Review of Mendocino Farms

I tried Mendocino Farms for a work lunch today. My cashier was very helpful in addressing my celiac disease as I explained up front what it was and she flagged my ticket as gluten allergy and explained that they would change gloves and handle with care.

What concerns me is they have GF and RGF markings on the menu to indicate what is already gluten free and what can be requested gluten free. I ordered a pink beets and goat cheese salad which is marked as “GF,” but when I made the clerk double check and she pulled out a binder with ingredient information, she said they had to remove both the honey roasted almonds AND the goat cheese from the salad in order for it to be gluten free. It is unclear to me whether they pose a contamination risk or literally contain gluten, but either way, this is clearly not something that should be marked as GF if they have to modify it.

This restaurant also poses the usual problems of charging $15 for a salad and modifying several of the core ingredients without removing the charges. This is not atypical, just annoying

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?

— Some

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

— Average