Gluten Free Sandwich Restaurant/cross Contamination Issues

[katrinacara]

I'm thinking about opening a sandwich restaurant sort of like panera bread that has gluten free bread on the menu. But I would also have breads that contain gluten for non-celiacs. I do plan on making all the bread from scratch and I'm concerned if it would ever really work with the risk of cross contamination.

I'm thinking about finding a building that has a large kitchen and having one side dedicated to gluten free baking. There would be seperate toasters, utensils, sandwich baskets, meats and cheeses and there would be one person who would only assembles gluten free sandwiches.

Even with all of this...someone could still make a mistake.

I'm not concerned about losing customers as much as I am about someone having a reaction. I want this to be a place I can eat and not be concerned.

Would you eat at a sandwich restaurant that has some risk of cross contamination and do you have any other suggestions of ways that it can be more gluten proof?

[The Fluffy Assassin]

  katrinacara said:

I'm thinking about opening a sandwich restaurant sort of like panera bread that has gluten free bread on the menu. But I would also have breads that contain gluten for non-celiacs. I do plan on making all the bread from scratch and I'm concerned if it would ever really work with the risk of cross contamination.

I'm thinking about finding a building that has a large kitchen and having one side dedicated to gluten free baking. There would be seperate toasters, utensils, sandwich baskets, meats and cheeses and there would be one person who would only assembles gluten free sandwiches.

Even with all of this...someone could still make a mistake.

I'm not concerned about losing customers as much as I am about someone having a reaction. I want this to be a place I can eat and not be concerned.

Would you eat at a sandwich restaurant that has some risk of cross contamination and do you have any other suggestions of ways that it can be more gluten proof?

You could serve bread containing gluten, but if you're actually baking it from scratch on the premises, there would be flour in the air and cross-contamination would be absolutely certain. I think a more worthy and even fun goal would be to set up a gluten-free sandwich shop where nobody could tell that it's gluten-free. I find Gluten Free Pantry's Beth's All Purpose Baking Flour to be all but indistinguishable from regular baking flour. I don't know if other flours have gluten-free equivalents, as I simply gave up bread in favor of soft corn tortillas. But it would be worth a shot. The other thing, though; even if you completely glassed off the gluten part of the kitchen, with totally separate ventilation... how would you get the food out without flour dust coming with it, and what would be the point anyway?

[TiffLuvsBread]

What a super idea! Please open one in St Louis!

I agree that all bread should be gluten-free, and you could have a really cute name about it, and people who are Celiac will LOVE you and be incredibly loyal, and others who don't know much about it will just think you are health food, organic, what have you, and they will want to try your sandwiches - and surely they will be delicious, so they will come back.

Restaurants that serve gluten-free items typically have it brought in separate rather than making it on the premises. I think they've figured out how hard it would be to actually bake gluten-free in a facility that also bakes with gluten. Probably best to not reinvent the wheel, but honestly I think your shop sounds like a superb idea and I really think you should go for it if you think it's a good idea. As long as you have a market for it (and again, your market isn't JUST Celiacs and gluten-intolerant people, it's those that think it's a "healthy sandwich" place). You could also serve desserts like really yummy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, rice krispy treats of all varieties, chocolate covered strawberries perhaps, and you could serve some delicious salads and soups, I think it's great. Do it 100% gluten-free and watch the business come pouring in.

Good luck!!!

[TiffLuvsBread]

oh my gosh and personal pizzas!

I don't charge for my ideas.

Today, apparently.

[Juliebove]

Would not work if you were baking it all there. Wheat (or other) flour would get in the air. Best to do all gluten-free.

[lpellegr]

Another option would be to not bake gluten-free bread there, but find some that will work for individual servings - rolls or slices that are say, frozen in ones or twos, and those can be taken out and microwaved in a dedicated oven for gluten-free customers. I have to say though, that I won't feel safe eating anything that comes from a place where wheat bread is made because there will always be flour in the air and traces on the counters. I stay away from Panera.

[hannahp57]

I would eat there if i was within driving distance mmm...a hot ham and cheese sandwich on homemade bread that i didnt bake or get angry at!!! how fabulous would that be?!

i think you could do all gluten free to be safe but they better be yummy for gluten eaters to pay extra for a sandwich or personal pizza. but it is definitely do-able

[earthtoneNJ]

If you want to offer gluten bread, maybe you can do what chain "bakeries" do - don't bake scratch gluten bread on premises, but bring in fresh or frozen dough to bake daily. The cc would be a lot more manageable if gluten wasn't in airborne form, and you could still say it's baked on premises.