Review of Big Wheel Burger

This place is hit-and-miss. Before I ate there the first time, I called and spoke with someone at the restaurant about how they manage cross-contamination issues. The person assured me that they have a dedicated fryer, that they have two nozzles for their milkshakes so that only one nozzle is ever used with their gluten-containing milkshakes, and that they have one person putting together all gluten-free orders. I was also told that they have "celiac" button on their register so that way the kitchen is definitely aware when they are preparing food for someone with celiac. That all sounded great, but the follow-through has not always been there. For starters, strangely, I've occasionally gotten pushback when I've let the cashier know that I'm celiac and have asked them to make sure it's noted on the bill, with the argument they've offered being that everything I'm ordering is already gluten-free so why bother... Frustrating. I've also found that despite being assured that my order will be placed on a separate tray from my husband's gluten-containing order, it usually isn't and I have to ask them to make me a new order. Lastly, and most importantly, there are times that I've eaten there and haven't felt great afterwards, but also haven't felt so bad that I would definitely be able to attribute it to being glutened.

Given my uncertainty about this place, after I purchased a Nima gluten sensor, I decided to test both the fries and the chocolate milkshake I usually get when I'm at this restaurant. The fries came back as gluten-free. Unfortunately, the chocolate milkshake came back as containing gluten. I let someone at the restaurant know about the gluten-containing milkshake and he was apologetic and offered to remake it for me or to give me a refund. I took the refund. I wouldn't trust the milkshakes again because the positive test result suggests to me that either a) the ice cream they are using contains trace amounts of gluten, or b) they're actually not as careful distinguishing between the two milkshake nozzles as I was led to believe.

I noticed that they have a certificate from the local celiac association on their wall, which I think may give a false sense of security. While they might have good practices in theory, in reality they don't seem to be following them in their entirety.

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

— Not very

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?

— Good