Hard Rock Cafe

Really poor experience and when I raised the issue was just told they're sorry I had a bad experience, and they'll just try better next time

After we were greeted at the door and seated, I made the server aware of my allergies and they said that it wouldn’t be an issue and the manager would be over to talk me through which to which options I could have. When the manager arrived, he was friendly, attentive and reassuring that he would ensure whatever I ordered would be checked for allergens before it was prepared. After some time, and me obviously being excited at the prospect of being able to have more options that are not usually widely available for me, my partner and I decided to order two dishes to both try and share; the lamb ribs and the BBQ chicken, the manager took our order and we thought that was that. However, after a while the manager returned to inform us that unfortunately both dishes could not be made gluten free due to sauces and marinades. I appreciated that he had checked, but was disappointed as the initial expectation was that I could have anything and it would be modified. We then asked the manager for some more time to choose again. On reflection, we should have just left and found other options elsewhere, but we were both very hungry at this point and confident that we would have a great experience. For context, we had specifically come to the Hard Rock Cafe as it was a big chain, that we had both visited in past and we we were confident that it would know about allergies, how to handle the situation and take them seriously.

We then planned to order again and decided that sharing meals would make things more difficult, so settled on my partner having a chicken burger and me having a country burger that could be adjusted to be gluten free. The manager then informed me that the burger comes bunless which is fine and that the fries were not gluten free so would be replaced with vegetables. This again was disappointing as I’d gone from apparently having a choice of the whole menu, to now, having key elements of most options not being available gluten free. I didn’t want to add to the fuss that I felt I had already made, so said that was fine as we were both very hungry at this stage and wanted to just have something to eat.

After a while the food arrived, my partner's chicken burger looked really appetising, however she later told me that it was quite underwhelming unfortunately, and the only reason she did not say it at the time is because she saw the disappointment on my face when my ‘meal’ arrived. I was presented with a double stack of two small patties with some cheese and 7 pieces of broccoli (as pictured below) on a piece of lettuce. By this point I just wanted to leave so ate what little food there was and waited for my partner to finish her meal. As we received our bill, I queried if my meal would be full price (as I felt over half of it was missing), and I was informed it would be. We paid and left quickly looking for somewhere else to eat..

I raised the issues with Hard Rock after our poor experience and received a pretty underwhelming 'copy and paste' response saying they're sorry to hear that we had a poor experience and they'll try to do better...

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

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

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

— Poor

They are very helpful and knowledgeable. When you ask for something gluten free they will call the Manager that will talk to you directly. She showed me that she knew where gluten can be found and helped me to customize one of the dish in the menu. I choose Norwegian salmon without sauces. Instead of mashed potatoes (contains gluten) I asked for tomatoes and lettuce. I recommend this place!

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

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

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

— Good

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner

The Manager organised a gluten free meal. I could chose anything that they would make GF. I had the BBQ Chicken and Vegetables and Rice

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

— Very

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?

— Good

Great atmosphere and service! The restaurant had its own separate gf menu, and all gf dishes were marked by a flag :) The menu had lots of options from starters and mains to desserts. Had the cheeseburger, was ecstatic that they got their own dedicated gf fryer for fries :) the food was a bit expensive but I was pleasantly pleased and enjoyed my visit, would come back again! The staff was really helpful and knowledgeable about allergies, and went through their kitchen routines with me when I was about to order.

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

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Dedicated gluten-free space in the kitchen
• Dedicated gluten-free fryer
• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked
• Food comes out flagged or marked gluten-free

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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?

— Good

Menu is well marked to specify gluten free options. Had a triple cheese burger and mashed potatoes (fries not celiac safe, waitress confirmed). Gluten free hot fudge brownie and ice cream was HUGE and DELICIOUS! Would return, food tasted good after long travels and no reaction in days following. Sat upstairs and had a nice view of the Grand Place, good for people watching.

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

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch

I had one of the burgers, the gluten-free bread was not that good, left most of it. The burger was not seasoned enough. Had fries that was not salted. All in all I was not impressed. They have a separate gluten-free menu via QR-code but the regular menu show more than that.

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?

— Below Average

Have eaten here twice in the past week, enjoyed my burger and fries (yes, separate frier!) and most importantly, didn't get sick. There's a GF menu available. Most burgers can be ordered and there's GF hamburger buns. Fries go in separate frier and are safe to eat. Not sure about measures taken to prevent cross-contamination. The first time my burger came with a stick marked with 'allergy', but not the second time. Didn't get sick either night though.

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

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Dedicated gluten-free fryer

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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?

— Excellent

Aparte glutenvrij kaart. Alleen weinig keuze uit voorgerechten.

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

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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?

— Good