's staff and hope they do not cause a significant health issue for other patrons with food allergies.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

The menu has items marked as GF, but when you read the fine print, it is specified as "Gluten Free-ish". When I asked our server for clarification, she stated that the ingredients in the meal did not contain gluten, but there was no dedicated prep space out cookware in the kitchen and there was a risk for cross contamination. While this may be fine for customers with gluten sensitivity, I would not take my child with Celiac's to eat here.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for breakfast/brunch
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout